"where is the library at?"

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IsabellaLinton
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23 May 2022, 9:13 am

Matrix Glitch wrote:

"The" has to come after "at". At - the - location. At the bank, at the racetrack, at the airport. And it has to be a location that's "the something". "At California" doesn't work because "the California" doesn't work either. Well okay "at the UK" doesn't work either. Nothing's perfect.

A: At Walmart. At Target. At work. At Aunt's Jean's house.

The doesn't need to follow at.

The problem with "Where is _______ at", is that we can't presuppose which preposition will suit the answer.

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kraftiekortie
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23 May 2022, 9:18 am

The odd thing is: One could say one is "in Walmart," "in a bank, "in Target," "in the auntie's house."

But one cannot say "in work"----ever--at least in the United States.

It's just the subtle oddities of linguistics.

temp1234
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23 May 2022, 9:28 am

Prepositions and articles are the hardest because the rules governing the use of them are ambiguous and cannot be fully explained.

Matrix Glitch
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23 May 2022, 9:54 am

kraftiekortie wrote:

It's rather similar to transitive and intransitive verbs in a loose sense:

"At a town in California" would work.

"At California," obviously, wouldn't. One could only be "in" California linguistically.

California is a large entity with many "ats." "At the library" denotes a specific location.

I've been told I have a good vocabulary and that I'm a good writer. But I've little to no understanding of grammatical terms like transitive and intransitive verbs and rules like don't end a sentence with a preposition.

But I do remember conjunction junction.

Last edited by Matrix Glitch on 23 May 2022, 10:12 am, edited 1 time in total.

kraftiekortie
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23 May 2022, 10:12 am

A transitive verb is a verb that cannot "stand alone."

(e.g., Mary discussed anthropology with her professor)

If one just said "Mary discussed," it would be incorrect. It is an incomplete thought.

An intransitive verb is a verb that could "stand alone."

"The bird flew." has meaning, but "The man discussed" is incomplete.

"Flew" is an intransitive verb. It can also be a transitive verb, as reflected in "The bird flew over the cuckoo's nest," which also has meaning.

Matrix Glitch
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23 May 2022, 10:21 am

Off topic, but I looked up who sang Conjunction Junction (twas Jack Sheldon) and he looks just like the cartoon character lol.

temp1234
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23 May 2022, 10:25 am

kraftiekortie wrote:

Isn't it still an intransitive verb there because "over the cuckoo's nest" is not a direct object. A transitive verb needs a direct object. That's the difference between a transitive verb and an intransitive verb.

kraftiekortie
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23 May 2022, 10:26 am

I was at the perfect age for it. I was 13 in 1974, 14 in 1975.

Matrix Glitch
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23 May 2022, 10:26 am

kraftiekortie wrote:

I probably know how most of that works without knowing the terminology for it. I had huge difficulty with it in school and basically ended up having to teach myself how to read. I wonder if that was an autism thing.

Matrix Glitch
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23 May 2022, 10:29 am

kraftiekortie wrote:

I was at the perfect age for it. I was 13 in 1974, 14 in 1975.

Yikes! Man you're really old, dude. I was only 12 in 74.

Last edited by Matrix Glitch on 23 May 2022, 10:29 am, edited 1 time in total.

kraftiekortie
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23 May 2022, 10:29 am

The "cuckoo's nest" is an object. The bird "flew over it." It's a transitive verb in this instance.

kraftiekortie
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23 May 2022, 10:29 am

Yeah....I'm 61. Born in 1961.

Matrix Glitch
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23 May 2022, 10:32 am

So it's not one flew over at?

temp1234
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23 May 2022, 10:42 am

kraftiekortie wrote:

The "cuckoo's nest" is an object. The bird "flew over it." It's a transitive verb in this instance.

Sorry for pursuing this but needing a preposition "over" makes "flew" an intransitive verb. A transitive verb doesn't need a preposition. It takes a direct object without needing a preposition. If you say "I flew a kite", this "flew" is a transitive verb because it has a direct object.

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23 May 2022, 11:55 am

I guess "flew" in this sentence could be described as being an "intransitive that looks like a transitive."

Which means I'll have to concede

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23 May 2022, 1:30 pm

My head hurts.

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