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Lucas21c Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

A relative clause; could you help me?

I already know that a relative pronoun, 'that', cannot be an object of a preposition, for example, "You are the person for that I am looking for."

However, if the preposition move to the end of the sentence, like "You are the person that I am looking for."? or "I met my friend that I play squash tennis every weekend with.", is it okay?

Thank you.
  

Top answer

A preposition can be at the end of a relative clause beginning with that. Your first sentence is fine but the other one sounds awkward because there is such a lot between that and the preposition. There is nothing ungrammatical in the sentence, though.

— Cool Breeze

  • A preposition can be at the end of a relative clause beginning with that.
  • Your first sentence is fine but the other one sounds awkward because there is such a lot between that and the preposition.
  • There is nothing ungrammatical in the sentence, though.
  • CB
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3 Answers
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A preposition can be at the end of a relative clause beginning with that. Your first sentence is fine but the other one sounds awkward because there is such a lot between that and the preposition. There is nothing ungrammatical in the sentence, though.

CB
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Thank you, CB! By the way, how can I make the sentence, "I met my friend that I play squash tennis every weekend with.", more natural?

How about "I met my friend with whom I play squash tennis every weekend."?
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Maybe I should have chose my words with greater care. The sentence doesn't really "sound" awkward. It just looks awkward, and I for one would avoid it in serious writing. There may be other opinions, of course. The with whom version is fine, but with whom isn't often heard in informal conversation.

CB
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