A preposition is a word, or set of words, that indicate the relationship between a noun and another element inside a clause. Prepositions can express location, direction, spatial or temporal concepts. Traditional English grammar dictates strict rules regarding prepositional use, but exceptions do exist under modern circumstances. Prescriptively, prepositions must be followed by a noun, have an object to modify, and certain prepositions are required to follow certain words for sentence clarity. One archaic grammar principle built into the structure of Latin, and introduced to the English language in the 17th century, prohibits ending a sentence with a preposition. Language-specific rules cannot be universally adopted by another language because they can reduce sentence effectiveness, change sentence meaning, or create confusion by the forced rearrangement of words.
In etymological history, preposition, from Latin præpositiōn, means “to place before.” Latin grammar requires prepositions to precede the object it governs. Grammarians obsessed with Latin attempted to conform the English language to the rules set in Latin. Famously, in 1672, John Dryden, a poet and literary critic, criticised playwright Ben Johnson for ending a phrase with a preposition. Dryden never explained his groundless objection, but other literary critics supported his challenge because it reflected Latin etiquette.
While the English language is predominantly Germanic, the core linguistic structure was inherited and refined from Latin. By continually adding words and new usages for the existing lexicon, English grammar developed unique fundamental rules. As a language matures, grammatical elements from originating languages can be abandoned or modified to suit advancement. In contrast to Latin, English prose uses articles, defined word order, and elaborated word tense. Every syntactical change further separates a language from its predecessors.
One example of the English linguistic evolution is word placement. Merely switching the subject and verb of a modern English clause will produce an incomprehensible sentence, but Latin allows free rotation of parts of speech without losing clarity. Using the short example sentence, “He likes it,” English speakers understand the subject of the sentence, the action, and the object of the action. Swapping the object and verb placement, a practice acceptable under Latin, this English sentence turns into gibberish as it reads, “He it likes.” Attempting to apply Latin-specific rules to English, such as never ending a sentence with a preposition, will produce baffling results.
Prepositions separated from its object are referred to as dangling prepositions, and final prepositions are found at the end of a sentence. The syntactic construction under which prepositions are not immediately adjacent to their object, was in use long before Latin enthusiasts considered the practice ungrammatical. Although the teaching against final prepositions has echoed for centuries, this archaic rule has no basis in modern English. Winston Churchill was mocked for using a final preposition, for which he retorted, “Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put.” Avoiding the use of final prepositions, as mocked by Churchill, will result in sentences being rearranged into clunky speech. For example, “The game is over,” is a perfectly understandable sentence in modern English. Avoiding the use of a final preposition can produce a different meaning, as one variation of the sentence reads, “Over the game is.” The final position in a sentence is sometimes the only intelligible placement for a preposition.
Because of the multitude of overlapping meanings, usage of prepositions became understood as English idioms, where parts of the sentence express a peculiar meaning. Sometimes phrases are distinct to a particular community, such as the situation of standing outside a crowded venue; populations in the North would say, “I’m standing on line,” versus the common idiom, “I’m standing in line.” The variety of prepositions grant flexibility in word choice, but there are semantic limitations. The phrase, “I dived in the pond,” is grammatically incorrect because in indicates location, but rephrasing the sentence to, “I dived into the pond,” would be correct because into expresses motion. Final prepositions follow similar restrictions and are acceptable under four main situations: passive structures, relative clauses, infinitive structures, and sentences beginning with a question.
“What are you asking about,” is an acceptable English sentence because the final preposition is being used in an interrogative sentence. To avoid a prep this sentence would sound like this: