Timeline for What is the meaning of "in" and "on" when they are used together?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
13 events
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| Apr 13, 2017 at 12:38 | history | edited | CommunityBot |
replaced http://english.stackexchange.com/ with https://english.stackexchange.com/
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| Apr 4, 2013 at 8:58 | comment | added | J.R.♦ | I would think most ELLers would appreciate a fairly comprehensive treatment of the question. You're correct: the way we talk and the way we write are often two different ways of using English. That being the case, I often like to indicate, "That's how I might write it, but I wouldn't say it that way" (or vice-versa). I wouldn't want an ELLer to learn that something is "normal" or "acceptable" from one of our answers, and then go use it in the wrong context. This has been most pleasant intercourse is perfectly grammatical, but I wouldn't... well, you get the idea. | |
| Apr 4, 2013 at 2:03 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | @J.R.: But the point you make is valid, and I think the answer is improved by including the broad substance. I'm influenced in my current thinking by this top-rated answer, which endorses a "colloquial" usage as "correct", without even mentioning the fact of it being highly informal spoken usage. Sometimes I'm not sure how deep ELL should go in attempting to convey all the implications of various usages in different contexts. | |
| Apr 4, 2013 at 1:43 | history | edited | FumbleFingers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Apr 4, 2013 at 1:26 | comment | added | J.R.♦ | No need to edit; I wasn't correcting you. In fact, I've already upvoted your answer. My original intent was to supplement your answer, not voice disagreement with it. | |
| Apr 4, 2013 at 1:24 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | @J.R.: Okay, you've convinced me. I don't retract any of my comments above, but you're quite right that we'd normally try to at least avoid consecutive occurrences of the same preposition in writing. I'll edit to reflect. | |
| Apr 4, 2013 at 1:16 | comment | added | J.R.♦ | FF: Fine as a general rule, but, in this case, the O.P.'s question reads "I have never seen..." and "However, I recently have seen..." which indicates we might be talking about writing, as opposed to conversation. That being the case, I figured it wouldn't hurt to chime in with a comment about written English. Not only that (take it from one who happens to be in the midst of grading 24 term papers at the moment), it doesn't hurt to share a writing tip every now and then. :^) | |
| Apr 3, 2013 at 16:42 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | @J.R.: Me, I think English language is an interesting thing to discuss and learn about, and I'm with John Lawler that language is a spoken phenomenon. Written grammar is a relatively boring hotchpotch of disparate attempts to codify/impose "rules" which are often decades if not generations out of date. Mostly, I think it's misleading to give learners the impression spoken usages are always somehow "sloppy/incorrect" if they conflict with traditional rules of written grammar. Spoken usage is the "real thing"; written forms are just a pale imitation. | |
| Apr 3, 2013 at 10:30 | comment | added | J.R.♦ | FF: Yes, by "rewording that", I meant in a written document. In speech, those utterances just happen, and they are nothing to fret over over the course time. ;^) | |
| Apr 3, 2013 at 5:01 | history | edited | FumbleFingers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
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| Apr 3, 2013 at 2:22 | comment | added | FumbleFingers | @J.R.: Most of us (me, at least) aren't quick enough to foresee the potential awkwardness of repeated at at before we're committed to saying it. But it doesn't really notice in speech, since most of us (me again! :) drop the second vowel to an unstressed neutral schwa, so it's obviously not the same sound repeated. I think you're thinking of the written context, which isn't really "English" for most practical purposes. | |
| Apr 3, 2013 at 0:27 | comment | added | J.R.♦ | As you said, many of these so-called consecutive prepositions are actually phrasal verbs followed by a preposition. I'll add one that the O.P. inquired about: "He is getting on in age" (getting on is a phrasal verb). Another one where the preposition repeats: "I didn't understand what she was getting at at first" (get at is a phrasal verb, too, although I'd strongly recommend rewording that: "At first, I didn't understand what she was getting at"). | |
| Apr 2, 2013 at 18:12 | history | answered | FumbleFingers | CC BY-SA 3.0 |