Are you always a Stay-at-home?

Today’s English
June 2nd, 2017

The word home is used with a preposition in some places and without a preposition in some other places, though some people blindly think that a preposition like “to" should never precede the word “home".  The following guidelines may help you avoid errors when you employ the term home:

1.“Go to house but go home”  - after the verbs go, come, get, bring, take, send, arrive, don’t use a preposition before home because here home is just an adverb.

A.I went home very late. (Not went to home….)
B.My son came home yesterday. (Not came to home….)
C.When will you get home today?
D.I brought my friend home for a dinner.
E.She often forgets to take home her lunch bag.
F.The student was sick and I sent her home.
G.They arrived home earlier.

2.Preposition is a must if you say my home, his home, Ravi's home, your home, etc.because you are using possessive or genitive adjective before home and the word home is a noun here. Same examples but look at the difference:

A.I went to his home late.
B.My son came to his Uncle’s home yesterday.
C.When will you get to her home today?
D.I brought my friend to her home for dinner.
E.They arrived at Peter’s home at 8 p.m.

3.Don’t ever use a preposition before home if the verbs reach and leave are used.
A.I reached home./ I reached her home.
B.My son will leave home by 6 o' clock, / My son will leave her home by 6 o’clock clock.

4.But preposition must be used when home is used to refer to where a person is and what someone is doing in a place.

A.He is at home now. (Where somebody is…)
B.She works at home/ from home. (What somebody does…)
C.Do you stay in hostel or live at home?
D.I was playing with my children at home.

Remember 3 things about home:

1.“He left home” also means that he left his parents or family and started an independent life.

2.Stay-at-home is a single hyphenated word that refers to a person who rarely goes out. (My friend is a stay-at-home.)

3.“feel at home" is an idiomatic expression that means, a person feels relaxed, comfortable in a place or with somebody. (I always feel at home when you are with me.)

(To know the difference between house and home, see today’s English published on February 27th, 2017, also available at www.spokenenglishabcd.blogspot.com)

“Crowns in my purse I have, and
Goods at home,
And so am come abroad to see
The world” 
- William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew, Act I, Scene 2.