Attack of the superfluous 'ats'

Dave.C.Robinson · Dec 20, 2008

Does no one ever say "Where is it?" anymore?

I'm stuck in a place where it's impossible to hear the question without a completely unnecessary and superfluous 'at' tacked on the end.

It's driving me nuts.

Thank you for reading my rant.

Chase · Dec 20, 2008

The superfluous prepositions drive me crazy, too, Dave.

Continue on . . . narrow down . . . climb up . . .

They're always on my closed captions.

At least some of the "ats" or caused by contractions in front of them, such as "where's it at?" and "that's where it's at."

"Where's it?" and "where it's" sound incomplete. "Where is it?" and "where it is" look and sound much better.

qwerty · Dec 20, 2008

Dave.C.Robinson said:
Does no one ever say "Where is it?" anymore?

Yep. Brits say that. Brits don't tack "at" on the end.

Chase · Dec 20, 2008

Funny. I've heard lots of Brits tack on "at" and other superfluous prepositions.

Sandi LeFaucheur · Dec 21, 2008

I have never heard a British person say "Where's it at?" unless they are trying to sound American, for some reason. They may tack on unnecessary prepositions, but never "where's it at!" Mind, I left in 2000. Things might have changed.

Chase · Dec 21, 2008

Okay, nationalistic squabbles aside, these superfluous ending prepositions were seen on closed captioned TV, mostly BBC (just kidding):

They decided to continue on.

She rose into the sky above.

The submarine disappeared into the depths below.

Detergent removed the spot out.

Second platoon will follow after.

Where is he at?

It was safe to climb up.

He wanted to know who brought her along.

The CSI supervisor wanted the list of suspects narrowed down.

Where are you going to?

They arrived in the same can together.

And Gene Roddenberry’s infamous:

. . . to boldly go where no man has gone before.

Ziljon · Dec 21, 2008

Where at is y'all coming off at? You is not at South Africa and, education, and such.

Mr. Chuckletrousers · Dec 21, 2008

Chase said:
Okay, nationalistic squabbles aside, these superfluous ending prepositions were seen on closed captioned TV, mostly BBC (just kidding):

And Gene Roddenberry’s infamous:

. . . to boldly go where no man has gone before.
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In fairness to Roddenberry (and his infamous split infinitive), 'before' is not a preposition in this sentence, superfluous or otherwise.

Dave.C.Robinson · Dec 21, 2008

I always took Roddenberry's infamous sentence as an example of the power of the Enterprise: we may have split the atom; but the Federation split the infinitive!

Phoebe H · Dec 21, 2008

Chase said:
Okay, nationalistic squabbles aside, these superfluous ending prepositions were seen on closed captioned TV

Those aren't superfluous. They're emphatic.

The thing is, they work well in speech, but you generally shouldn't use them in written language unless you're doing dialog.

(Also a lot of them aren't prepositions, they're parts of separable verbs.)

Mr. Chuckletrousers · Dec 21, 2008

Phoebe H said:
(Also a lot of them aren't prepositions, they're parts of separable verbs.)

Quite right, though in English they are more commonly known as 'phrasal verbs'.

blacbird · Dec 21, 2008

Chase said:
The superfluous prepositions drive me crazy, too,

Why do they drive you crazy for?

caw

Mr. Chuckletrousers · Dec 21, 2008

blacbird said:
Why do they drive you crazy for?

Walnuts. Prepositions will do anything for walnuts -- even drive men beyond the Sanity city limits. But don't worry, the Ravens will help you: Ravens are mortal enemies of Prepositions, and hate them with a passion. Because of the walnuts, obviously.

Also kaleidoscopes. Ravens hate kaleidoscopes.

Ciera_ · Dec 21, 2008

I rarely hear people say 'Where's it at?', but I have been noticing, lately, that some people around here do say 'eh?' a LOT. Including me. I'm finally understanding that there is such a thing as a Canadian accent, (and for some reason that's bugging the hell outa me.) But I have a feeling that it doesn't contain 'where's it at?' very often.

Chase · Dec 22, 2008

Why did they bring those bogus doubletalk justifications to end sentences superfluously with up for?

Willowmound · Dec 27, 2008

qwerty said:
Yep. Brits say that. Brits don't tack "at" on the end.

Instead, they say "ad in" and "deflect away"...

qwerty · Dec 27, 2008

Never used "ad in" myself. What does it mean?

Deflect away and climb up (or down) may be said by Brits - but is that peculiar to Brits?

Mr Flibble · Dec 27, 2008

Willowmound said:
Instead, they say "ad in" and "deflect away"...

Do they? I hadn't noticed. And I am one.

I'm with Churchill on this one: This is the sort of errant nonsense up with which I will not put.

If it's superfluous, kill it. If it isn't, I don't mangle a sentence to avoid a preposition at the end.

Chase · Dec 27, 2008

IdiotsRUs said:
If it's superfluous, kill it. If it isn't, I don't mangle a sentence to avoid a preposition at the end.

Excellent advice.

This nationalistic nonesense is even more superfluous. There are slang and colloquial vernaculars in every country, and the ones in other groups are always stranger than our own.

Willowmound · Dec 27, 2008

IdiotsRUs said:
Do they? I hadn't noticed. And I am one.

I know. So prick your ears, if you're into that kind of masochism.

"Gather together" too. It's rife.

Chase · Dec 28, 2008

It’s déjà vu all over

Willowmound said:
"Gather together" too. It's rife.

Now we've morphed from the specifics of superfluous prepositions to general redundancies. Some are really a hoot.

This morning's Saint of the Day column stated St. Anthony the Hermit "was born about circa 468 at Valeria in Lower Pannonia."

Becky Writes · Dec 28, 2008

This is funny.

My 3 year old says, "where's my (fill in the blank) at?" It drives me nuts. I was telling my husband about our son's bad grammar and I said "I don't know where he picked that up at."

*hides face in shame*

Guess I figured it out.

Chase · Dec 29, 2008

Becky, sins of the mother? Ha ha ha, I live in a community where I see on most lips, "had ran" and "had drank." I live in constant fear I'm going to say one of those soon.

Captshady · Dec 29, 2008

In the Pittsburgh area (meaning Pitt and 100 radius of its borders), people love to "an at" at the end of freaking everything they say. It's not the superfluous "at" being mentioned hear, but it's in the same vein. It's their accented version of "and that" ... but they say it when it's not even grammatically correct: "Yeah, I was talkin' to him an' 'at." What? Would could "an 'at" possible fill in the blank for? You were talking to him, and unzipping his pants? WTF? It reminds me a little of the "yada yada yada" episode of Seinfeld.

Ollie Saunders · Jan 5, 2009

"Gather together" too. It's rife.

You could gather inward; tuck you legs into your face and your arms into your bum. You have to disambiguate. I would be a crying shame for someone to do that when all you wanted to do was bring people into proximity with one another. A crying shame.

IdiotsRUS said:
This is the sort of errant nonsense up with which I will not put.

Awww, I love that. I love most things Churchill says. Or would say.

Attack of the superfluous 'ats'

... with the High Command

It Takes All of Us to End Racism

exiled Brit

It Takes All of Us to End Racism

It Takes All of Us to End Racism

Tortilla di Patate

Sith happens.

... with the High Command

Sith happens.

Sith happens.

Ciera_

It Takes All of Us to End Racism

Lightly salted

exiled Brit

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

It Takes All of Us to End Racism

Lightly salted

It Takes All of Us to End Racism

Go Tarheels!

It Takes All of Us to End Racism

What happened to my LIFE?!

Silly man.