MSGID: 1:153/716.0 e17fb9f1   
   REPLY: 2:221/360.0 5e0306ac   
   CHRS: IBMPC 2   
   Hi, Alexander!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:   
      
    AH>  I think the difficulty here is that "to" may be used   
    AH>  either as a preposition or, less commonly, as an adverb.   
      
      
             BTW... I deliberately grouped the words together as an adult native   
   speaker of English might when I said:   
      
      
    AH>  I pulled the door to = I shut the door   
      
    AH>  against the rain = to prevent the rain from coming in   
      
      
                  Some folks get hung up   
                  on the idea   
                  that traditional grammar   
                  doesn't work in English,   
                  although it works in Latin.   
                  I prefer it because,   
                  while I find it difficult at times   
                  to shoehorn my thoughts   
                  into eight parts of speech,   
                  my dictionaries & my friends   
                  from various other countries   
                  use the same system.   
      
      
      
    AK>  Well, if "to" was a preposition   
      
      
             In the average English/English desk dictionary you'll probably find   
   the first umpteen definitions categorized that way.  Keep going... [chuckle].   
      
      
      
    AK>  give me an example when it is a adverb.   
                                       |an   
      
      
             When it is defined by reputable sources as "toward a contact point"   
   &/or "in the usual or required position" and does *not* begin a prepositional   
   phrase it's an adverb AFAIC.  That was my analysis of "I pulled the door to",   
   but I understand it's not easy to track these things down.  :-)   
      
             Other examples, not all of which fit the above description quite so   
   neatly but which tell us the direction &/or the timing of some action:   
      
      
                  to and fro = back and forth   
                  come to = regain consciousness   
                  heave to (naut.) = bring or be brought to a standstill   
                  turn to = begin work   
                  wrong side to = wrong side forward   
      
      
             I hope this helps....  :-)   
      
      
      
      
   --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+   
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