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. :)
I see, but in Russia, in such cases, we often ask the interlocutor, "Now say it again in a human way." ;)
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?
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.
Pull door, door closes. Silly isn't it. :)
When we "pull a door to", we bring it closer to the door frame.
I guess "pull to" makes more sense from the door's POV than it did
from mine at first.
One time, I needed to replace an interior door to swing in a
particular direction. All I had at the time was a door with hinges
on the wrong side. I flipped the door vertically, and voila!..I had
a door that would operate as required. The hole for the door knob
was a bit higher as a result, but I didn't need that part. <g> It
was a door for a utility room, so it didn't have to look pretty and perfect.
As an aside, I think the movie versions of that scene depict a
screen door. Most of those kind do swing to the outside.
One time, I needed to replace an interior door to swing in a
particular direction. All I had at the time was a door with hinges
on the wrong side. I flipped the door vertically, and voila! ..I
had a door that would operate as required. The hole for the door
knob was a bit higher as a result, but I didn't need that part. <g>
It was a door for a utility room, so it didn't have to look pretty
and perfect.
pulled the door to against the increasing rain.
Aware of the loud beating of my own heart I pulled
the door to against the increasing rain.
It "against" a verb? ;-)
IMHO, you should have done over the hinges on the door, too.
Your door at first had been hinged from up to down, then, it
could be hinged only from down to up. You can't just revolt the
door and hinge it?
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
-----Beginning of the citation-----[snip]
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? ;-)
Is "against" a verb?
What a strange sentence Fitzgerald is using! At first, I thought
this was a printing error. But lo and behold, it is exactly the
same in physical print. The sentence would sound better to me
without the "to" in front of "against" and still render the meaning
well enough.
But apparently, Fitz is using an archaic form of "against" as a conjunction. The use of the word hear is to mean "in preparation of
time or a delay" or "to oppose" something.
I've read the book many years ago, and don't recall too many issues
like the above. I probably just assumed they were printing errors
and moved on.
https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/pull+to-----Beginning of the citation-----
So in normal language the sentence will look like this:
"... I closed the door because the rain was increasing."
Excellent! So, why couldn't Fitz just write that, eh? <G> The
story is set in the 20's, so the English that people spoke wasn't
*that* archaic.
BTW, "to pull the door" would indicate to me that it was an outward swinging door that he was trying to close from the inside and the
"against" may be attempting to imply a heavy rain beating at the
door at the moment.
If I recall correctly, the narrator is staying in a cottage next
door to Gatsby's mansion. The cottage may have only had a flimsy
door that the rain could beat against very easily.
For a read consistent with the season, try Dicken's A Christmas
Carol. There are few archaic language samples in that one!
I guess "pull to" makes more sense from the door's POV
than it did from mine at first.
then you have folks like myself... i use either "push
to" or "pull to" depending on which side of the door
the victim will be on when they exit ;)
"hey, push the door to as you leave" - door opens out
"pull the door to on your way out" - door opens in
in either case, the goal of closing the door but not all
the way is accomplished...
For a read consistent with the season, try Dicken's A Christmas
Carol. There are few archaic language samples in that one!
BTW.. I am liking your Reformator program very much! I think I got
the right routine of copy-paste-quote-copy-paste that works for me.
I like the way it skips quoting the citing section.
BTW, "to pull the door" would indicate to me that it was an
outward swinging door that he was trying to close..
To make matters worse, in this country and in the US, most
front doors swing inward so as not to hit the person
standing outside!
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.|an
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? ;-)
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. ;)
Well, if "to" was a preposition give me an example when
it is a adverb.
So in normal language the sentence will look like this:
"... I closed the door because the rain was increasing."
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.
euphonic, and brief.
"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?
IMHO "shut" speaks clearly about the result of the
action.
Sysop: | Nelgin |
---|---|
Location: | Plano, TX |
Users: | 510 |
Nodes: | 10 (1 / 9) |
Uptime: | 116:26:47 |
Calls: | 8,198 |
Calls today: | 5 |
Files: | 15,442 |
Messages: | 913,377 |
Posted today: | 8 |