Preposition Tips

As you work to make good decisions about your preposition choices, you should consider the following preposition tips:

  1. It’s actually acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition. Contemporary scholars and writing style guides acknowledge the acceptability of ending a sentence with a preposition (Casagrande, 2006). It’s natural and conversational to write short sentences that end with prepositions.
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However, you should be aware that some professors prefer that you don’t end a sentence with a preposition. See how correctness is relative?

  1. You should avoid unnecessary prepositions because using prepositions unnecessarily can make your writing wordy and even confusing.
I am not [for] sure I have the answer.

Frank apparently fell off [of] his horse while doing a stunt for a YouTube video.

  1. The difference between beside and besides can be confusing. Beside means next to. Besides means in addition to.
  1. The difference between between and among can also be confusing. You should use between when referring to two people or things, and you should use among when referring to more than two people or things.

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