Editing Wh-movement (section)

===Optional pied-piping===
There are other cases where pied-piping is optional. In English, this occurs most notably when the fronted word is the object of a [[prepositional phrase]]. A formal register will pied-pipe the preposition, whereas more colloquial English prefers to leave the preposition ''in situ'':

::a. She revealed her secret <u>to '''Tom'''</u>. 
::b. <u>To '''whom'''</u> did she reveal her secret? <small>– Pied-piping of preposition associated with a formal register</small>
::c. <u>'''Whom'''</u> did she reveal her secret <u>to</u>? <small>– Pied-piping absent in colloquial English</small>

::a. He is hiding <u>behind the '''red''' door</u>. 
::b. <u>Behind '''which''' door</u> is he hiding? <small>– Pied-piping of preposition associated with a formal register</small>
::c. <u>'''Which''' door</u> is he hiding <u>behind</u>? <small>– Pied-piping of preposition absent in colloquial English; pied-piping of noun ''door'' still obligatory</small>

The c. examples are cases of [[preposition stranding]], which is possible in colloquial English but not allowed in many languages that are related to English.<ref>Concerning preposition stranding in wh-questions in English, see Roberts (1997:212f) and Radford (1999:278ff.).</ref> For instance, preposition stranding is largely absent from many of the other Germanic languages, and it may be completely absent from the Romance languages. [[linguistic prescription|Prescriptive]] grammars often claim that preposition stranding should be avoided in English as well, although it may feel artificial or stilted to a native speaker to move the preposition.