Opposite...From or To? 1

I would personally use the last of the three, but don't have a problem with the first two; from/to are just a little superfluous. Using either "to" or "from" is essentially the same, in a roundabout way.

Carlsberg don't run I.T departments, but if they did they'd probably be more fun.

Thanks Grenage, especially for such a quick reply!

Hmmm... Yes, I sort of agree with you in a way. That last one was more of an afterthought really, just trying it out to get the feel of another way of saying it.

I used have this (internal) debate over 'different from' versus 'different to', and I have now convinced myself that since 'Different' implies divergence, 'different from' must be correct.

Now I've made myself confused, because I originally preferred 'opposite to', simply because one is 'opposed to' an idea, rather than 'opposed from' it...

Chris

When his pin is pulled, Mr Grenade is not our friend - USMC Infantry Manual

Ah yes, you have a point there. I would still use the word on it's own, I think. For example: "I threw a stick and the dog ran in the opposite direction!" or "The pub is opposite the post office". While you could put from/to in the latter example, still think it to be superfluous.

Of course, I fully expect someone to come along and trounce my logic with examples and links.

Carlsberg don't run I.T departments, but if they did they'd probably be more fun.

I threw a stick and the dog ran in the opposite direction...[red]to the one in which I threw the stick[/red]

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I threw a stick and the dog ran in the opposite direction...[red]from the one I was expecting[/red]

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Chris

When his pin is pulled, Mr Grenade is not our friend - USMC Infantry Manual

Chris

Who cares! Just stop hitting my head!!! - Charlie

I like

When Charlie's ears stopped ringing, he found that the side of his head opposite the blow had a livid bruise...

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the best. As has been mentioned, it is the clearest.


I also prefer

I threw a stick and the dog ran in the opposite direction...to the one in which I threw the stick

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since you don't qualify which direction you were expecting the dog to run. I realize that most people would expect the dog to run after the stick but did you? That isn't specified. The first quote is clearer.


James P. Cottingham
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[sup]I'm number 1,229!
I'm number 1,229![/sup]

grenage said:

I threw a stick and the dog ran in the opposite direction!

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grenage said:

The pub is opposite the post office.

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I don't think those two examples really define the difference. I don't know the terminology, but to me, it seems that in the first example, "opposite" is an adjective defining direction, where in the second case, "opposite" is a noun(?).

meGustaXL said:

When Charlie's ears stopped ringing, he found that the side of his head opposite to the blow had a livid bruise...

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meGustaXL said:

When Charlie's ears stopped ringing, he found that the side of his head opposite from the blow had a livid bruise...

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meGustaXL said:

When Charlie's ears stopped ringing, he found that the side of his head opposite the blow had a livid bruise...

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In these three quotes, it seems that opposite is used in a directional sense. So I would say that all three are incorrect - you don't say "side of his head east to the blow", "side of his head east from the blow", or "side of his head east the blow." I'm not a grammar king by any means, but maybe "opposite of" would be more consistent with other directional references.


[blue]Never listen to your customers. They were dumb enough to buy your product, so they have no credibility. - Dogbert[/blue]

Well, I don't know about the whole to/from debate here (I would lean more wards neither, as previously mentinoed), but I do know this:

If you hadn't thrown the stick in the first place, the dog would've stayed put, and Charlie's ears would not have been ringing.



--

"If to err is human, then I must be some kind of human!" -Me

maybe

When Charlie's ears stopped ringing, he found that the side of his head opposite of the blow had a livid bruise...


maybe not

Wow, I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time.
I think I've forgotten this before.

... opposite to the blow ..." sounds right to me,
But so does "opposite the blow".

'Opposite from' is never correct as far as I'm aware.

From Fowler's Modern English Usage:

As an djective denoting position, 'opposite' is followed by 'to' (Two people directly opposite to each other); it is also used with the same meaning as a preposition without 'to' (Two people directly opposite each other). As a noun, 'opposite' is followed by 'of' (The effect was the opposite of what was intended).

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Ed Metcalfe.

Please do not feed the trolls.....

Thank you Ed2020, that's sealed it for me; Fowler is the authority I was seeking.

Full marks to cjelec too, methinks?

Close it?

Chris

I went to a shop to buy a watch. The bloke said "Analogue?" I said "No thanks, just the watch!" - Tommy Cooper