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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Saturday evening without "on"
Saturday evening without "on"
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Ruwayda37
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Saturday evening without "on"
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Dear all, Could you clarify which one is correct, or if both are correct: 1. What are you going to do Saturday evening? 2. What are you going to do on Saturday evening? Thanks a lot |
12 Mar 2016
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JuliaKaraban
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According to "English Grammar in Use" by R.Murphy the correct answer is 2. What are you going to do on Saturday evening? |
12 Mar 2016
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Ruwayda37
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Thanks a lot for your quick answer. Have a good day. |
12 Mar 2016
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almaz
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Both are good. Omission of the preposition is more informal � and tends to be more common in American English. Incidentally, Raymond Murphy does point out in �English Grammar in Use� (3rd edition, Intermediate) that "in spoken English we often leave out on before days" and gives "I don�t go out Monday mornings" as an example.
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12 Mar 2016
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Ruwayda37
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Thanks a lot. Is it also possible to say "I don �t go out Mondays" in informal English? |
12 Mar 2016
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almaz
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Yes, on and in can be omitted before the name of a day whether in singular or plural form. An example that the A–Z of English Grammar & Usage (a descriptive grammar based on the Longman Corpus Network and Corpus of Learner English) gives is: "Tina has to work Saturdays and Sundays". |
12 Mar 2016
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cunliffe
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I note Alex and his links, but I agree with Julia Karaban. in English English, we use �on � in the examples you give. Leaving the �on � out is American English. I think the example �Mona works Saturdays and Sundays � is different and quite OK. |
12 Mar 2016
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Ruwayda37
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Thanks so much for your clear and quick answers. |
12 Mar 2016
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almaz
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With regard to the "links", Lynne, Raymond Murphy (who Julia and I both cited) is English (from Devon) and presumably speaks "English English", while the authors of the A�Z are all UK-based linguists and teachers. I also mentioned earlier that omission of the preposition tends to be predominantly American, but I�m sure you�d agree that 1) this doesn�t mean it�s in any way incorrect and 2) it doesn�t preclude its use among British English speakers (I�m hearing it more often now � but that hardly constitutes evidence, does it?  ). To recap, Riham: both forms are acceptable. In the UK at least, it�s a question of formality and frequency. Alex
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12 Mar 2016
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cunliffe
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I don �t think there �s as much disagreement as you think and certainly not enough to warrant another post from you: the one usage is British English and the other, American English. I don �t hear this (going out Monday etc..) at all, although it wouldn �t be a bar to communication and nobody would say it �s �in any way incorrect. � However, it is not at all common usage. I will add that whenever I read a newspaper report and I see the �on � omitted with the day, I know that that is an American article.
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12 Mar 2016
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almaz
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Sorry, Lynne, I think I know where the heart of the "disagreement" lies. By way of illumination, here�s another recap: - Riham asked which one was correct or if both were correct.
- Julia said the second one was correct and cited a grammar book.
- I said they were both correct and cited the very same grammar book which supported this (Unit 121 in my edition).
- You chimed in with "I agree with Julia" which might suggest that you disagreed with what I had said and that only one was correct.
Now 1, 2 and 3 are pretty straightforward; it�s how things often work here, and all it takes is checking the sources. But it�s 4 I have a problem with: although you didn�t offer any evidence for your statement (no mention, even, of the Murphy book both Julia and I referred to), you followed this by virtually repeating what I�d just said about it being more associated with American English, as if this were new information, and then � bafflingly � more or less saying both were OK anyway. In other words, you agreed with what I had said after all (but presumably couldn�t bring yourself to actually say it  ). And given that I�d already stated twice that it�s more common in American English than in British English, can I assume you�re talking about the UK only when you say "it is not at all common usage"? Personally, I�m not too sure how uncommon it is here nowadays, bearing in mind the pervasive influence of social media, but I�d love to see what your evidence is for this. Please. Riham wanted to know if both were correct. The answer is a simple �yes �. Yes? (see 3 above) |
12 Mar 2016
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