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Northwind Posted 17 years ago
Grammar
Boundary between 'west' and 'east.'
You sometimes say 'out west' or 'back east.' When you use these expressions, where's the boundary between 'west' and 'east'?
Is it on the Mississippi or the Rocky Mountains or somewhere else?
Is it on the Mississippi or the Rocky Mountains or somewhere else?
Top answer
I don't think there is any well defined boundary. In approximate terms, anything east of the Mississippi River is the East; anything west of the Rocky Mountains is the West; anything in between is the Mid-West. Nevertheless, states that are not very far east of the Mississippi, like Michigan and Indiana and Ohio, are sometimes included in the Mid-West.
- I don't think there is any well defined boundary.
- In approximate terms, anything east of the Mississippi River is the East; anything west of the Rocky Mountains is the West; anything in between is the Mid-West.
- Nevertheless, states that are not very far east of the Mississippi, like Michigan and Indiana and Ohio, are sometimes included in the Mid-West.
- CJ
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3 Answers
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I don't think there is any well defined boundary.
In approximate terms, anything east of the Mississippi River is the East; anything west of the Rocky Mountains is the West; anything in between is the Mid-West.
Nevertheless, states that are not very far east of the Mississippi, like Michigan and Indiana and Ohio, are sometimes included in the Mid-West.
CJ
In approximate terms, anything east of the Mississippi River is the East; anything west of the Rocky Mountains is the West; anything in between is the Mid-West.
Nevertheless, states that are not very far east of the Mississippi, like Michigan and Indiana and Ohio, are sometimes included in the Mid-West.
CJ
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I think the terms are also used with the speaker as the point of reference. I'm in Washington, and I still might say 'back east' to refer to Colorado where I was born. And I wouldn't say 'out west', because I am already here. I would probably say 'here in the west'.
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