scrub at

[Mnemon]

He stood there scrubbing at his shirt with the towel.


Is the preposition “at” necessary for the sentence to be accurate?

Thanks.

 

[emsr2d2]

It would be grammatical without it.

 

[Mnemon]

It would be grammatical without it.

Thank you. Just grammatical or grammatical and idiomatic?

 

[emsr2d2]

It depends on the situation. In what context would you use "scrubbing at" in that sentence?

 

[Mnemon]

It depends on the situation. In what context would you use "scrubbing at" in that sentence?

Well, for instance, while I was drinking coffee suddenly I spilt some drops on my shirt. I took a cloth and and began to clean my shirt. In that situation, I stood in the middle of the kitchen and started scrubbing my shirt with the cloth.

Does it sound natural?

 

[emsr2d2]

I asked you to give us a sentence/context in which you would use "scrubbing at". Your sentence uses only "scrubbing".

 

[Mnemon]

I asked you to give us a sentence/context in which you would use "scrubbing at". Your sentence uses only "scrubbing".

Oh, sorry. Take this,

Well, for instance, while I was drinking coffee suddenly I spilt some drops on my shirt. I took a cloth and and began to clean my shirt. In that situation,

I stood in the middle of the kitchen and started scrubbing at my shirt with the cloth.

Does it sound natural?

 

[Tarheel]

Try:

While I was drinking coffee a couple of drops got on my shirt. I dabbed at it with a cloth in hopes of getting it off.

 

[emsr2d2]

You'd really only have to scrub [at] a stain if it had dried on the material.

 

[jutfrank]

What you're really asking is something like this: What does at mean in the following sentence?

Please tell us where you heard or saw the sentence in question.

 

[Mnemon]

Please tell us where you heard or saw the sentence in question.

Scrub
He stood there scrubbing at his shirt with the towel.

Macmillan English Dictionary for Advanced Learners CD-ROM 2nd Edition. CD-ROM © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2007. Text © A&C Black Publishers Ltd 2007.