0
Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

present continuous with a-

What is the origin of the form a-hunting (as in the hunting song), a-serving (as in Kipling's poem Gunga Din?Is it an archaic form of the present continuous, a degraded phrase (like God be with ye --> goodbye), or something completely different?
  

Top answer

com/us/definition/american_english/a#a-2

— GPY

  • com/us/definition/american_english/a#a-2
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

1 Answers
0
According to the link below, the origin of this "a-" is "Old English, unstressed form of on."

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/a#a-2
0

Related Questions