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I know that the following sentences are correct:

  1. This is a photograph of me.
  2. This is a photograph of my Brother.
  3. This is a photograph of my new car.

But can I use this as a question? e.g.:

  • Can you tell what this photograph is of?
  • Do you know what there photographs are of?

For some reason, it sounds weird to me, but I can't explain why! Is it just me, or it this sentence just wrong?

yannicuLar
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  • You may want to consider these alternatives: Whose is this photograph?, Who is this, in this photo?, Could you tell me who this is, in this photo? – Damkerng T. Jun 14 '15 at 13:28
  • there or their? –  Jun 14 '15 at 13:42
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    @DamkerngT Whose is this photograph? asks to whom does this photograph belong? as far as everyday American English usage goes. Is this a photograph of me? does not equal Is this a photograph of mine? (no matter who's in the photo). –  Jun 14 '15 at 14:07
  • @pazzo Exactly my thought, which is why I hastily added Who is this, in this photo? – Damkerng T. Jun 14 '15 at 14:11
  • Even more weird: What this photograph is of is of my brother. –  Jun 14 '15 at 14:16
  • This discussion of ending sentences with preposition reminds me of the joke misattributed to Winston Churchill: "This is the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put." It's witty because it's much more natural say "Something I won't put up with". – ColleenV Jun 15 '15 at 01:27

2 Answers2

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The question sentence

Can you tell me what this photograph is of?

is correct, and it represents natural spoken English. You might say it when you are looking at a photograph and you have some curiosity (or doubt) about what the photo depicts.

The sentence

Do you know what their photographs are of?

is correct, and it represents natural spoken English.

One example of a sentence of this type would be this: two friends, call them Elaine and Jerry, have been invited by a couple to view their photos. Jerry and Elaine really don't want to go, and one of them asks

Do we even know what their photographs are of? Because if they are of their baby, there is no way I am going. I've seen their baby twice already and that is more than enough for me.

The reason the questions may sound weird have nothing to do with their ending in a preposition. Indeed, the Oxford Dictionary Online has a short article about Ending sentences with prepositions and explains how natural it is to do so.

The reason the sentences (both question and non-question ones) sound weird is because of is/are of. We are used to these when they are spread apart. For example, in such such sentences as Little boys are made of... and in the question form What are little boys made of?

It is when a sentence or phrase ends in is/are of (side-by-side) that it sounds weird. Because there are not many expressions that require this combination. But your examples regarding photographs is one time it is used. It sounds weird to you because you aren't used to it.

I pointed out in a comment that

What this photograph is of is of my brother.

This sounds even weirder, because it contains two instances of is/are of in a row. (Note that the sentence does not end with a preposition.)

Compare

My photograph is of a skyscraper.

with

My research paper is about a skyscraper.

Does the is about sentence strike you as weird? If your answer is no, it's because you have encountered is about a lot more times than you have is of.

Last, the two questions:

What is your research paper about?

What skyscraper is your research paper about?

are also perfectly natural question constructions.

Community
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  • when you say represents natural spoken English, do you mean it's safe to use in any context / style / audience ? (e.g in informal writing) – yannicuLar Jun 15 '15 at 01:12
  • I define "natural spoken English" as the kind of English that native speakers say and write 90-95% of the time. The only times I might consider rewording such sentences are when I feel constrained by audience expectations. If I am taking to my boss and he happens to hate sentences that end with prepositions (even though he himself probably says them all the time), I may try to rearrange the sentence so that I can get that raise (increased amount of pay) at work. Likewise, I may have to change from natural English to please a teacher, a test, or an editor. But since your question is (continued) –  Jun 15 '15 at 02:47
  • not chiefly about preposition placement but about the sentences regarding photograph(s) is/are of, I won't go into more detail here. I can point you (again) to Is it correct to end a sentence with a preposition?. But yes, by "natural spoken English" that also includes informal or everyday writing. And you always have this website (as well as the Oxford Dictionary--and other style guides, whose links you can find beginning with the above question) to direct people to if they challenge your usage. –  Jun 15 '15 at 03:00
  • I also suggest that you wait at least 2-3 days before accepting an answer. See: Not so fast! (When should I accept my answer?). You asked the question on a Sunday, when many people are not doing their normal routine. One way to get more answers to your question is not to accept one so quickly. –  Jun 15 '15 at 03:13
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The sentences are grammatically incorrect because you cannot end a sentence with a prepositional phrase "of".

Instead you might say: "Who is in this photo?" "Is this a photo of my brother"?

Or if it's not a person, "What is in this photograph?"

As pazzo has brought to my attention, it is disputed whether ending a sentence with a preposition is proper. I advise you to not end with one, but it is certainly not unnatural if you choose to do so.

Jake
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    The first sentence of this answer presents an outdated and never valid viewpoint. See Is it correct to end a sentence with a preposition?, including the link to ELU's When is it appropriate to end a sentence with a preposition? –  Jun 14 '15 at 14:48
  • Although sentences are commonly ended with prepositions it is still incorrect. It may 'sound ok' but most English speakers will tell you it is incorrect to do so. Although the topic may be controversial, I believe it is still a valid viewpoint. – Jake Jun 14 '15 at 14:51
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    What are little girls made of? was a poster hanging in my kindergarten class decades ago. –  Jun 14 '15 at 14:54
  • As I said, just because sentences are often ended with prepositional phrases doesn't mean it is correct. If you end a sentence with one no one is going to think anything of it. Most people won't even notice, but rearranging your sentence to avoid ending with a preposition will make your sentence clearer and may avoid confusion. The reason why it's incorrect is because prepositions (when in a prepositional phrase) are intended to answer the location of the subject or even the point in time. When you end a sentence with "of", you aren't answering those questions. – Jake Jun 14 '15 at 15:00
  • How would you rearrange What are little girls made of? to make it more clear and avoid confusion? Note, I think it's perfectly clear the way it is. What is confusing about it? –  Jun 14 '15 at 15:07
  • I was taught to not use prepositions at the end of the sentence and I choose not to because it makes sense. It's almost like your ending your sentence before you have expressed the thought. I have updated my answer to reflect your and supposedly many others' views. – Jake Jun 14 '15 at 15:09
  • Your example is unfair. Yes the sentence is perfectly clear. Yes anyone to read would understand it perfectly, but there are an overwhelming number of cases where it would not make sense and it would cause confusion. For example, "I'm going to the store after." After what? When? The sentence is ambiguous. I'm not going to continue to argue. The asker can choose whether or not use prepositions incorrectly. – Jake Jun 14 '15 at 15:12
  • @Jake Thanks for your answer. I don't know if there exists a certain syntax rule that proves our point. Maybe we could point out the reason why this sentence is controversial ? – yannicuLar Jun 14 '15 at 15:12
  • https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ending_a_sentence_with_a_preposition –  Jun 14 '15 at 15:13
  • Read the last sentence of my answer. – Jake Jun 14 '15 at 15:13
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    @pazzo I'm not sure whether you think that my sentence is right or not. Could you please address you opinion as an answer? – yannicuLar Jun 14 '15 at 15:15
  • Most sentences are spoken in context. If my family are talking about today's plans and how they include going to church, and I say I am going to the store after, it seems perfectly clear what after what and after when mean. Most sentences are ambiguous, especially when they are removed from context. –  Jun 14 '15 at 15:18
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    grammar-monster.com/lessons/prepositions_ending_a_sentence.htm it says it is not incorrect but you should still avoid it. I agree. – Jake Jun 14 '15 at 15:18
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    Finally, the fact that there are so many webpages discussing the matter proves that it is an unnecessary debate that can be avoided by simply not ending your sentences with a prepositional phrase. I also think it sounds more complete but that is my opinion. – Jake Jun 14 '15 at 15:25
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    @Jake You helped point out that this usage is controversial, and you provided alternative sentences. I think that this answer is complete. Thanks again – yannicuLar Jun 14 '15 at 15:28
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    So Jake you just contradicted your answer by admitting in the comments that it's not incorrect, but rather unadvised because it's controversial. Maybe an edit to clarify the situation would be worthwhile? Comments are considered temporary, and can be deleted with no revision history. I realize that you added notes about @pazzo's comments, but your initial statement is very strong. – ColleenV Jun 14 '15 at 15:50
  • @ColleenV the last sentence of my answer says "As pazzo has brought to my attention, it is disputed whether ending a sentence with a preposition is proper. I advise you to not end with one, but it is certainly not unnatural if you choose to do so." – Jake Jun 14 '15 at 15:52
  • @yannicuLar did you make an effort to read the questions and answers that I linked to regarding ending a sentence with a preposition? Just because someone says a topic is controversial does not mean that you have to end your exploration of the topic. I don't care what you do. If you want to learn more about English, go ahead and read those links, or at least the link to the ODO article on prepositions that is in my answer. In fact, you will come across this "controversy" again. But here at Stack Exchange we try to go deep into issues, and present answers that you won't find elsewhere. –  Jun 14 '15 at 16:20
  • @pazzo your being kind of rude now. He accepted his answer and it is closed. Please don't persuade the asker to choose your answer instead when he has already made a decision. Thanks. – Jake Jun 14 '15 at 16:24
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    There are many times where avoiding putting a preposition at the end of a sentence requires a lot of unnecessary work that doesn't mske the meaning of a sentence clearer. I don't think encouraging a learner to investigate the issue a little bit further is unreasonable when it seems like they're convinced that they should avoid ending sentences with a preposition at all costs. It's similar to the advice to always use active voice. There are situations where passive voice really is the best choice. – ColleenV Jun 14 '15 at 17:06
  • http://meta.ell.stackexchange.com/questions/2493/answers-and-comments-that-tell-the-asker-to-accept-the-answer-youve-given?cb=1 – Jake Jun 14 '15 at 17:27
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    @Jake I can be many things, including rude. But your interpretation that I am trying to persuade the OP to accept my answer is as misguided as your statement that it is ungrammatical to end a sentence in a preposition. I would, however, consider posting the link to the meta post about not accepting an answer too quickly. If I did that, I wouldn't post it here, but as a comment to the question post. –  Jun 14 '15 at 19:04
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    Ugh. This shows why I often exort newer users to wait before accepting an answer. The opening sentence here is one of the most trite pieces of misguided advice I've seen on ELL. RE: For example, "I'm going to the store after." After what? When? The sentence is ambiguous. It's not ambiguous because it ends with a preposition, it's ambiguous because it doesn't have the full context. Consider: What are you doing after the movie? Answer: I'm going to the store after. Next we'll be told we can't start a sentence with a conjunction. Sigh. – J.R. Jun 14 '15 at 22:46
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    RE: He accepted his answer and it is closed. Um, no. That's wrong, too. Answers can be unaccepted and better answers can be accepted in their place. – J.R. Jun 14 '15 at 22:56
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    Just to make it clear, I accepted Jake's answer before pazzo posted his, and I'm catching up several hours later. I'm using S.O. for years, I know it's scope, and of course I will reconsider. However, I think that Jake's answer is still useful, and downvoting it is not fair – yannicuLar Jun 15 '15 at 01:24
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    @yannicuLar You should feel free to accept whichever answer was most helpful to you regardless of what the community thinks. I down-voted because the answer asserts that the sentences in your questions are grammatically incorrect, which just isn't true, and Jake admits it's not true. I don't think it's unfair to down-rate an answer that I feel could mislead other learners into thinking "What is this a photo of?" is incorrect English when it's not. – ColleenV Jun 15 '15 at 02:00