Problems with Prepositions
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Problems with Prepositions
Prepositions are certain words that go directly before nouns. They often show direction; for example, below, above, over, under, around, through, in, out, between, among, to, toward(s), etc. Other common prepositions include of, for, from, with, like.
Rule: You shouldn’t use or end a sentence with an unnecessary preposition, i.e., when the meaning is clear without the preposition. Sentences may end with necessary prepositions.
Correct: That is something I cannot agree with.
With is a necessary preposition.
Incorrect: Where did he go to?
Correct: Where did he go?
To is unnecessary because the meaning is clear without it.
Rule: Don’t follow like with a subject and verb because prepositions are followed only by nouns that act as the object of the preposition. Use as, as if, as though, or the way instead of like when a subject and verb follow.
Correct: I wish I could be more like her.
Incorrect: It doesn’t look like she will show up for dinner.
Correct: It doesn’t look as if (or as though) she will show up for dinner.
Incorrect: Do it like I taught you.
Correct: Do it the way I taught you.
Pop Quiz
Which sentence is correct?
1A. Where did you get this at?
1B. Where did you get this?
2A. I will go later on.
2B. I will go later.
3A. Take your shoes off the bed.
3B. Take your shoes off of the bed.
4A. Cut it up into small pieces.
4B. Cut it into small pieces.
5A. I look like my sister.
5B. I look as my sister.
Pop Quiz Answers
1. B
2. B
3. A
4. B
5. A
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
Hmmm. I was always taught that one should never end a sentence with a preposition. For instance, the sentence, “That is something I cannot agree with” should be changed to read, “That is something with which I cannot agree.” Are both correct? Is the latter correct in more formal documents, while the former in more informal situations?
Thanks.
Hi, Joel.
It’s really just a myth that we can’t end sentences with prepositions, even in formal writing.
Can you please clarify the following: Should it be “The details follow or follows”?
“The details follow” because it is like saying “They follow.” See the Subject and Verb Agreement page of Grammarbook.com.
A sentence can only have one word that ends with “s”. The details follow is correct. The detail follows is correct.
Your first sentence is overly general and is probably not what you really meant to express. In fact, your third sentence contradicts your first one. Consider other examples:
Billiards is my favorite game to play with my friends.
Ten dollars is what you owe me.
What about: One of the details follows…?
Although “One of the details follows” may be grammatically correct, it has an awkward sound. We suggest either “One of the details is as follows” or “One detail follows.”
Which is correct?
Is my child the right age for school, or is my child at the right age for school?
Is the word “at” an unnecessary preposition?
The word “at” is an unnecessary preposition here.
Why is “at” considered unnecessary?
Thanks!
I can’t answer that as I’m not a linguist. It’s not wrong, just unnecessary.
Which is the correct usage of a preposition? We will meet on tomorrow. we will meet tomorrow.
Another example would be: The testing will begin on tomorrow. The testing will begin tomorrow.
Do not use “on” with either sentence.
We will meet tomorrow. The testing will begin tomorrow.
Here is a sentence that I don’t quit understand completely.
My work experience and education combined with your need for an experience landscape supervisor has resulted in a relationship that would profit both parties.
It told me to change has resulted to would result, but why?
“Has resulted” indicates something that has happened in the past. “Would result” is needed in a conditional sentence to express a contingency or possibility that something might happen in the future. Also, use the word experienced as the adjective to describe landscape supervisor. You might also consider changing the word profit to benefit.
My work experience and education combined with your need for an experienced landscape supervisor would result in a relationship that would benefit both parties.
I’m confused.
Is it “tackle on a step-by-step manner” or “tackle in a step-by-step manner.”
“tackle in a step-by-step manner”
When is it appropriate to use toward vs. towards? My sentence is…
He behaved in an inappropriate manner toward his supervisors.
Should it be toward or towards?
Either “toward” or “towards” is correct.
The story has it that Winston Churchill, when accused of ending a sentence with a preposition, replied, “That is something, up with which I will not put!” What a great sense of humor…
Thanks, Jane, for your efforts to preserve correct grammar. I’m 55, and I still think of my 7th grade English teacher, Mrs Grenberg, at least once every week as I encounter others making common grammatical errors, both in speech and in writing.
Keep up the good work!
When is it appropriate to use a comma before the word “because”? For example, could you use a comma before “because” in the following sentence?
She ran the race as fast as she could because she wanted to show everyone how thoroughly she had trained.
Thanks.
The word “because” follows an independent clause and begins a dependent clause. Do not use a comma when the independent clause comes before the dependent clause. See Rule 9 under Commas.
Which is correct: It is between he and I, or It is between him or her. Why?
Between him/her and me.
“Between” is a preposition; therefore, object pronouns must follow. See https://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/pronoun.asp
Is she irritated by, or irritated at, or can it be either way?
Either “at” or “by” is fine with “irritated.”
Do we say the analysis was done ON a national level or AT a national level?
Either “on” or “at” is fine as the preposition following “analysis.”
is it wrong to say healthy food is good to people?
The correct usage would be “Healthy food is good for people.”
Can I ask which sentence is correct :
“It will be useful to the poor.” or
“It will be useful for the poor.”
Appreciate the comment and advice
I would recommend the first sentence. Your second example sounds like an incomplete sentence unless you add more words.
A new irrigation system was installed. It will be useful to the poor.
It will be useful for the poor to use the new irrigation system.
Lately, I’ve noticed a lot of writers using “arrive to” a place. Shouldn’t it be “arrive AT” a place, or are we changing “modern” grammar to appease the masses who don’t know or care to learn any better?
I agree that arriving “at” a place is correct. In the case of a city, you could even use “He arrived in New York at 3:00.” The only time I would use “arrive to” would be arriving to do something, such as “He arrived to help fix George’s car.”
The correct usage would be “resulting in.”
what is correct? “resulting TO” or resulting “IN” can anyone give me a feedback?
A colleague and I were debating this sentence this morning. Which is correct?
The children must stay in the store or the children must stay at the store.
Thanks.
Either one is grammatically correct, but they convey slightly different meanings. “The children must stay in the store” indicates that the children must stay inside the building. “The children must stay at the store” conveys that the children must stay at the store as opposed to going elsewhere, but that they do not necessarily have to stay inside.
which one of the following is correct?
Are you in the bus stop? or
Are you at the bus stop?
I feel both at different instances are right. Please someone clarify.
Thanks.
The term bus stop is defined as “a point (as a street corner) on a bus route at which buses stop and which is often marked by an overhead sign.” Therefore, “Are you at the bus stop?” would be correct. Sometimes bus stops are located inside an enclosed shelter, but you would not say you were in the bus stop.
Which is correct…I wrote them both down OR I wrote down both of them. I know the rule of thumb that you should not end a sentence witha preposition, but isn’t there another rule being broken here? Something about splitting something? I can’t remeber. Can you help?
Regarding ending a sentence with a preposition, the rule in our blog on Problems with Prepositions says, “You shouldn’t use or end a sentence with an unnecessary preposition, i.e., when the meaning is clear without the preposition. Sentences may end with necessary prepositions.” The only example of a preposition in your sentences is of. Neither of your sentences ends with a preposition, but one ends with a prepositional phrase (of them). Chicago Manual of Style recommends limiting the use of prepositional phrases by stating, “Prepositions can easily be overused. Stylistically, a good ratio to strive for is one preposition for every ten to fifteen words.” Therefore, I would recommend “I wrote them both down.”
Your web site is great.
I’m confused, should we say “I am going to meet him in the market.” or “I am going to meet him at the market” ?
Thanks
In most cases, you would say “at the market.” If you were specifically meeting somebody inside an actual market building, you could use the phrase “in the market.”
I would like to know why in the sentence bellow the “FOR” comes at end of sentence?
Who is this book for?
The word for is a preposition. It’s ok to end a sentence with a preposition. As The Chicago Manual of Style says, “The traditional caveat of yesteryear against ending sentences with prepositions is, for most writers, an unnecessary and pedantic restriction.”
That said, I need to tell you that your sentence is grammatically incorrect. Our rule for Who vs. Whom states, “Use who when you could replace it with he. Use whom when you could replace it with him.” Your sentence is just another way of writing This book is for whom? Since you would write This book is for him, whom is the correct word to use rather than who.
I have noticed my British mother-in-law omitting prepositions and chalked it up to her Lancashire upbringing, or the differences in a common language. It always felt wrong and rankled my sense of propriety. Now I notice the same omissions commonly in American speech.
She says, “I graduated college,” and “I graduated high school.” I hear these frequently from people in this country. The worst of my mother-in-law’s omitting is, “Give it me.”
You are probably right that dropping the prepositions by your mother-in-law is due to what she heard growing up in her part of England. As for American speech, I agree with The Associated Press Stylebook which says, “Graduate is correctly used in the active voice: She graduated from the university. It is correct, but unnecessary, to use the passive voice: He was graduated from the university. Do not, however, drop from: John Adams graduated from Harvard. Not: John Adams graduated Harvard.“
I have noticed my British mother-in-law omitting prepositions and chalked it up to her Lancashire upbringing, or the differences in a common language. It always felt wrong and rankled my sense of propriety. Now I notice the same omissions commonly in American speech.
She says, “I graduated college,” and “I graduated high school.” I hear these frequently from people in this country. The worst of my mother-in-law’s omitting is, “Give it me.”
You are probably right that dropping the prepositions by your mother-in-law is due to what she heard growing up in her part of England. As for American speech, I agree with The Associated Press Stylebook which says, “Graduate is correctly used in the active voice: She graduated from the university. It is correct, but unnecessary, to use the passive voice: He was graduated from the university. Do not, however, drop from: John Adams graduated from Harvard. Not: John Adams graduated Harvard.“
Thanks for the newsletter, it is great. I have a question someone asked me and I couldn’t answer it.
“It’s a good place to be” or “it’s a good place to be at”. Which one is correct, or are they both correct but used for different reasons?
“It’s a good place to be” is correct. The reason is explained in the first rule of “Problems with Prepositions”: You shouldn’t use or end a sentence with an unnecessary preposition, i.e., when the meaning is clear without the preposition. Sentences may end with necessary prepositions.
The word “at” is an unnecessary preposition that adds nothing to the meaning of the sentence.
How come agree has lost its preposition (with, to, on) everywhere recently? For example, ‘we must agree the details before we can move on’ or ‘the two nations are agreeing arrangements for cooperation.’ I see this even in the NYT and on the BBC news site.
The word agree without a preposition is used chiefly in British English. The definition is “to settle on by common consent: arrange.” Example: I agreed rental terms with him. We agree that your examples sound grammatically incorrect in American English.
I have a question regarding question 7 on Prepositions Quiz 3:
7. Choose the correct sentence.
Correct Answer: A Which hotel did Laurie stay at while she was in town?
Explanation: “at” is a necessary preposition here.
Shouldn’t this instead be:
At which hotel did Laurie stay while she was in town?
Is your concern that the preposition at comes at the end of the first clause? If so, please see our Rule 1 of Prepositions. Also, here’s a quote from last year’s post “Rules and Preferences”:
There is no living English scholar who will defend “Do not end a sentence with a preposition,” yet the superstition is still believed by an alarming number of intelligent people.
Either your sentence or our sentence A is acceptable.
What is correct? Waiting for you or Waiting on you?
If you are talking about the service provided in a restaurant, you would use “waiting on you.” Some people might argue for “waiting for you” in reference to waiting for someone to arrive, waiting for someone to finish a task, or similar situations. However, to us, they’re more or less synonymous. Waiting on for waiting for is common in many American dialects.
I have difficulty distinguishing “in” and “on” in a sentence. For instance, are you on a conference call or in a conference call? Do you have any suggestions?
In our workplaces, we have used “on a conference call,” but we don’t know how to make any kind of generalization about this kind of thing.
I am interested in the second room / I am interested on the second roomwhich one is correct and why ?
Thank you very much
interested in
I have always thought that “between” was used when there are two variables, and “among” was used when there are three or more variables. My question pertains to the year end quiz. “James is trying to decide between three college majors; accounting, finance, or economics.” What is the correct use?
You are not alone in this oversimplification. Please see our post Among vs. Between.
“Best before 3 months from the manufacturing date. ” Is this right?
How can we use a product before it is manufactured? I think it should be
”Best within 3 months from the manufacturing date.“
Am I right?
You are correct. The preposition within is a better choice here. It could be further clarified as: “Best (consumed or used) within three months after (or following) the date of manufacture.”
Is this sentence correct? It is this evolution that has made it possible for beings such as we to exist. Shouldn’t it be “beings such as us,” objects of preposition “for”?
We agree with you that us is a better choice because of the objective case (object of the preposition for). We would use the subjective case if the sentence were It is possible that beings such as we exist because of this evolution.
For the below sentence, is using “about” the correct usage or should “öf” be used?
The teacher knew all about the problem.
The teacher knew all of the problem.
Both of your sentences convey that the teacher is aware of and understands the problem well. The second sentence is awkward and would be rarely written or heard. But it is grammatically correct.
You could also write:
The teacher knew about the problem.
The teacher knew of the problem.
These two sentences convey general awareness but not to the depth implied by using the word all.
Which is correct?
I am writing to request an assessment and management (of or for) Mr X, who has had fever for the past 10 days.
or
I am writing to request assessment and management (of or for) Mr X, who has had fever for the past 10 days.
or
I am writing to request an assessment of and management for Mr X, who has had fever for the past 10 days.
I am writing to request an assessment of and management [plan?] for Mr X, who has had a fever for the past 10 days.
Which one is correct?
“What is found in the y-axis?” or “What is found on the y-axis?”
We would use the preposition on.
Which is correct? He took his family to the mountains in the plane. He took his family to the mountains on the plane.
The wording in your sentences is a bit awkward. We recommend rewording.
Example:
“He flew his family to the mountains in a plane.”