Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we’re saving the English language sixty seconds at a time! I’m Lauren Smyth, and I’m here to remind you that you CAN use a preposition at the end of a sentence.
For example: That’s a city I’ve never heard of. Grammar puritans will say you can’t have that dangling “of” at the end of the sentence, since prepositions are only supposed to come in phrases. That isn’t a formal rule, though—just a suggestion made by very wise, experienced writers who left a big loophole: If it sounds more awkward to rephrase it, just leave the preposition alone. As George Orwell put it: “Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.”
For example: “What are we talking about?” sounds weird if rephrased to “About what are we talking?” Don’t let the preposition dangle just because you can—let it dangle because there’s no better way to say the thing you want to say.
That’s your Grammar Minute! Visit thegrammarminute.com for more tips and tricks.