Preposition near Doesnt Need a to

Preposition near Doesnt Need a to Preposition near Doesnt Need a to Preposition near Doesnt Need a to By Maeve Maddox Daniel writes: The expression â€Å"near to X, Y, or Z† is becoming prevalent, even in the Times (of London).   Whats wrong with â€Å"near†?   Is there any linguistic ammunition that can be fired in the direction of this misuse? The question comes from England and most of the â€Å"near to† examples I found by cruising the web I found on British sites: There are [sic] a distinct lack of pubs near to the ground (sports field) as it is built away from other buildings. the pub is near to the junction with the A34 The church is near to Charing Cross, Waterloo and Blackfriars stations. This caption is the only â€Å"near to† I was able to find for the US: Panorama from the lawn behind Living Stones Church near to Kailua-Kona. Hawaiian tourist site. Plenty examples of near without the unnecessary â€Å"to† are to be found on British sites: Saint Marys Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio of the red cave. information about St Cwyfans Church, near Aberffraw Wembley Arena Hotels offers great rates on over 50 hotels near Wembley Arena. American usage definitely favors near without a â€Å"to†: Other attractions near our Houston, Texas hotel include Situated near some of the most recognizable landmarks in Washington DC, this hotel provides easy access to renowned monuments, Patent attorneys located near the US Patent Office People visiting the Little Rock area can find several hotels near Verizon Arena that offer suite accommodations. The adverb nearby sometimes gets lumbered with â€Å"to.† In this example the preposition is used without the extra word, but the adverb gets a â€Å"to†: Nearby to the pub is the hidden 13th century church of St John the Baptist the most isolated church in Surrey. The pub is near the T-junction at the top. Not everyone sees the tacked-on â€Å"to† as an error. I came across this â€Å"tip† on an ESL site: Use the preposition near with or without to for the same meaning. Ex. He lives near (to) the bank. My friends play soccer near (to) my office building. Adding a â€Å"to† after the preposition is grammatically unnecessary. Nothing is lost by dropping the â€Å"to† in the following examples: the pub is near the junction with the A34 The church is near Charing Cross Can it be a regional thing? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Program vs. ProgrammeWriting the Century20 Slang Terms for Law Enforcement Personnel

How to Write Interview Questions

How to Write Interview Questions The truth is that there is no single recipe for effective interviewing, no single format for all situations and tasks, no one right way of wording questions. However, there are some useful guidelines that should be considered. To prepare well-crafted questions, you need to understand the goal of the interview and what you need to know from the person youre interviewing. With this information in mind, it will be easier to create unique questions for your particular situation. Below youll find some great strategies and tips for coping with the assignment successfully. Start with a â€Å"Softball Question† Why is the first question so important? It should make the interviewee open, relaxed and eager to share the information youre interested in. A â€Å"softball question† will create the right atmosphere and make the interview flow naturally. This question has to be very simple and uncontroversial, not challenging at all. It shouldnt require a lot of thought or risk to answer it. Thats why start your interview with this simple question to set the right tone for your conversation. Ask Open-Ended Questions To receive as much information as possible, you have to avoid â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no† questions. Instead, always use open-ended questions. They will help you find out all you need for your story. Remember that your purpose is to create a dialogue, so its important to write the questions that require a full, not obvious answer. Proceed with a Reflection Question To learn how your interviewee thinks, you need to write reflection questions. This type of questions will make a person recollect and share some information or story with you. You can ask anything that will make a person look back: a career path, some important events, difficult life moments, etc. A reflection question is a great way to keep the conversation going. Ask Questions that Cause Emotional Response You need to write a few questions that cause the emotional response. Consider what can make your interviewee feel excited or annoyed. The emotional response shouldnt be only positive, thats why you can ask tricky questions. Start your questions with â€Å"why† and â€Å"how† to receive a full answer. For instance, you may ask something like â€Å"Why did you decide to start writing that book if the previous one didnt sell well?† Include a Curve Ball Question Now you have to look at the questions youve written. If there are too many similar ones, consider adding a curve ball. This question can be a fun and interesting adding to the general story. Ask something unrelated to the whole conversion to spice it with interesting information. Paraphrase Your Questions When youve finished writing all the questions, look them over and decide which ones should be paraphrased. Make sure that your questions are clear and understandable. If you feel that some of them become irrelevant, consider to replace them with the more suitable questions. Throughout all phases of writing, keep centered on the purpose of your interview. It will help you come up with the right questions. You may need to do a research on the person you are going to interview to gather all the information before writing questions. Knowing the persons goals, personality, achievements and failures will help you write really good questions. Remember that there is no one right way of interviewing, thats why try to write interesting questions for your appropriate situation and create a pleasant and engaging dialogue with your interviewee.