Preposition at the end of a sentence?

Question

Could you tell me how to say these properly?You know what time lunch is (at).How many days did she reserve a room (for)?Thank you

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Those are said properly.

Sam1947 · Answer

You know what time lunch is (at).

How many days did she reserve a room (for)?

No. 2 is fine with the for at the end, or, you could say, "For how many days did she reserve a room?" although that is a little more formal and less natural sounding to the average English speaker.

There is not now, and never has been, a hard and fast grammar rule about not ending a sentence with a preposition (despite many English teachers teaching to the contrary in past years). Placing a preposition at the end of a sentence can sometimes be ackward construction, and there is often a better way to say whatever one is trying to convey, but it is also incorrect to make an ackward construction to avoid it, for example:

For which of the candidates do you intend to vote? (not incorrect, just a little stilted)

Which of the candidates do you intend to vote for? (much more natural)

And, one reads some really convuluted constructions to avoid the preposition at the end. It's late, and I can't think of one that really exemplifies that right now.

However, the first sentence is a totally different situation. The "at" in that sentence is redundant, and is incorrect for that reason, not because it ends the sentence with a preposition.

You know what time lunch is. (a complete sentence indicating that the person to whom one is speaking is aware of the time of lunch. There is no need for "at" and "at" is redundant.)

Do you know what time lunch is? (a question from the speaker asking what time lunch is. Again, no need for "at" and "at" is redundant.)

In neither case do you need "at"...because it is redundant. In the same way that one should not say, "Where is the book at?" It should be, "Where is the book?" There is no need for at, and it is redundant. It is wrong for that reason, not because it ends the sentence with a preposition. To most educated speakers or listeners, this construction is really jarring.

Unfortunately, this has become ubiquitous in speech in America, but is still considered wrong. I have not observed this problem among British speakers.

LouiseT · Answer

sam1947However, the first sentence is a totally different situation. The "at" in that sentence is redundant, and is incorrect for that reason, not because it ends the sentence with a preposition.

I agree with this opinion. A sentence should only end with a preposition if it is needed. Many sentences need a preposition at the end. "What did I step on?" (for example) "On what did I step?" sounds unnatural.

sam1947Unfortunately, this has become ubiquitous in speech in America, but is still considered wrong. I have not observed this problem among British speakers.

Whilst I have not heard British speakers using "at" to finish a sentence there are regional dialects that use "to". So you may hear "Where did I put my glasses to?" in Dorset. To speakers or listeners not from that region this would jar.

Sam1947 · Answer

I had not heard the "to" usage. That is very interesting. Regional patterns, accents, and dialects are among the things that keep language endlessly fascinating.

I've blamed, whether rightly or wrongly, the 60s expression, "Where it's at," for the popularization of adding "at" at the end of sentences asking about the location of someone or something. Prior to that, it was only heard frequently in parts of the midwest and, in other parts of the US, only among uneducated speakers. Teachers would frequently use the saying, "between the a and the t" to correct students who asked, "Where is Bobby at?", for example. Would that more parents and teachers would do that these days, but, alas, they are probably saying, "Where is little Bobby at?" too!

Alc24 · Answer

Thank you for the input.

Mister micawber, what do you think of what has been said since you said they we're correct?

Thank you

Mister Micawber · Answer

You know what time lunch is (at).
How many days did she reserve a room (for)?

Those are both informal utterances and both are said properly and commonlyy both with and without the preposition.

Sam1947 · Answer

I would respectfully disagree with MM on the first one, not because it ends in a preposition, against which there has never been a hard and fast grammar rule, despite many teachers having taught that there was. It is because the "at" is redundant and totally unnecessary to the meaning.

Do you know what time lunch is? There is no need for at! Unfortunately, it has become ubiquitous in the U.S. to say, "Do you know where my pen is at?" "Do you know where Sally is at?" It makes me cringe every time I hear it!

Sentences such as the second one sound more natural in everyday speech as phrased above. It is still somewhat frowned on in formal writing, and there is usually a way to reword the sentence without using some ackward convoluted way of moving the preposition. In the case above, "For how many days did she reserve a room?" is not ackward sounding for formal writing. Sometimes, however, in formal writing the resulting sentence would be so stilted that it is much better to just leave the preposition at the end.

Alc24 · Answer

Could you please tell me what you think about the "at" at the end of the sentence and how you would say it please?

1 What temperature should your laptop battery be at?
2 I don't know whose house she's staying at.
3 I don't know where she is living now.

Thank you

LouiseT · Answer

Could you please tell me what you think about the "at" at the end of the sentence and how you would say it please?
1 What temperature should your laptop battery be at?
2 I don't know whose house she's staying at.
3 I don't know where she is living now.

1. You do not need the "at", the sentence is fine without it.
2. Used frequently in spoken English. "I don't know at whose house she is staying" solves the problem of not ending with a preposition (if that worries you) but sounds awkward.
3. Does not have "at" at the end.

Alc24 · Answer

THank you

One thing Louise please,

How would you express this?

What percent is your laptop battery at? Is the battery almost dead?

How would you express the 2 bold questions, the first ends with "at" Is the question a natural way of say that?

Thank you

Preposition at the end of a sentence?

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