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Reegis Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

The zero meridian line crosses through Greenwich.

Hello,

let me ask about the sentence:

The zero meridian line crosses through Greenwich.

Is it correct to say crosses through in this context? Would it be better to say it otherwise? For example, to use passes through?
In my dictionary, cross through only has a meaning similar to cross out, which seems to be different than used here.
  

Top answer

In spoken British English there's nothing particularly wrong with 'crosses through' although I think I'd go with 'passes through' in this instance as it's more technically accurate. Perhaps 'cuts through' could get the message over as well although I'd certainly favour 'passes'. 'Cross through' in colloquial English means what you suggest in the sentence, more than 'cross out', or at least it does in my part of England.

— David Hatton

  • In spoken British English there's nothing particularly wrong with 'crosses through' although I think I'd go with 'passes through' in this instance as it's more technically accurate.
  • Perhaps 'cuts through' could get the message over as well although I'd certainly favour 'passes'.
  • 'Cross through' in colloquial English means what you suggest in the sentence, more than 'cross out', or at least it does in my part of England.
  • However, once you analyse it I would guess that the 'through' is superfluous as 'crosses' already suggests something is going from one side to another.
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4 Answers
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In spoken British English there's nothing particularly wrong with 'crosses through' although I think I'd go with 'passes through' in this instance as it's more technically accurate.

Perhaps 'cuts through' could get the message over as well although I'd certainly favour 'passes'.

'Cross through' in colloquial English means what you suggest in the sentence, more than 'cross out
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Thanks David!
David HattonHowever, once you analyse it I would guess that the 'through' is superfluous as 'crosses' already suggests something is going from one side to another.
I will proudly say that this was also my thought:) Unfortunately I am not a native speaker and can never be fully sure if my intuition is correct or not...
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I wouldn't worry - I'm an English teacher and proofread grammar books for a living and even I can't be sure of my intuition on some elements of the language!
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ReegisThe zero meridian line crosses through Greenwich.
I'd say The prime meridian passes through Greenwich.

(I once stood there, and with each half of my body in a different hemisphere I began to lose my balance.
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