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A non-native speaker once asked me why we say "Going overseas" instead of "Going to overseas". I couldn't give them an answer at the time(even though I'm a nati

by knubie 5y ago

A non-native speaker once asked me why we say "Going overseas" instead of "Going to overseas". I couldn't give them an answer at the time(even though I'm a native speaker). Later I asked a very smart friend of mine who studied english as a second language (and was quite proficient at that point) and he was immediately able to recognize that it was because "overseas" is an adverb. It seems obvious in retrospect, but you just don't think about those things as a native speaker.

kashyapc 5y ago
Today I learnt: "Overseas" is also apparently an adjective! As in, "overseas trips"
- younohoo 5y ago
  Going underground or underneath would other examples.
  - Thorrez 5y ago
    Underneath is a bit different. I don't think it's ever an adjective. It can be a preposition or an adjective.
pimlottc 5y ago
When I was in Australia I enjoyed the difference in how they used “overseas” there. It was used in a general sense to mean outside the country —- naturally since Australia is an island. In the US, there’s a slight distinction, since there are certain countries you can get to via land borders, so “overseas” tends to imply places that are farther away.
Xenograph 5y ago
That explanation sounds circular to me - by definition any word you'd use in that way is an adverb. A more intuitive explanation is perhaps that "overseas" came from the combination of two words, "over" (a preposition), and "seas" (a noun). And when you write it out as three words "going over seas" it makes perfect grammatical sense. Disclaimer, I have no idea if my explanation is rooted in facts about the English language or how it actually developed. But that's how I'd answer the question if someone asked me for an intuitive explanation about why we don't use "to". Because there's already a preposition ("over")! You wouldn't write "going to over seas", would you?
JonathanFly 5y ago
>A non-native speaker once asked me why we say "Going overseas" instead of "Going to overseas". I couldn't give them an answer at the time(even though I'm a native speaker). >Later I asked a very smart friend of mine who studied english as a second language (and was quite proficient at that point) and he was immediately able to recognize that it was because "overseas" is an adverb. It seems obvious in retrospect, but you just don't think about those things as a native speaker. What about 'Going bananas' -- is that still an adverb?
- Smithalicious 5y ago
  Different use of "going" meaning "becoming", as in "going mad" or "going stale"

by knubie 5y ago

kashyapc 5y ago

Today I learnt: "Overseas" is also apparently an adjective! As in, "overseas trips"

younohoo 5y ago
Going underground or underneath would other examples.
- Thorrez 5y ago
  Underneath is a bit different. I don't think it's ever an adjective. It can be a preposition or an adjective.

pimlottc 5y ago

When I was in Australia I enjoyed the difference in how they used “overseas” there. It was used in a general sense to mean outside the country —- naturally since Australia is an island. In the US, there’s a slight distinction, since there are certain countries you can get to via land borders, so “overseas” tends to imply places that are farther away.

Xenograph 5y ago

That explanation sounds circular to me - by definition any word you'd use in that way is an adverb. A more intuitive explanation is perhaps that "overseas" came from the combination of two words, "over" (a preposition), and "seas" (a noun). And when you write it out as three words "going over seas" it makes perfect grammatical sense. Disclaimer, I have no idea if my explanation is rooted in facts about the English language or how it actually developed. But that's how I'd answer the question if someone asked me for an intuitive explanation about why we don't use "to". Because there's already a preposition ("over")! You wouldn't write "going to over seas", would you?

JonathanFly 5y ago

>A non-native speaker once asked me why we say "Going overseas" instead of "Going to overseas". I couldn't give them an answer at the time(even though I'm a native speaker). >Later I asked a very smart friend of mine who studied english as a second language (and was quite proficient at that point) and he was immediately able to recognize that it was because "overseas" is an adverb. It seems obvious in retrospect, but you just don't think about those things as a native speaker. What about 'Going bananas' -- is that still an adverb?

Smithalicious 5y ago
Different use of "going" meaning "becoming", as in "going mad" or "going stale"