How to Fix Dangling Prepositions

Although speech is the language and language is alive, ever changing, good writing follows certain rules and has more permanency than speech.The written word can serve as a reference tool. A sentence might include one or more prepositions, words that take objects (nouns) to complete an idea.

If you've ever been disciplined by a parent, you may recall something similar to the following conversation.

"I told you to clean your room."

"Yes, but--"

"But nothing! Now go do it."

Your mother was completing the preposition "but" with the noun "nothing."

"But" and other prepositions at the end of a sentence beg completion. They leave the reader hanging and asking who?, what?, where?, when? or why?

Here are two examples of sentences ending in a dangling preposition that appeared in a professional article, along with examples of how the sentences might be corrected. In each correction, the simplest expression appears followed by one that more closely uses the words of the original.

Incorrect: Our reaction to failure is something we pay little attention to.

Acceptable Solutions:

We pay little attention to our reaction to failure.

Our reaction to failure is something to which we pay little attention.

Incorrect:

Find a confidant who has survived the same setback you are suffering through.

Acceptable Solutions:

Find a confidant who has survived the same setback as you.

Find a confidant who has survived the same setback as you are suffering.

Informal speech uses prepositions frequently. In writing, most of these prepositions can be eliminated without harm to the meaning of the sentence. When writing dialog or giving a direct quote, however, prepositions and dangling prepositions remain.

Speech: I'm going clean up this mess.

Written: I'm going to clean this mess.

Written Quote: "I'm going to clean up this mess."

Speech: I have no idea where I'm going to.

Written: I have no idea where I'm going.

Written Quote: "I have no idea where I'm going to."

When a story, such as a personal account is being written, the author's vernacular helps to develop his or her unique style. If the vernacular is excessive, however, the reader may have a difficult time following the story. So, in creative writing, a little rule bending is essentially akin to poetic license. In article writing, the author will eliminate informal speech for clarity to appeal to the greatest number of readers.

Many compound prepositions and their objects work well to begin a clause to start a sentence. Such construction can provide a transition for a new paragraph.

Examples of introductory clauses:

Before the turn of the century, women began to change their style of dress.

Except for an occasional breeze, the air was as still as stone.

"Before" and "except" are prepositions introducing the sentences. Don't leave them dangling!

Incorrect: Women began to change their style of dress in the century before.

Incorrect: The air was still as stone, an occasional breeze except.*

*Such construction might occur in a poem and be accepted as poetic license.

So, here you see that prepositions can begin a sentence, but should not end a sentence when writing an article for publication.

1. Delete the preposition if the meaning of the sentence doesn't change.
2. Add a noun and any desired modifiers to serve as the preposition's object.
3. Complete the preposition and move the words to where the meaning is clearer or at the beginning to work as a transition.
4. Reword the sentence so no preposition is required.

After reading this subject, you are now more aware of what prepositions are and have seen a few examples of them in sentences. A preposition is completed by an object (noun or pronoun) and any modifiers to the noun. An object answers the question of who, what, when, where, or why.

When correcting a dangling preposition, you can sometimes just delete the preposition, add an object (perhaps with modifiers), add an object and move the preposition's phrase to somewhere else in the sentence, such as the beginning to serve as a transition, or reword the sentence so no preposition is required.

Omitting dangling prepositions from your article writing improves the quality of the piece and is easier for the reader to comprehend. ***

I constructed the preposition lists with the guidance of the following book.

Sebranek, Meyer, and Kemper; Write for College: A Student Handbook; Write Source (Houghton Mifflin), Wilmington, Massachusetts; 1997 ISBN 0-669-44402-2

The graphic images are my own work.