go home why not go to home

[Suthipong]

I go home. I go to the market.
She went home an hour ago.
She went to the market an hour ago.

Why no need "to"before home ?

 

[philo2009]

It is an adverb.

 

[TheParser]

I go home. I go to the market.
She went home an hour ago.
She went to the market an hour ago.

Why no need "to"before home ?

********** NOT A TEACHER **********


Suthipong Worasarn,


(1) Yes, you are correct. We say:

I go to the market.

I go to school.

I go to a good doctor.

(2) The word "home" is an exception. As you know, all

languages have exceptions.

(3) Verbs like "go" and "come" are verbs of motion

(you are moving).

(4) Native speakers have decided that when you use

"home" with a verb of motion, it is not idiomatic to use

"to." (idiomatic = the way native speakers have decided to speak.)

(5) So we say:

I became sick and went home. / What time are you coming home? /

When he gets off the bus, he walks/runs home.

(6) If you wish to speak "perfect" English, you should say:

I am at home. ("am" is NOT a verb of motion)

BUT many (most?) native speakers say: I am home (no "at").

(7) By the way, the word "downtown" is also something like

"home." We say: I am going downtown. (No "to")


********** NOT A TEACHER **********

 

[Suthipong]

Thank you very much.

 

[Suthipong]

It is an adverb.

Thank you.
It would be very kind of you if you give me more explanation about how adverb used in the sentence.

 

[basaksucan]

As far as I know "To" can be used with "home" If we are talking about someone else house.

"I am going to Mark's home"

 

[philo2009]

As far as I know "To" can be used with "home" If we are talking about someone else house.

"I am going to Mark's home"

Yes, the same word can be both a noun, as in your example above, and an adverb, as in go home. As a noun, it means 'a place of residence', and can be applied to a wide variety of things, ranging from single buildings to entire countries, e.g. Italy is now my home. As an adverb, most commonly (but see below) denoting motion towards one's place of residence, it can have a similarly wide-ranging reference.

Note, however, that, when referring to a stationary position, AmE still uses the adverb form (be home) while BrE uses the noun form preceded by preposition 'at' (be at home).