To Japan - is the preposition necessary?

Question

In the following dialogue, is the preposition necessary, assuming "where" is equal to a preposition plus a noun denoting a place.

A: Where did he go last week?

B: To Japan.

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 29 '23 at 06:16

3

No, it isn't necessary. Saying "Japan" would be equally acceptable.

answered Mar 29 '23 at 06:16

equin0x80

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Are you a native? – Apollyon Mar 29 '23 at 09:54
Spoken English natively for 40 years, yes, and I have a degree in English Language. You? :) – equin0x80 Mar 29 '23 at 10:16

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 29 '23 at 20:39

0

The answer to a question can be a fragment of almost any length, as long as it contains the necessary information, forms a contiguous piece of a grammatical sentence, and doesn't repeat part of the question.

In particular, some question words, including "where", imply a preposition, making the preposition optional, but allowed, in the answer. Both of your sentences are correct.

answered Mar 29 '23 at 20:39

the-baby-is-you

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Is this okay? A: Where is John. B: The living room. – Apollyon Mar 30 '23 at 02:02
@Apollyon Yes, that's okay. – the-baby-is-you Mar 30 '23 at 19:44

To Japan - is the preposition necessary?

2 Answers2