The 17th-Century Preposition Rule - The Writers For Hire

THE 17TH-CENTURY PREPOSITION RULE If you are a stickler for correct grammar (or happen to know someone who is), then you have probably heard the rule about not ending a sentence with a preposition. But where did this rule come from? (Or, perhaps we should be asking, â€Å"from where did this rule come?†) And is it really a rule? Or is that just a myth? According to this article from Atlas Obscura, it all goes back to 17th Century England, when a writer named John Dryden criticized playwright, Ben Johnson, for ending a sentence with a preposition. Dryden later advised a young writer that â€Å"In the correctness of the English I remember I hinted somewhat of concludding [sic] your sentences with prepositions or conjunctions sometimes, which is not elegant, as in your first sentence.† And, while he is only documented to have stated this on those two occasions, for some reason his criticism stuck and turned into a well-known rule of â€Å"proper English.† So, next time your grammar expert friend reminds you to not end your sentence with a preposition, you will know who to thank (or blame).