Off the entryway to the left is the dining room

[tonbei]

1) Off the entryway to the left is the dining room.
2) To the left of the entryway is the dining room.


My understanding of how different they are is : whether separated by a
wall or not.

1) is: when you enter the entryway, you see the door to the dining room
to the left.
2) is: when you enter the entryway, you see the dining room directly to
the left.

Is this right?

[Tony Cooper]

Post by tonbei
1) Off the entryway to the left is the dining room.
2) To the left of the entryway is the dining room.
My understanding of how different they are is : whether separated by a
wall or not.

It's the word "room" that indicates whether or not there's a wall. If
it's a "room", it's an area enclosed by walls.

"To the left of the entryway is the dining room" means the dining room
is separated from the entryway by a wall.

"To the left of the entryway is the dining area" means the area is not
separated from the entryway by a wall.

I have lived in a house where there was a dining room, and a house
where there was a dining area. In the house where there was a dining
area, there was no wall separating the area from the living room.

Post by tonbei
1) is: when you enter the entryway, you see the door to the dining room
to the left.
2) is: when you enter the entryway, you see the dining room directly to
the left.
Is this right?

[tonbei]

Thanks for a quick rand reply.

So, what you're saying is there's no virtual difference between 1) and
2) ?

[Tony Cooper]

Post by tonbei
Thanks for a quick rand reply.
So, what you're saying is there's no virtual difference between 1) and
2) ?

Which set of "1) and 2)"?

You have snipped your post that had those.

In this set, they both indicate the same information.

1) Off the entryway to the left is the dining room.
2) To the left of the entryway is the dining room.

In this set, you've added words that potentially confuse the meaning:

1) is: when you enter the entryway, you see the door to the dining
room
to the left.
2) is: when you enter the entryway, you see the dining room directly
to the left.

In 1), you've added "you can see the door". You could "see" the door
if it was 100 yards down a hall, or you could "see the door" if it was
close enough to touch. Why do you need to say the door is visible?

In 2), you've added "directly". It doesn't really hurt the sentence,
but it adds an element not necessary to the sentence.

A simple sentence like "The dining room door is off the entryway"
should do. Or, if you need more explicit directions, "The dining room
door is off the entryway on the left."

Unless you're providing directions to a blind man, the first suffices.

[Tony Cooper]

Post by tonbei
1) is: when you enter the entryway, you see the door to the dining room
to the left.
2) is: when you enter the entryway, you see the dining room directly to
the left.

[tonbei]

About "Off the entryway to the left is the dining room."

Let me break down this sentence a little.

Could it be broken down into:
"Off the entryway to the left (of the entryway) is the dining room." ?

The dining room is connected through the door to the entryway to the
left of the entryway.

[tonbei]

In "off the entryway to the left", what comes after to the left of?
Or, to the left of what ?

to the left of where I'm standing?
to the left of where I'm standing by entering the entryway

[Snidely]

Post by tonbei
In "off the entryway to the left", what comes after to the left of?
Or, to the left of what ?
to the left of where I'm standing?
to the left of where I'm standing by entering the entryway

The latter. You enter and find that the dining room is to your left,
and that your left hand is closer to it than your right hand is.

/dps

[Tony Cooper]

Post by tonbei
About "Off the entryway to the left is the dining room."
Let me break down this sentence a little.
"Off the entryway to the left (of the entryway) is the dining room." ?
The dining room is connected through the door to the entryway to the
left of the entryway.

Your idea of breaking it down is to keep adding words far beyond the
need to express the thought.

You end up like the last verse of "Rattlin' Bog".

In that egg there was a bird,
A rare bird and a rattlin' bird,
And the bird on the egg,
And the egg on the bird,
And the bird in the nest,
And the nest on the limb,
And the limb on the branch,
And the branch on the tree,
And the tree in the bog,
And the hole in the bog,
And the bog down in the valley-o.

[lar3ryca]

Post by Tony Cooper

Post by tonbei
About "Off the entryway to the left is the dining room."
Let me break down this sentence a little.
"Off the entryway to the left (of the entryway) is the dining room." ?
The dining room is connected through the door to the entryway to the
left of the entryway.

Your idea of breaking it down is to keep adding words far beyond the
need to express the thought.
You end up like the last verse of "Rattlin' Bog".
In that egg there was a bird,
A rare bird and a rattlin' bird,
And the bird on the egg,
And the egg on the bird,
And the bird in the nest,
And the nest on the limb,
And the limb on the branch,
And the branch on the tree,
And the tree in the bog,
And the hole in the bog,
And the bog down in the valley-o.

Reminiscent of There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.