Grammar Peeve

[legalmoose]

Okay, I realize this is petty, but should the headline:

London Death Toll Rises To Above 50

not read:

London Death Roll Rises Above 50

?

If you're using an indefinite number I would think that you would not use "to," because "to" denotes a specific destination, or number in this case. If you said, "Rises To 53" that would be correct because there is a specific number, but by leaving the number indefinite ("Above 50"), you simply want to give a general destination and therefore not use "to."

To put it another way, you would say, "He is going to San Francisco," because there is a definite destination in mind, but you would not say, "He is going to west," but rather "He is going west" to indicate a general destination (unless, of course, "the West" were seen as a specific destination rather than a general direction).

Comments

[phornax.livejournal.com]

I checked via Google News and the British use both "above" and "to above." The general Google search showed that "to above" was only used in 3% of cases.

It appears to be a colloquialism which people forget to modify sometimes in written English, regardless of which side of The Pond. :^) (I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often in written English, given how colloquial it's become.)

[tongsinanpei.livejournal.com]

Really? I remember learning in primary school that is still "the team is".

[deejayqueue.livejournal.com]

Maybe +50 is some sort of journalistic line of demarcation between a horrible terrorist attack and a humongous crisis. Now that it's 'above 50' maybe there's more grant money available for relief, more military force available for a counter strike... who knows. If not though, i agree, the 'To' is superfluous.

[eyow.livejournal.com]

To put it another way, you would say, "He is going to San Francisco," because there is a definite destination in mind, but you would not say, "He is going to west,"

And yet in Britain they say, "He is going to hospital."

[amnewsboy.livejournal.com]

So, are you listening to Go West, or are you listening to the Pet Shop Boys?

(Yeah, lame joke, I know.)

[nilesward.livejournal.com]

a double preposition is rather ugly, and probably incorrect.

[matintin.livejournal.com]

I agree, but I think this headline is more offensive: