Of the livingroom or to the livingroom?

Question

Hi. Which is correct? If the two uses are similar, are there any cases you can think of that would clearly require one over the other (in other words, one rather the other)?

Please close the door of the livingroom.

Please close the dorr to the livingroom.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Which is correct?If the two uses are similar, are there any cases you can think of that would clearly require one over the other (in other words, one rather the other)?

Please close the door of the livingroom.

Please close the door to the livingroom.

Both are OK, and very similar. But what you'd hear much, much more often would be simply

Please close the living room door.

Best wishes, Clive

Avangi · Answer

Anonymous Please close the door of the livingroom.

I don't hear this one very often. I'd agree that "the livingroom door" sounds better.

For my ear, the "of" version would work fine in describing some feature of the door, rather than its normal use:
The door of the living room had been luxuriously carved from a single piece of mahogany. (I know, that's absurd!)
The door of the living room did not match the rest of the woodwork.

The door to the living room had been torn from its hinges! The "to" preposition seems to emphasize its functional aspect, or its use, rather than its belonging to the living room.

But, for some reason, "The door of the trailer / refrigerator had been left open," doesn't bother me at all. Perhaps with the smaller enclosure, the door seems more like an integral part of the whole. The door to the living room may sometimes be thought of as a means of accessing the living room, rather than as a part of it.

- A.

Of the livingroom or to the livingroom?

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