Start from NY or in NY?

Question

Hi,I know you arrive in/at a place and not to a place. But......can "leave from" and "start from" be used in some cases? What would be the difference?He left NY / He left from NY.The race starts in NY / The race starts from NY.Thanks

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

I know you arrive in/at a place and not to a place. Correct.

But......can "leave from" and "start from" be used in some cases? What would be the difference?

He left NY / He left from NY.
The race starts in NY / The race starts from NY.

When you say 'from', you are thinking of the place as a 'point', as 'a single location in space'.

Thus, we say 'the race starts at the park gate and ends at the bank'.

If you say 'the race starts in New York and ends in Paris', it sounds like the race is so long that the extra time it takes to leave the specific place in New York and to arrive at the specific place in Paris is not important. Or that the listener is not expected to care about the details.

If you say to me, 'There's a race tomorrow in Toronto' (which there is

) and I want to do it (which I do

), I'd ask you 'Where does it start (from)?' (although in my case, I already know.

)

Clive

Kooyeen · Answer

Ah, so it's ok to say "start from". I tryed googling around, and it didn't look like a good idea to include "from"... that's why I asked. Well, thanks!
PS: you race? Wow, what kind of race, if I can ask?

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Running, for one.

Clive

Kooyeen · Answer

Oh, good luck then! And go like a rocket! <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/5.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/5.gif' alt='Emotion: wink'/>

Yankee · Answer

In my mind, there is a critical difference between "leave NY" and "leave from NY". For example, if you came to the US on October 15, and attended a month-long seminar in New Jersey, you might later tell people either one of these:

- I left New Jersey on November 15th.
(i.e. On November 15th you left the place you had been staying during your 4-week seminar.)

I left from New York on November 15th.
(i.e. Your flight back to Italy began at JFK Airport in New York. You drove from New Jersey to New York and then boarded a plane at JFK.)

Kooyeen · Answer

I got that feeling too, it's just that I noticed "leave from" was much less common than just "leave".
So I understand perfectly, thanks a lot Amy!

Buddhaheart · Answer

He left NY / He left from NY. These two have very little difference in meaning. I don’t think the preposition ‘from’ add any more to it and hence I prefer the one without. In some other context, the ‘from’ might be necessary or required.

The race starts in NY / The race starts from NY. Again, I don’t think there’s much difference between these two. In this case one or the other preposition is required.

Start from NY or in NY?

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