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Specifically, within the sentence "to sing along to/with", can to/with be dropped freely?

While searching for information I found out this seems to be an idiom, so possibly my question should be extended to: "Can common prepositions following a verb be dropped freely when used within an idiom?"

The full sentence which inspired this question was: "But I'll write a song for one day we'll sing along". The intended meaning behind this is the following: "I will write the song, and here's why: one day we'll sing it together". The original phrasing sounded incorrect to me both in regards to the usage of 'for', as well as it sounding weird since 'with' or 'to' is missing.

The question is whether or not this is grammatically correct. Can the phrasing 'sing along' be used without 'with' or 'to' following it?

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  • The correct sentence should be "I'll write a song for the day on which we sing along."
    – michael_timofeev
    Commented Nov 10, 2015 at 14:50
  • Also, it's perfectly fine to end the expression without "with / to." "OK, everybody, sing along!" "I like it when you sing along."
    – michael_timofeev
    Commented Nov 10, 2015 at 14:52

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"But I'll write a song for one day we'll sing along"

This is a perfectly grammatical sentence, if the intended meaning of "for" is "because". This would be especially appropriate since the sentence sounds poetic, and the use of "for" in this meaning is considered literary or old-fashioned.

for: conj. Because; since.

(American Heritage Dictionary)

In the sentence you provided, the trailing "to" is dropped because in that clause ("for one day we'll sing along") there is no explicitly stated object of singing along to.

EDIT: If the conjunction "for" is indeed used to mean "because" (sounds like it), I'd put a comma in there:

I'll write a song, for one day we'll sing along.

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  • You nailed the point why for is not a conjunction.
    – user140086
    Commented Nov 10, 2015 at 13:58
  • I think it is a conjunction, otherwise the sentence sounds very awkward (or is ungrammatical) and the OP rightly rewrote it to "I'll write a song for the day we'll sing along". Regarding the comma: Are you saying it's mandatory? Would you put a comma in "I like singing and dancing for/because they are lots of fun"?
    – A.P.
    Commented Nov 10, 2015 at 14:16
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    I interpret the sentence to mean "I will write the song, and here's why: one day we'll sing along". The writer is giving their reason for writing the song. You can replace "for" with "because", so "for" is a conjunction connecting two clauses. I didn't look into the comma issue very deeply, but I think it would add clarity. I'm not sure it's mandatory to use a comma here, even though "for" is a conjunction. As a preposition, "for" makes no sense to me (the way the sentence is worded). It should be "for the day" or possibly "for the one day".
    – A.P.
    Commented Nov 10, 2015 at 14:24
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    @StevenJeuris My decision was the right one and A.P's answer is correct. Please remember to put comma before "for" as A.P. advised. Context is the most important thing when asking questions. Good luck! -:)
    – user140086
    Commented Nov 10, 2015 at 15:07
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    @StevenJeuris Yes, "But I'll write a song for one day we'll sing along" is correct.
    – A.P.
    Commented Nov 10, 2015 at 16:48

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