6 Grammar Rules You Can Break

Ever heard about the time Winston Churchill weighed in on ending sentences with prepositions? According to one of many versions of the story, an editor revised a sentence of Churchill’s so the final word wasn’t a preposition. You know like, “of” or “in” or “at.”

Here’s what Churchill had to say about that: “This is the sort of bloody nonsense up with which I will not put.”

Or so the legend goes. Churchill probably wasn’t involved in the exchange: The earliest known reference to it doesn’t mention him at all. But no matter who said it, the point is pretty salient: Sometimes, it’s just too awkward to put all your prepositions in the “correct” places.

“Don’t end a sentence with a preposition” is one of English grammar’s most infamous rules—but it turns out you don’t actually have to follow it. On this latest episode of The List Show, Mental Floss editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy is splitting infinitives, running amok with object pronouns, and committing some other grammar sins that aren’t really sins at all.

Watch the full episode above, and don’t forget to subscribe to Mental Floss on YouTube for new videos every week.

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