Can / Should you begin *and* end a sentence with a preposition

Here’s the phrase in question which originally ended with a preposition: Who is the client currently residing with? A way to rephrase to put the proposition at the beginning would be: With whom is the client currently residing? I think this approach satisfies the inner grammarian, but shifts away from natural language. Some users found … Read more

Which punctuation should be used before extra information at the end of a sentence?

I have a question regarding punctuation. Please consider the following sentence: In 2010, he became CEO of the company [punctuation?] a position he still holds today. I’m wondering which punctuation is correct/acceptable/incorrect and why: Comma? In 2010, he became CEO of the company, a position he still holds today. Semicolon? In 2010, he became CEO … Read more

What does the word “already” mean in this sentence?

As I watched a TV series, I heard the following sentence: Will you fix your marriage or get a divorce already? I can’t figure out what “already” means at the end of the sentence. I suppose something like “immediately” but I couldn’t find anything on the Internet . Answer It connotes a sense of impatience. … Read more

Choosing the most logical order of sentences from among the given choices to construct a coherent paragraph

The sentences given below, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labeled with a letter. I have to choose the most logical order of sentences from among the given choices to construct a coherent paragraph. (a) Similarly, turning to caste, even though being lower caste is undoubtedly a separate cause of disparity, … Read more

Ungrammatical: “Half the boys jumped, but only a quarter of the girls did.”?

I’m writing a scientific paper and my coauthor claims that ending a sentence with “did” is ungrammatical. The sentence has the following form: Half the boys jumped, but only a quarter of the girls did. Is he correct? How can we describe the grammatical role that did is playing here, by standing in for the … Read more

Alternative to ending an sentence with “contribute to”

I have a bad habit of leaving ending sentences with prepositions. I’m inclined to write: Two communities I’m working to contribute to Is there a phrasing, and possibly a grammatical rule, that could help me out of this formulation? Note: I found this conversation helpful, though not applicable to this case. Answer The rule about … Read more