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Ant_222 Posted 18 years ago
Grammar

Typing away, part II

Hello all

I am feeling I have to go back to this "to do smth. away" phrases and ask one more question. The verb "To type" is transitive, but I couldn't find a lot of transitive uses of "to type away". Is it non-transitive? Should use "at" to connect a complement: "I am typing away at my new article"? What about "cooking away"?
  

Top answer

id=ImJbAAAAMAAJ&q=%22cooking+away+at%22&dq=%22cooking+away+at%22&lr= by Helen Shacklady, Eleanor Hill - - 2003 - 176 pages Here's Kate safely back, Liz and me cooking away at a delicious supper , and you're still in a snit. Tell me," she waved a wooden spoon at him, ...

  • id=ImJbAAAAMAAJ&q=%22cooking+away+at%22&dq=%22cooking+away+at%22&lr= by Helen Shacklady, Eleanor Hill - - 2003 - 176 pages Here's Kate safely back, Liz and me cooking away at a delicious supper , and you're still in a snit.
  • Tell me," she waved a wooden spoon at him, ...
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9 Answers
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606 on "typing away at" [this is OK in transitive

http://books.google.com/books?q=%22typing+away+at%22&btnG=Search+Books
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18 on "cooking away at" [this is more rare in transitive
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Hello, Marius.
Your examles for "typing away at" are mosly (but not all) ) neither transitive not intransitive because they don't have a complement. "Typing away at a computer" and "typing away at high speed" are different from "typing away at a new article". And doesn't "at" imply intransitivity? You said "OK in transitive" but provided examples with "at"...

I mean, is it incorrect
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"I am typing away AT my new article"
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OK, thank you very much.
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Sorry to interrupt, if you don't mind, may I know what's the meaning of "typing away "? Thanks in advance.
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No problem: It just means that you're fully concentrated on typing:
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away is used after many verbs, and just means that you were getting on/doing a particular action with the focus being 100% on the action.

There I was, merrily singing away ................

He was talking away but I couldn't understand one word.

I was pumping away but no water came through.
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Thank you, Ant and Optilang.

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