• to pull the door to against

    From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/360 to All on Mon Dec 23 07:46:12 2019

    Hi, all!

    -----Beginning of the citation-----
    She turned her head as there was a light dignified knocking at the front
    door. I went out and opened it. Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands
    plunged like weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a puddle of
    water glaring tragically into my eyes.

    With his hands still in his coat pockets he stalked by me into the hall,
    turned sharply as if he were on a wire, and disappeared into the living-
    room. It wasn't a bit funny. Aware of the loud beating of my own heart I
    pulled the door to against the increasing rain.
    ----- The end of the citation -----

    It "against" a verb? ;-)

    Bye, all!
    Alexander Koryagin

    ---
    * Origin: nntps://fidonews.mine.nu - Lake Ylo - Finland (2:221/360.0)
  • From Paul Quinn@3:640/1384.125 to Alexander Koryagin on Mon Dec 23 16:06:21 2019
    Hi! Alexander,

    On 12/23/2019 03:46 PM, you wrote to All:

    pulled the door to against the increasing rain.

    Something is unsaid here, as it unnecessary... well, in the writer's view. What are the possible conditions for a door to remain at rest: open or closed.
    From the inside, we push a door open; or, pull a door closed.

    It's wet outside. He pulls the door to keep the rain outside. The door is closed. Everyone would know this. Pull door, door closes. Silly isn't it. :)

    Cheers,
    Paul.

    --- Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; rv:31.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/31.4.0
    * Origin: I used to program in C until I destroyed my FAT... (3:640/1384.125)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/360 to Paul Quinn on Tue Dec 24 08:30:38 2019
    Hi, Paul Quinn : Alexander Koryagin!
    I read your message from 23.12.2019 09:06

    pulled the door to against the increasing rain.

    Something is unsaid here, as it unnecessary... well, in the
    writer's view. What are the possible conditions for a door to
    remain at rest: open or closed. From the inside, we push a door
    open; or, pull a door closed.

    I see, but in Russia, in such cases, we often ask the interlocutor, "Now say it again in a human way." ;)

    It's wet outside. He pulls the door to keep the rain outside. The
    door is closed. Everyone would know this. Pull door, door closes.
    Silly isn't it. :)

    By the way, how should I pronounce the name "Gatsby"? Should the last sound be [ai] or [ee]? No questions if he were Gatsbe. Is there any rule?

    Bye, Paul!
    Alexander Koryagin
    english_tutor 2019

    ---
    * Origin: nntps://fidonews.mine.nu - Lake Ylo - Finland (2:221/360.0)
  • From Paul Quinn@3:640/1384.125 to Alexander Koryagin on Tue Dec 24 18:09:28 2019
    Hi! Alexander,

    On 12/24/2019 04:30 PM, you wrote:

    I see, but in Russia, in such cases, we often ask the interlocutor, "Now say it again in a human way." ;)

    They must be prize-winning tongue-twisters ;)

    By the way, how should I pronounce the name "Gatsby"? Should the last sound be [ai] or [ee]? No questions if he were Gatsbe. Is there any
    rule?

    The final sound is [ee].

    I don't recall having learned rules that I can recall. I and my classmates at the time (late 1950s) learned the black & blue knuckle way, by rote. Either we repeated a method correctly or we were rewarded with a smack to the knuckles (till black & blue).

    Cheers,
    Paul.

    --- Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; rv:31.0) Gecko/20100101 Thunderbird/31.4.0
    * Origin: Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp. (3:640/1384.125)
  • From Ardith Hinton@1:153/716 to Alexander Koryagin on Tue Dec 24 13:56:13 2019
    Hi, Alexander! Recently you wrote in a message to All:

    Aware of the loud beating of my own heart I pulled
    the door to against the increasing rain.

    It "against" a verb? ;-)


    No, it's a preposition. I think the difficulty here is that "to" may be used either as a preposition or, less commonly, as an adverb. :-)


    I pulled the door to = I shut the door

    against the rain = to prevent the rain from coming in




    --- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/360 to Ardith Hinton on Wed Dec 25 08:50:24 2019
    Hi, Ardith Hinton! ->Alexander Koryagin
    I read your message from 24.12.2019 14:56

    Aware of the loud beating of my own heart I pulled the door to
    against the increasing rain.

    It "against" a verb? ;-)

    No, it's a preposition. I think the difficulty here is that "to"
    may be used either as a preposition or, less commonly, as an
    adverb. :-)

    I pulled the door to = I shut the door

    against the rain = to prevent the rain from coming in

    Well, if "to" was a preposition give me an example when it is a adverb.

    Bye, Ardith!
    Alexander Koryagin
    english_tutor 2019

    ---
    * Origin: nntps://fidonews.mine.nu - Lake Ylo - Finland (2:221/360.0)
  • From Anton Shepelev@2:221/360 to Alexander Koryagin on Sun Feb 16 18:48:52 2020
    Alexander Koryagin:

    She turned her head as there was a light dignified
    knocking at the front door. I went out and opened it.
    Gatsby, pale as death, with his hands plunged like
    weights in his coat pockets, was standing in a puddle
    of water glaring tragically into my eyes.

    With his hands still in his coat pockets he stalked by
    me into the hall, turned sharply as if he were on a
    wire, and disappeared into the living-room. It wasn't
    a bit funny. Aware of the loud beating of my own heart
    I pulled the door to against the increasing rain.

    It "against" a verb? ;-)

    No, but "to" is not a sign of the infinitive either. It is
    a preposition depending on "pull" and acting upon an implied
    noun (jamb): pull the door snugly to the jamb to shut off
    bad weather.

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    * Origin: nntps://fidonews.mine.nu - Lake Ylo - Finland (2:221/360.0)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/360 to Anton Shepelev on Sun Feb 16 20:56:18 2020
    Hi, Anton Shepelev! ->Alexander Koryagin
    I read your message from 16.02.2020 19:48

    a bit funny. Aware of the loud beating of my own heart I pulled
    the door to against the increasing rain.
    Is "against" a verb?

    No, but "to" is not a sign of the infinitive either. It is a
    preposition depending on "pull" and acting upon an implied noun
    (jamb): pull the door snugly to the jamb to shut off bad weather.

    I hope I'll read this book to the end. ;)

    Bye, Anton!
    Alexander Koryagin
    english_tutor 2020

    ---
    * Origin: nntps://fidonews.mine.nu - Lake Ylo - Finland (2:221/360.0)
  • From Anton Shepelev@2:221/360 to Alexander Koryagin on Sun Feb 16 21:06:14 2020
    Alexander Koryagin:

    I hope I'll read this book to the end. ;)

    Great Gatsby? If you ask me, you might as well put it down
    and take Huxley's Crome Yellow.

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    * Origin: nntps://fidonews.mine.nu - Lake Ylo - Finland (2:221/360.0)
  • From Anton Shepelev@2:221/360 to Alexander Koryagin on Sun Feb 16 21:11:42 2020
    Alexander Koryagin:

    Well, if "to" was a preposition give me an example when
    it is a adverb.

    It is a matter of terminology. I say "to" is a preposition
    acting upon an implied noun. Someone else can say it is an
    adverb insomuch as it has no explicit noun upon which to
    act.

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    * Origin: nntps://fidonews.mine.nu - Lake Ylo - Finland (2:221/360.0)
  • From Anton Shepelev@2:221/360 to Alexander Koryagin on Sun Feb 16 21:16:52 2020
    Alexander Koryagin:

    So in normal language the sentence will look like this:

    "... I closed the door because the rain was increasing."

    It has a different meaning for two reasons: "close" can mean
    more than just pulling to, and there is no indication of
    increasing rain in the original. In that sentence, Gatsby's
    language *is* normal, euphonic, and brief.

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    * Origin: nntps://fidonews.mine.nu - Lake Ylo - Finland (2:221/360.0)
  • From Alexander Koryagin@2:221/360 to Anton Shepelev on Mon Feb 17 08:15:24 2020
    Hi, Anton Shepelev : Alexander Koryagin!
    I read your message from 16.02.2020 22:16

    So in normal language the sentence will look like this:
    "... I closed the door because the rain was increasing."

    It has a different meaning for two reasons: "close" can mean more
    than just pulling to, and there is no indication of increasing rain
    in the original.

    There is no indication of increasing rain?
    -----Beginning of the citation-----
    Aware of the loud beating of my own heart I
    pulled the door to against the increasing rain.
    ----- The end of the citation -----

    In that sentence, Gatsby's language *is* normal,
    euphonic, and brief.

    Why have you removed the citation?

    https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/pull+to
    -----Beginning of the citation-----
    2. To drag, tug, or yank something shut. A noun or pronoun is used between "pull" and "to."
    ----- The end of the citation -----

    IMHO "shut" speaks clearly about the result of the action.

    Bye, Anton!
    Alexander Koryagin
    english_tutor 2020

    ---
    * Origin: nntps://fidonews.mine.nu - Lake Ylo - Finland (2:221/360.0)
  • From Anton Shepelev@2:221/360 to Alexander Koryagin on Mon Feb 17 11:16:12 2020
    Alexander Koryagin to Anton Shepelev:

    "Aware of the loud beating of my own heart I pulled
    the door to against the increasing rain."

    So in normal language the sentence will look like
    this:
    "... I closed the door because the rain was
    increasing."

    It has a different meaning for two reasons: "close" can
    mean more than just pulling to, and there is no
    indication of increasing rain in the original. In
    that sentence, Gatsby's language *is* normal, euphonic,
    and brief.

    There is no indication of increasing rain?
    Why have you removed the citation?

    Because of haste and lazyness :-(

    Observe that it does not matter whether the rain is
    increasing or not insomuch as it is heavy and aslant, so I
    propose to mark that it was increasing in a parenthetical
    expression:

    He shut the door to block rain, which was increasing.

    IMHO "shut" speaks clearly about the result of the
    action.

    I think it may imply locking.

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    * Origin: nntps://fidonews.mine.nu - Lake Ylo - Finland (2:221/360.0)