I was recently reviewing a piece of writing for a friend of mine who wrote
Though such a theory does not describe the world we live in, it will undoubtedly shed
light on…
I told him to change this to
Though such a theory does not describe the world in which we live, it will undoubtedly shed light on…
I'm not entirely sure why I think this is correct besides the indirect evidence obtained from recalling that one is not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition.
Was I correct? Is there a general, corresponding rule? If so, what is it?
Best Answer
Either way works fine.
That being said, you have to read it in context with the surrounding passages. I would say that the former might be slightly better in a more casual setting, and the latter in a more formal, in that it sounds slightly more formal.
But the real question is: how does it sound in the place where it is used? That alone should govern, IMHO.