verb (play)+ preposition

[Peter Petrov]

I don't understand this situation. Why we don't put a preposition (on, to) after the verb play. Examples:

He plays to a musical instrument. or He plays on a musical instrument.

I want to know how are grammatically the things.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Rover_KE]

The verb 'play' can be transitive or intransitive.

Transitive: 'Horace plays the violin'/'We like to play Monopoly'.

Intransitive: 'The children play nicely together'/Deidre spends hours playing with her puppy'.

 

[Peter Petrov]

And after Transitive verbs we don't put prepositions?

 

[Matthew Wai]

There should not be a preposition between a transitive verb and its object.

 

[emsr2d2]

[STRIKE]And[/STRIKE] Don't we put prepositions after transitive verbs? [strike]we don't put prepositions?[/strike]

Note the correct way to construct a question. Although you will hear native speakers and fluent non-natives using a statement construction with a questioning intonation at the end, we don't recommend that learners try it, and we don't use it in written English except in reported speech.

 

[Matthew Wai]

We don't put prepositions after transitive verbs, right?

I hope it is also acceptable.

 

[emsr2d2]

It works with the tag question but we still don't recommend that learners use it because it's too easy for them to forget about the tag question and just put a question mark at the end of a statement.

 

[teechar]

He plays to a musical instrument.

He plays on a musical instrument.

He plays a musical instrument.

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