Do we say a place "where we are standing" or "where we are standing at"?

Status
Not open for further replies.

tufguy

VIP Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2014
Location
India
Member Type
Student or Learner
Native Language
Hindi
Home Country
India
Current Location
India
Do we say a place "where we are standing" or "where we are standing at"?

Alien technology can zap you and take you miles away from the place you are standing at within fraction of second.


Do we say a place "where we are standing" or "where we are standing at"?
 

Charlie Bernstein

VIP Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2009
Member Type
Other
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
Re: Do we say a place "where we are standing" or "where we are standing at"?

Alien technology can zap you [STRIKE]and take you[/STRIKE] miles away from the place you are standing [STRIKE]at[/STRIKE] within a fraction of second.

Do we say a place "where we are standing" or "where we are standing at"?
People say both. The first is grammatical. The second is not.
 

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
Re: Do we say a place "where we are standing" or "where we are standing at"?

And don't from whence either- it's whence plain and simple, which has the meaning from where without requiring the preposition.
 

probus

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 7, 2011
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
Canada
Current Location
Canada
Re: Do we say a place "where we are standing" or "where we are standing at"?

And don't people still say from whence it/he/she/you came?
 

Rover_KE

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
England
Current Location
England
Re: Do we say a place "where we are standing" or "where we are standing at"?

However many people they hear say 'from whence', learners should be told it's wrong.
 

5jj

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
Re: Do we say a place "where we are standing" or "where we are standing at"?

The first verse shows "From whence".
That's why I said that things have changed since then!
 

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
Re: Do we say a place "where we are standing" or "where we are standing at"?

A change from the times of the King James version of the Bible: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm 121&version=KJV

You would, wouldn't you? :-D Mind you, anyone who quotes the KJ Bible as an example of how we should be speaking today :2gunfire: And it's whence not from whence and it's not between you and I despite the fact that Shakespeare used it once. I'm getting old and grouchy.
 

5jj

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 14, 2010
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
British English
Home Country
Czech Republic
Current Location
Czech Republic
Re: Do we say a place "where we are standing" or "where we are standing at"?

I'm getting old and grouchy.
You've got a long way to go to catch up with this old curmudgeon.
 

probus

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 7, 2011
Member Type
Retired English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
Canada
Current Location
Canada
Re: Do we say a place "where we are standing" or "where we are standing at"?

You would, wouldn't you? :-D

Does Mandy Rice-Davies apply? :-D
 

Phaedrus

Banned
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
English
Home Country
United States
Current Location
United States
Re: Do we say a place "where we are standing" or "where we are standing at"?

Alien technology can zap you and take you miles away from the place you are standing at within fraction of second.


Do we say a place "where we are standing" or "where we are standing at"?

The noun phrase containing the relative clause with where should be distinguished from the noun phrase containing the zero relative clause:

(1) the place you are standing at
(2) the place where you are standing (*[strike]at[/strike])

In (1), the relative adverb where is neither present nor understood. The noun phrase (1) is equivalent to these:

(1a) the place that you are standing at
(1b) the place which you are standing at
(1c) the place at which you are standing

Both (1) and those three variations of it are grammatical.
 

Tdol

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Staff member
Joined
Nov 13, 2002
Native Language
British English
Home Country
UK
Current Location
Japan
Re: Do we say a place "where we are standing" or "where we are standing at"?

Does Mandy Rice-Davies apply? :-D

She enriched the English language.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top