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Forum locked This topic is locked, you cannot edit posts or make further replies.  [ 23 posts ] 
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 Post subject: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Sat Apr 17, 2004 1:30 am 
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Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2003 1:01 am
Posts: 81
Location: Sunny O-hi-o
Alright, this has really been bugging the hell out of me, ever since I started working here. It's our "style" on the use of in and at. <p>Now, I may be the one in the wrong here, but the way we do it just doesn't seem right. Here is our style, taken from a cutline in today's paper: <p>"... his parents watch the Tornado Relays in Crater Stadium at Dover."<p>I contend that it should be at the stadium in Dover, but nobody here that has any say in the matter seems to agree. <p>Perhaps enough comments on here could convince them to make a change. Although, if I'm found to be in the wrong, I'll stop my bitching and deal with it. It certainly wouldn't be the first time ... or last, I'm sure. <p>Thanks for your help.


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Sat Apr 17, 2004 8:43 am 
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Posts: 741
Location: The Empire State
The Red Sox play at Fenway Park in Boston.<p>The football Giants play at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands (or in East Rutherford, N.J.).<p>The Yankees play at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.<p>Seems like a no-brainer to me. You're right; the powers that be are wrong.


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Sat Apr 17, 2004 1:25 pm 
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Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2004 1:01 am
Posts: 69
Location: N.Y.
A facility is located within the boundaries of a city/town/etc. It seems only logical that that would lead to "..at Crater Stadium in Dover." I'd be interested to hear their rationale for doing it the other way around.


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Sat Apr 17, 2004 2:38 pm 
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Location: Sunny O-hi-o
Yeah, I'd be interested in hearing that rationale too ... unfortunately, the only answer I ever get around here is, "It's our style."


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Sat Apr 17, 2004 2:59 pm 
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Joined: Mon Mar 10, 2003 1:01 am
Posts: 2266
Location: New Jersey
Sports people love to say things such as "the Yankees are playing at Boston this weekend" (that is, if you can call what the Yankees have done in these first two games "playing").<p>The only justification, I suppose, is that by saying "at Boston," the writer is using "Boston" as short for "the Boston Red Sox" and not as short for "the city of Boston, Massachusetts." But when you throw the stadium name in front of it, that justification fails.<p>It's sports jargon, and should be avoided by anyone who isn't rattling off scores on the radio.<p>As for "in" the Stadium, that's a new one on me. I'd only use that when differentiating tailgaters from ticket holders.<p>[ April 17, 2004: Message edited by: Matthew Grieco ]</p>


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Sat Apr 17, 2004 4:02 pm 
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The stadium cutline was just one example ... we use it like that in everything. <p>In City Park at Dover, in Buehler's (grocery) at Dover, in the courthouse at New Philadelphia, etcetera, etcetera. <p>The "in" makes some sense, but "at" a city or other municipality just drives me nuts.


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Sat Apr 17, 2004 5:41 pm 
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Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2004 1:01 am
Posts: 37
Location: sunny SoCal
Mr. Grieco, please forgive me, especially if I'm wrong, but isn't the following proper "AP style"?<p>"the Yankees are playing this weekend at Boston"


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Sat Apr 17, 2004 9:24 pm 
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Posts: 2266
Location: New Jersey
It may be. I never worked in sports. But if it is, then it's silly.


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Sat Apr 17, 2004 10:00 pm 
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Location: N 36° 57' 9", W 121° 24' 2"
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by ***me***:
"the Yankees are playing this weekend at Boston"<hr></blockquote>Ah, but that's idiomatic of baseball. "Boston" refers to the Red Sox and Fenway Park, not the city.<p>If AP or anyone else tries to change yet another baseball tradition -- especially in its vernacular, which I adore -- I'll demonstrate other uses for a fungo bat.<p>(Shame on me for scrolling. I just looked up and noticed that Matt beat me to the point. :::cringe:: :)<p>[ April 17, 2004: Message edited by: Oeditpus Rex ]</p>


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Sat Apr 17, 2004 10:17 pm 
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Posts: 37
Location: sunny SoCal
I just meant the AP's "time, date, place" order of things...


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Sat Apr 17, 2004 10:45 pm 
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Posts: 8342
Location: Bethesda, Md.
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Biggdbo:
The stadium cutline was just one example ... we use it like that in everything. <p>In City Park at Dover, in Buehler's (grocery) at Dover, in the courthouse at New Philadelphia, etcetera, etcetera. <p>The "in" makes some sense, but "at" a city or other municipality just drives me nuts.<hr></blockquote><p>Some has a tin ear.
Tell your boss to get in touch with me.


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 9:28 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2004 1:01 am
Posts: 114
Location: Detroit Michigan
I think they're viewing the interior of the stadium... inside, and they say "in Tiger Stadium" or "in Comerica Park." But it really is sports-talk to say "at." This past weekend, Champ Cars ran at Long Beach.


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Tue Apr 20, 2004 9:29 pm 
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Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2004 1:01 am
Posts: 114
Location: Detroit Michigan
But I'm where the group's at in this one,


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Wed Apr 21, 2004 10:07 am 
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Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2002 12:01 am
Posts: 836
Location: New Brunswick, Canada
As they say down home, "Stay where you're at and I'll come where your to."


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Wed Apr 21, 2004 4:40 pm 
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Location: Sunny O-hi-o
This is great ... I plan to present this tonight to my superiors. <p>Unfortunately, I'm still not sure it will do much good. But it's good to know that I'm not the only one who thinks it's stupid.<p>Thanks for your input.


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Wed Apr 21, 2004 10:49 pm 
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Location: Homebush NSW Australia
Purely for my benefit:<p>I write in a city
at a suburb
and at to indicate a stadium<p>is that how you folks do it?<p>ps in NZ we always used to write in a suburb, that tin ear bizzo is heavily geographically influenced. methinks.


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Thu Apr 22, 2004 11:26 am 
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Posts: 1399
Location: In the newsroom
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Paul Wiggins:
Purely for my benefit:<p>I write in a city
at a suburb
and at to indicate a stadium<p>is that how you folks do it?<p>ps in NZ we always used to write in a suburb, that tin ear bizzo is heavily geographically influenced. methinks.
<hr></blockquote>In a city, at a stadium, but in a suburb. At a suburb sounds just plain weird to me.


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Thu Apr 22, 2004 11:39 am 
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Joined: Mon Apr 12, 2004 12:01 am
Posts: 67
Location: D.C.
I went to college about half an hour north of where Biggdbo works (and dated a guy from Dover), and I actually noticed people from around that area using that construction on a fairly regular basis (including, irritatingly, the ex-boyfriend). <p>That's not to say it's right (because it's not), but it's one of many things that are just a bit "off" about that area of Ohio. There were many, many episodes of "The Twilight Zone" set in that are for just that reason, I think.<p>Maybe just call it a local insanity?


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Thu Apr 22, 2004 12:48 pm 
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Location: New Jersey
<blockquote><font size="1" face="TImes, TimesNR, serif">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by SusanV:
In a city, at a stadium, but in a suburb. At a suburb sounds just plain weird to me.<hr></blockquote><p>Or worse yet, pretentious, as in the subdivisions with names such as "Knotts Landing at Eagle Point."<p>[ April 22, 2004: Message edited by: Matthew Grieco ]</p>


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2004 12:32 am 
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Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2003 12:01 am
Posts: 3137
Location: Homebush NSW Australia
At a suburb sounded weird to me as a migrant here. The linguistic use seems to arise from the language of Rum Corps noticeboards when New South Wales was a convict colony in its early years. One of these things that travellers learn is not wrong, just different.


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 Post subject: Re: In/at: Where are you?
PostPosted: Sun Apr 25, 2004 11:49 am 
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Location: south of toronto
Montreal Expos fans [all 3 of us] will agree saying "at Montreal" implies an away game against the Expos, not necessarily in the city of Montreal.


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