“Unlock Your Writing: 6 Grammar Rules Experts Say You Can Ignore!”

Have you ever pondered the curious quirks of English grammar? Like, why is it deemed a cardinal sin to end a sentence with a preposition? It brings to mind an infamous tale involving the great Winston Churchill, where, legend has it, an editor attempted to polish one of his sentences by removing that oh-so-perilous preposition at the end. Churchill’s response? “This is the sort of bloody nonsense up with which I will not put.” Classic, right? Well, as it turns out, this tale may be more myth than fact, but it serves as a humorous reminder that sometimes, strict grammar rules can lead to downright awkwardness. In our latest episode of The List Show, Mental Floss editor-in-chief Erin McCarthy dives straight into the nitty-gritty of grammar—splitting infinitives, tossing object pronouns hither and yon, and overturning the notion of grammar sins that are really not sins after all. So, sit back, relax, and let’s challenge those outdated rules together! To catch the full episode, click here: LEARN MORE.

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.