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The context of the phrase is like this:

Most of these products do not list the source of that ingredient, so one must ask the producer from where that ingredient [comes / comes from].

Which option is correct grammatically in BrE and AmE or are both grammatically correct?

3 Answers 3

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The first option is correct.

Most of these products do not list the source of that ingredient, so one must ask the producer from where that ingredient comes.

Alternatively, if you want to put "from" at at the end, that is also perfectly acceptable.

Most of these products do not list the source of that ingredient, so one must ask the producer where that ingredient comes from.

All you need to beware of is that you don't have "from" twice in the sentence; it moves, it doesn't double-up.

The aversion to ending a sentence with a preposition is not a rule, it's more of a guideline - meaning you can ignore it if it means your sentence doesn't flow.

Probably the most famous example of this is a 'joke' quote, usually [mis]attributed to Winston Churchill.
It comes in many forms & like 'Chinese Whispers' changes at every telling.

The basic form is

That is a rule up with which I will not put.

Many variations on the theme can be seen at “Churchill” on Prepositions

The 'joke' comes from the treatment of each word which could possibly be considered a preposition & then moving it so it's no longer at the end.

Google "up with which I will not put" for a plethora of examples.

Also see, from English Language & Usage SE - “[…] up with which I will not put.”

You can choose which word you need to end your sentence with.
... or you can choose with which word you need to end your sentence ;-)

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From your example, you have two choices

so one must ask the producer from where that ingredient comes.
so one must ask the producer where that ingredient comes from.

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Both options are incorrect. I would go for the following:

Most of these products do not list the source of that ingredient, so one must ask the producer where that ingredient comes from.

If you use an interrogative, like "where", it is positioned at the beginning of the question. So, putting "from" in front of it, is not correct.

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  • @Tomsofty33 "comes" is incorrect, because "ingredients" is plural, so it has to be "come". Also the sentence itself sounds unnatural to me.
    – Geshode
    Jun 22, 2018 at 0:42
  • In your comment it is. But I also answered your question, even if you changed it to singular.
    – Geshode
    Jun 22, 2018 at 0:46
  • What do you mean with arranged in the wrong way? Do you mean, because I didn't write "from" before "where"? I explained in my answer, why it is wrong to do that. So, both options in your question are wrong. That is why I gave you a correct option.
    – Geshode
    Jun 22, 2018 at 0:58
  • Well, I edited my answer, after you edited your question. So, it is for the current question.
    – Geshode
    Jun 22, 2018 at 1:05
  • "Both options are incorrect.". Does this still holds true? If yes, then I need to know why it is incorrect grammatically. Especially if I were to choose "comes" instead of "comes from". Since I feel that I copied this sentence from a native AmE English speaker. But I could be wrong.
    – Tomsofty33
    Jun 22, 2018 at 1:07

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