Shall I write "opposite to in the following sentence?
By CrimsonSpork
@Manasha (2933)
Pondicherry, India
December 3, 2012 7:26am CST
While I have been writing a sentence, I got a doubt about the use of to after the word opposite
The sentence is We're in the building opposite the government offices.
However, one of my friends told me to write as follows
The sentence is We're in the building opposite to the government offices.
I want to know the correct sentence above.
1 response
@owlwings (43897)
• Cambridge, England
3 Dec 12
"We are in the building opposite the Government offices" is correct. "opposite" is here used as a preposition. 'To' is only used when 'opposite' is used as an adjective:
Example: "The effect was opposite to that intended." ('opposite' is here an adjective modifying 'effect'. In fact, 'opposite to that [which was] intended' is an adjectival phrase - or clause, if you acknowledge the implicit verb.)
'Of' is used when 'opposite' is used as a noun:
Example: "The effect was the opposite of that intended." (Here the simple addition of 'the' makes the word 'opposite' into a noun, though the sense of the two sentences is identical).
For more information on the use of the word 'opposite' as a noun, adjective and preposition, see http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/opposite
