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Thread: "Do you keep a diary? How often do you write in it?"

  1. #1
    wotcha's Avatar
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    Default "Do you keep a diary? How often do you write in it?"

    "Do you keep a diary? How often do you write in it?"

    That sentence is from a textbook for Korean middle schoolers and I wonder why 'write in' is used, not just 'write'.


    How are they in different in meaning?

    If there's no difference, why is 'in' added?

    Thank you.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: "Do you keep a diary? How often do you write in it?"

    Hi
    As far as I 'm concerened it 's the proposition that you need like: write in your book,write in your diary,write in your notebook.

  3. #3
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    Default Re: "Do you keep a diary? How often do you write in it?"

    Quote Originally Posted by wotcha View Post
    "Do you keep a diary? How often do you write in it?"

    That sentence is from a textbook for Korean middle schoolers and I wonder why 'write in' is used, not just 'write'.


    How are they in different in meaning?

    If there's no difference, why is 'in' added?

    Thank you.
    We "write in" a diary.

  4. #4
    Tdol is offline Editor, UsingEnglish.com
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    Default Re: "Do you keep a diary? How often do you write in it?"

    I'd use write/keep a diary for the overall activity and write in a diary for the individual entries.
    emsr2d2, Tullia, bhaisahab and 1 others like this.

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    BobSmith is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: "Do you keep a diary? How often do you write in it?"

    [AmE - not a teacher]

    "How often do you write a diary?"

    This is perfectly grammatical, but here it means the collection of entries. You wouldn't hear that sentence very often (and it doesn't mean what the original intent is). It would be akin to this:

    1: How often do you write in a memoir?
    2: I write an entry every day.

    1: How often do you write a memoir?
    2: I write one every 5 years.
    emsr2d2 likes this.

  6. #6
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    Default Re: "Do you keep a diary? How often do you write in it?"

    Thank you!!

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