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: |
There is some sense in it, but mostly it is idiom. I mostly get off chairs (or up from them) rather than out of them, and mostly sit on them too. But I sit 'in' seat C11 at a theatre. It's worth doing a few Google searches to see what you get! Anthea |
| Reply From: | Anthea Fraser Gupta click here to access email |
| Date: | 04-Oct-2012 |
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