Ending a Sentence with a Preposition
As a rule, a sentence should not end in a preposition. (However, as shown later in this section, there are several factors to consider.)
Examples:
 That is a situation I have not thought of.
(The word "of" is a preposition. Writers should avoid ending sentences in
prepositions. This is because, a preposition should sit
before a noun.)
She is a person I cannot cope with.
(The word "with" is a preposition.)
It is behaviour I will not put up with.
(This example ends in two prepositions: "up" and "with".)
Not a Serious Error
Where possible, you should avoid ending a sentence in a preposition. However, after shuffling the words so that the preposition is not at the end, the re-structured version often sounds contrived and unnatural.
Examples:
That is a situation of which I have not thought.
(This version is grammatically more pure than the one above. In this example, the
word "of" sits before "which" (a type of noun - see lesson Types
of Pronouns.)
She is a person with whom I cannot cope.
It is behaviour up with which I will not put.
(This example sounds extremely contrived.)
Reword to Avoid
Often, the best solution is to re-word the sentence:
Examples:
That is a situation I have not considered.
(There are no prepositions in this sentence, and it has the same meaning.)
It is behaviour I will not tolerate.
Leave the Preposition at the End
If the sentence sounds too contrived after it has been reworded, another option
is to leave the preposition at the end of the sentence.
There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.
(Oscar Wilde)
(This is an example of a sentence that should be left with the preposition at the end.)
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YOUR CHOICE
In summary, if you cannot find an alternative without a preposition, you have a choice whether to leave the preposition at the end or to re-structure your sentence.
Some readers will frown at the first example below, because it ends in a preposition. The second example sounds, for many people, too contrived.
She is a person I cannot cope with.
She is a person with whom I cannot cope.
Either can be used. There are no hard and fast rules on this subject. However, most grammarians would select option 1 when speaking but option 2 when writing.
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