What you'll learn
By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to handle advanced preposition positions — especially the "stranded" preposition at the end of questions.
When do I use it?
In English, the preposition often comes at the END of a question or relative clause:
- Questions: "Who are you talking to?" "What are you looking for?" "Which hotel did you stay at?"
- Relative clauses: "The person I talked to was very kind." "This is the chair (that) I was sitting on."
- Passives: "The problem was sorted out by the team."
Formal English prefers "To whom are you talking?", but everyday English uses the end position.
How do I form it?
question word + auxiliary + subject + verb + preposition noun + relative clause + preposition
- What are you waiting for?
- Who does this book belong to?
- The man I was talking about is over there.
- The flat (that) she lives in is tiny.
Common mistakes for Spanish speakers
Spanish puts the preposition before the question word ("¿de quién hablas?"), so speakers write "To who are you talking?" or keep "about what are you talking" stiff. Use the natural end position: "Who are you talking to?" Also, when the preposition is part of a multi-word verb (look after, care for, depend on), never drop it: "who takes care you?" is wrong — "who takes care of you?"
End the question or relative clause with the preposition: "What are you looking at?"
Practice
Multiple Choice
B2Which sentence is natural English?
Fill in the Blank
B2What are you looking ?
Hint: End the question with the preposition.
Find the Error
B2Sentence Transformation
B2Task: Ask the natural question with the preposition at the end
Hint: question word + auxiliary + subject + verb + in.
Practice Speaking
Apply what you've learned in a real conversation with AI feedback.
Level: B2