previous / following day (+ space)

[Katz]

Hello everyone,

Do we use the preposition "on" with expressions like "the previous/the following day"? For example, in the following sentence:

The celebration was part of the Competition, which had ended the previous day.

should I have written "on the previous day" or is the above correct? Does the same apply to "the following day"? I hope it makes sense, it's a bit late...


PS. I don't want to use up precious space by sending another post, so I would be grateful if anyone could enlighten me as to which verb collocates with "space": "enlarge" or "extend"? (as in: The new wing significantly enlarged the hospital's space.) Sadly, my Oxford Collocations dictionary has given up

Thanks!

[Tdol]

1 We can, but it's fine without the preposition.
2 I'd say 'increased'

[Humble]

Hi, Katz,
I'll only venture answering the 1st question.
You can either use or not use the preposition with days, both ways are correct.
I'll be seeing you Sunday morning.
I'll be seeing you on Sunday morning.
Regards

[Katz]

Thanks guys, it's all clear now.
I've heard people omitting the preposition many times in spoken English ("See you Sunday") but I thought it's just a colloquialism.

[pedant]

1. Both versions are commonly used, but it can sometimes sound not very nice if you miss out the ON. Typical annoyances are in weather forcasts where they might say IT WILL RAIN SUNDAY, whereas IT WILL RAIN ON SUNDAY sounds so much better. Another example is in tennis where a similar instance occurs: You get Non-English umpires calling GAME FEDORA, whereas English Speaking umpires would call GAME TO FEDORA. The extra word sounds better.

2. If the hospital had a new extension built which transformed it from being a local hospital into being a regional hospital with more responsibility, it would be said that the hospital extended its facilities, increased its capabilities, and enlarged its catchment area! Isn't English wonderful!