What is the difference between 'into' and in to? Are both right? Or is one of th

1. 76

   Savio Dawsonposted 12 years ago

   What is the difference between 'into' and in to? Are both right? Or is one of them incorrect?

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2. 79

   alancaster149posted 12 years ago

   Depends on context. You might say 'I'm going in to see Fred' (infinitive), you can't/don't say 'I'm going into see Fred', although you can say 'I'm going into the front room to see Fred'.
   With 'into' you're in the act of entering/looking/putting etc, 'pouring water into a kettle', whereas 'in to' implies a purpose, 'pouring water in to measure how much I need/have'.
   Take a look at 'The Oxford Guide to English Usage - New Edition' 1995, comp. E S C Weiner and Andrew Delahunty.

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   1. 76

      Savio Dawsonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks alancaster149! Really appreciate the answer.

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3. 77

   Greekgeekposted 12 years ago

   "Into" is a preposition that indicates entering a space. (Most prepositions are directions like the arrows on a flowchart, expressing towards/from/into/around/over/under something.) Prepositions take a noun as their object. For example, "I'm going INTO the store," or "I'm throwing a ball INTO the bucket."
   
   If you say "I'm going in to see someone," the "to" is being used not as the preposition "to" meaning a destination ("to London"), but rather, as the first half of what's called an infinitive, a special form of the verb "to run, to walk, to fly."
   
   In that case, I believe, the "in" is NOT a preposition; it's acting as an adverb describing the verb. Adverbs answer questions like when/where/how.
   
   I'm not sure if all of that makes sense. Basically, if the word that follows "into" is a noun, no space; if it's a verb, then a space is okay.
   
   English is confusing because so many of our little words like in and to do double and triple duty, acting as different parts of speech in different phrases and usages.

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      Borsiaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Nailed it,,,lol

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   2. 76

      Savio Dawsonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Greekgeek,
      
      This is the most comprehensive response I have had... Thank you so much! Your response was really helpful.

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4. 60

   C.V.Rajanposted 12 years ago

   "I went in to see how the interior of the house looks like"
   "I went into the house to see how the interior looks like"
   
   "When I saw the stranger going into the house, I thought 'Oh! He is in to something!'
   
   I hope these examples will give you an idea to grasp the difference.

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      Savio Dawsonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks C.V. Rajan!
      
      Got a hang of it. Thanks for taking time out to explain.

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5. 0

   RTalloniposted 12 years ago

   This is helpful:
   
   http://english.stackexchange.com/questi … vice-versa

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