Ending sentences with prepositions

From a Sentenceparts reader:

Help!

What is correct English? "Of what animal is this a part?"

"What animal is this a part of?"

or...something else altogether?

Thank you for rescuing me one more time, and Happy Thanksgiving.

Francoise

Francoise,

Each, IMO, are correct. It's a question of usage which involves a value system. The value in this case is that the normal prescription discourages ending a sentence with a preposition. However, avoiding this may lead to very awkward alternative constructions such as the one you gave.
The often over-quoted complaint by Winston Churchill goes: "Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put" points out the pitfalls of sometimes not ending a sentence with a preposition.

Happy Thanksgiving,
Jack Sands