A) I was accompanied by my friends for a picnic.
B) I was accompanied by my friends to the picnic.
Which of two is correct? Can we use 'for' with the word 'accompanied'>
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Please use the edit link to add to your question the details of your own research on these two prepositions.– P. E. Dant Reinstate MonicaAug 13, 2017 at 8:05
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Why not? "accompanied to a place" or "accompanied for a reason". It is matter of understanding prepositions.– user3169Aug 13, 2017 at 18:12
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1@user3169: The complement of for, if it is linked to accompanied, must describe the reason for or the occasion of the accompaniment. "The mental patient was accompanied to his padded cell by orderlies for his own safety." "The President will be accompanied by three security details for the occasion." If we think of picnic as an occasion, then I suppose so.– TᴚoɯɐuoAug 14, 2017 at 13:03
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1Because accompanied to is so common a collocation with destinations and venues and activities, usages like I was accompanied by my friends for a concert. get interfered with and thus sound marginal. Somehow, the definite article lessens that discord for me, "...for the concert".– TᴚoɯɐuoAug 14, 2017 at 13:16
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3 Answers
Either one is grammatically correct, but fluent speakers would usually say "to".
"Accompany" means to go with. And you generally "go" "to" somewhere. "To" in this case has the meaning of indicating the destination. So it's common to say "accompany to". Where did we go? We went to a picnic.
But "for" is also valid. "For" in this case indicating the reason or purpose. Why did my friends accompany me? Because we were having a picnic.
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@Jay Accompany does not only mean go with. It can also mean be with. Do I generally be to somewhere? Please bring your full repertoire of English skills when helping learners. Including definition #2.– EllieKSep 3, 2020 at 17:26
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@EllieK Yes, "accompany" can also mean "be with". So yes, it would be valid, as you say, to write "accompany me at the picnic". But when you say "fluent speakers would say" that, I believe that's incorrect. Google Ngrams shows "accompany to" as much more common than "accompany at". books.google.com/ngrams/…– JaySep 3, 2020 at 21:27
From Oxford Collocations Dictionary 2nd Ed. VERB + PICNIC ▪ go for (esp. BrE), go on (esp. AmE)
From Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary “Are you going to the picnic?” “Probably.”
From Longman Language Activator 2nd Ed. If you don’t come to the picnic you’ll miss out on all the fun.
answered Aug 13, 2017 at 8:57
You can go on/for/to a picnic.
The said prepositions can also be used in case of the verb accompany. "To" is more common than "on", and "for" is far less common.
