Ask-A-Linguist Message Details
| Subject: | 'out of' vs. 'off of' |
|---|---|
| Question: |
Why do you get ''out'' of a chair, but ''off'' of a sofa, bench, etc.? Is is just a colloquialism, or is there a root cause? Conversely, you sit ''in'' a chair, but ''on'' a bech, sofa, stool, etc. |
| Reply: |
I concur with Prof. Pyatt's judgment; I would sit ON a chair if it had no arms and/or had a hard seat, like a dining room chair. There's an interesting difference between lying IN a bed and lying ON a bed; if you're IN the bed, you're under the covers, but if you're ON the bed, you're on top of the covers. |
| Reply From: | Susan D Fischer click here to access email |
| Date: | 03-Oct-2012 |
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