Doubtless encountered by anyone who’s ever thought of ending a sentence with “with” or “in” or “at,” and typically met with the pontific response, “It’s improper to end a sentence with a preposition,” this rule has persisted through nearly 4 centuries of English prose with firm, though somewhat elitist, authority.
That is, until Henry Hitchings conducted exhaustive research into the formation and evolution of the language and in one swift revelation showed the rule to be nothing more than an unchallenged quirk. The progenitor?
To some this may be nothing new. In the linked Wikipedia page above it even marks him as the first man in English to object to the hanging preposition, but claims he gave no rationale to his preference. Hitchings found that rationale.
Dryden, like Milton before him, worked fastidiously to ensure his language was not only influenced by, but also mimetic of the Latin constructions he learned in grade school. In his mind, the more easily and accurately a text could transition between English and Latin translations, losing as little of its original meaning as possible, the better.
In the 1670s this was a powerful claim, and one Dryden did not take lightly. In fact, he aimed the brunt of his attacks at rival poet and playwright Ben Jonson’s frequent habit of ending his lines prepositionally. And thanks to Dryden’s tremendous influence over the literary community of the day, none challenged him, even as Latin was already fading from its place as the language of the elite, the informed.
The fact that it’s held fast till today, however, is completely anachronistic. Granted, in daily speech it’s rare to find someone who still holds to the convention, but in writing it’s prolific (likely due to grammarians who teach it without knowing where it came from). It stands out less on the page, simply because the ways we speak and the ways we write have become so disconnected that it’s a real achievement to have written something that reads well in both.
But as soon as you hear someone’s rigid adherence to Dryden’s dictum, as soon as it’s spoken, one word pops to mind: Archaic.
It’s safe to say that English has progressed beyond the need to measure up to Latin for people to take it seriously, which means it’s also progressed beyond the need for such outdated conventions.
Don’t believe me? Try these on for size:
- “The world in which we live is a great place in which to learn.”
- “The world we live in is a great place to learn.”
Let’s remember why we write things down. If it’s for posterity, then for the sake of the people who wrote it, let’s read it. If it’s to bend the conventions of language to your aesthetic will (cough*Dryden*cough), then show the same initiative, and break those conventions in an informed way.
Also, check out Hitchings’ book. It’s a great read, even if it may be a bit dry.
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