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Is the sentence below correct? I want to use the phrasal verb to stay in and the adverbs in the evening. I know how to write the sentence in different forms but I ask you if the form below is correct.

I'm going to stay in in the evening.

Thanks for help.

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  • 5
    It's a little bit awkward, but it's not incorrect.
    – J.R. ♦
    Commented Dec 8, 2016 at 18:24
  • he said that that was his house.
    – Gagan
    Commented Dec 8, 2016 at 19:34
  • :) WOW. That's very good.
    – Ľubomír Masarovič
    Commented Dec 8, 2016 at 19:36
  • I would choose a different way of writing this sentence like "I'm going to stay in this evening", but it is not incorrect. As the other answers have stated there are examples in English of this construction, but I think it's generally to be avoided.
    – Evan Donovan
    Commented Dec 9, 2016 at 1:04
  • Your example should be "I'm going to stay in for the evening." See for: "4. over a span of (time or distance)"
    – user3169
    Commented Dec 9, 2016 at 2:29

2 Answers 2

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To make it clearer to the reader, you should use a comma between the repeated word.

Using Andrews example:

Please stand by, by the phone.
Would you like to hang out, out of the house?

And your original one:

I'm going to stay in, in the evening

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  • 5
    To me at least, this seems like an unusual use of punctuation. I've never seen a book on grammar that suggested this, nor have I seen it in writing.
    – Evan Donovan
    Commented Dec 9, 2016 at 1:05
  • I wouldn't recommend the dash, but a comma is fine.
    – Andrew
    Commented Dec 9, 2016 at 4:52
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Yes, this is perfectly correct. It's not uncommon to say things like this when speaking naturally, and you find yourself using a verb with a preposition (like "stay in") along with an adverb of time or place (like "in the evening"). If you're quick (and you care about such things) you could replace "in the evening" with "this evening" and avoid the double "in", but generally no one will care.

Other examples:

Please stand by by the phone.

Would you like to hang out out of the house?

In the evening traffic tends to ease off off of the main roads.

And many others.

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  • 7
    How about "traffic tends to ease off off off-ramps?"
    – supercat
    Commented Dec 8, 2016 at 21:09
  • 5
    @supercat Yep! Or you can add an "of" in there "traffic tends to ease off off of off-ramps". Say that three times fast.
    – Andrew
    Commented Dec 8, 2016 at 21:13
  • 3
    "Traffic tends to ease off off of off-ramps." I am finding that that is a difficult thing to say.
    – cobaltduck
    Commented Dec 8, 2016 at 21:34
  • 3
    @Andrew In Australia we tend not to say off of, but just off, so that will appear normal to some people.
    – CJ Dennis
    Commented Dec 8, 2016 at 23:02
  • 1
    Are we really going to discuss what John had had had had had had, or how Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo?
    – Pierre Arlaud
    Commented Dec 9, 2016 at 8:44

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