
Computing Science
14. Muddled phrasing - ending a sentence with a preposition
In ordinary speech, we often end sentences with prepositions (e. g. in, from, with, for, to), for example:
- This was the computer we were working on.
- We didn't like the code we were copying from.
- It was not the essay we ended up with.
- We were happy with the place we finally went to.
In academic writing, though not a terrible sin, overuse of the dangling preposition makes many markers wince. Luckily, it is very easy to avoid danglers through a simple rearrangement of words. In the examples above, it is neater to write:
- This was the computer on which we were working.
- We didn't like the code from which we were copying.
- It was not the essay with which we ended up.
- We were happy with the place to which we finally went.
This formula, i.e. changing things round so that the preposition no longer comes at the end, works well for most danglers.
Tip: be reasonable. Don’t go mad and write ‘up with which we will not put’ instead of ‘we will not put up with’ or 'the information of which we got hold' instead of 'the information we got hold of'. Sometimes danglers are perfectly acceptable. It’s when they appear at the end of almost every sentence that they can infuriate.
Task | Task Type | Difficulty |
---|---|---|
Task 1 | Free text | Easier |
Task 2 | Free text | Moderate |
Task 3 | Free text | More Challenging |
Task 4 | Free text | More Challenging |
Task 5 | Free text | Easier |
Task 6 | Free text | Moderate |
Task 7 | Free text | Easier |
Task 8 | Free text | Moderate |