Difference between into and in to

Into (one word).

This is explained in the book called "Common Errors in English Usage" by Paul Brians:

“Into” is a preposition which often answers the question, “where?” For example,

“Tom and Becky had gone far into the cave before they realized they were lost.”

Sometimes the “where” is metaphorical, as in,

“He went into the army”

or

“She went into business.”

It can also refer by analogy to time:

“The snow lingered on the ground well into April.”

In old-fashioned math talk, it could be used to refer to division:

“Two into six is three.”

In other instances where the words “in” and “to” just happen to find themselves neighbors, they must remain separate words. For instance,

“Rachel dived back in to rescue the struggling boy.”

Here “to” belongs with “rescue” and means “in order to,” not “where.” (If the phrase had been “dived back into the water,” “into” would be required.)

Try speaking the sentence concerned aloud, pausing distinctly between “in” and “to.” If the result sounds wrong, you probably need “into.”

Then there is the 60s colloquialism which lingers on in which “into” means “deeply interested or involved in”:

“Kevin is into baseball cards.”

This is derived from usages like “the committee is looking into the fund-raising scandal.” The abbreviated form is not acceptable formal English, but is quite common in informal communications.

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@shindy,

Neither is correct. It should be: He turned onto the road.

The second would be correct if it the guy was a shape-shifter. But we can rule that out because no shape-shifter in their right mind would shape-shift into a road. Ask Paul Simon if he would rather be a tire than a road.

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I'd rather be a hammer than a nail.

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@shindy,

A short lesson on into and in to.
By Brian Klebs.

Quote:

One trick to help you decipher which word (or word pairing) is correct is to think of it this way: “Into” usually answers the question “where?” while “in to” is generally short for “in order to.”

My examples: I'm going into my brother's room.
I'm changing my currency from US dollars in to Euros.

1 Reply

@Glennn,

Quote:

It should be: He turned onto the road.

That is only true in the US, and probably not 100%. In other countries that speak British English, people live 'in' a road, and turn into (and out of) a road. Oh, and they put tyres on their cars.

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@Tes yeux noirs,

Tes yeux noirs wrote:

In other countries that speak British English, people live 'in' a road, and turn into (and out of) a road. Oh, and they put tyres on their cars.

nope

1 Reply

@ehBeth,

Quote:

Re: Tes yeux noirs (Post 6153780)
Tes yeux noirs wrote:

In other countries that speak British English, people live 'in' a road, and turn into (and out of) a road. Oh, and they put tyres on their cars.

nope

Not "nope", most decidedly "yep". I live in Bristol, England. I live in Acacia Avenue. When I drive home I go along Avon Road and turn into Acacia Avenue. And my car's wheels have rubber things from Southwest Tyres.

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@Tes yeux noirs,

Quote:

That is only true in the US, and probably not 100%.

Yes, it is true in the U.S. I've never heard anyone say that they turned into a road. I've heard people say that they turned in to a driveway or a parking lot, but never a road.

Also, in your examples of usage of the the word into, you did not include the indication of a change of state. For example: The peaceful gathering turned into a violent confrontation. Therefore, to say that "He turned into the road" is incorrect.

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@Glennn,

Turn right or turn left on a road, not into.

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@Glennn,

Quote:

Also, in your examples of usage of the the word into, you did not include the indication of a change of state. For example: The peaceful gathering turned into a violent confrontation. Therefore, to say that "He turned into the road" is incorrect.

There's no "therefore" about it. In normal English usage, "into" can be used when talking about an entry - he went into the house; he climbed into the car; he fell into the lake; he stepped into the room. Given that British English usage allows people to be "in" a street or road, it is perfectly normal to say that someone went, turned, drove, walked, or ran etc into a road or street.

1 Reply

@Tes yeux noirs,

Quote:

"into" can be used when talking about an entry

Entry is defined as an act of going or coming in. Explain how it is that the road is an enclosed area that you go into. Also, whenever the word into is preceded by the word turned, there is the potential for ambiguity due to the fact that the word into can refer to a change of state. Therefore, you would say, “He turned onto the road“ in order to avoid ambiguity.

EDIT:
on·to
ˈänˌto͞o/Submit
preposition
1.
moving to a location on (the surface of something).
____________________________

in·to
ˈin(t)o͞o,ˈin(t)ə/
preposition
1.
expressing movement or action with the result that someone or something becomes enclosed or surrounded by something else.

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@Glennn,

Good points.

1 Reply

@cicerone imposter,

Yeah, I think I'm in the--I mean, on the right track.

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@Glennn,

Quote:

Explain how it is that the road is an enclosed area that you go into. Also, whenever the word into is preceded by the word turned, there is the potential for ambiguity due to the fact that the word into can refer to a change of state. Therefore, you would say, “He turned onto the road“ in order to avoid ambiguity.

Whether you like it or not, British English speakers routinely use 'in' and 'into' about roads, highways, etc. It is the normal thing. There is no ambiguity perceived. If I say "I walked along Main Street and then turned into Side Street", a British English speaker would understand that I changed direction and entered Side Street, because that is the normal way we speak about this type of situation, and, furthermore, that is the common sense interpretation. People do not transform into streets. They would not say "Whoah! you turned into Side Street!?". Only a robot (or a visiting American, maybe) would do that. Believe me, this is not an argument you can win.

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@Tes yeux noirs,

Quote:

Whether you like it or not, British English speakers routinely use 'in' and 'into' about roads, highways, etc. It is the normal thing.

If "routinely used" and "normal thing" could trump accurate definitions, then you would have a point. But since I provided concise definitions for you, your point is not based in reality.

Quote:

If I say "I walked along Main Street and then turned into Side Street", a British English speaker would understand that I changed direction and entered Side Street, because that is the normal way we speak

It appears that you are inclined to use others' misuse of perfectly defined words to support your position. But the definitions stand. Concerning the statement in the OP, it is not correct to say, "He turned into the road. If the definitions that I've provided are unconvincing, then what can I tell you?

Quote:

Believe me, this is not an argument you can win.

You're not arguing with me. You're arguing with established definitions. And no, you can't win.

You said: "into" can be used when talking about an entry.

I said: Entry is defined as an act of going or coming in. I then provided you with this:

on·to
ˈänˌto͞o/Submit
preposition
1.
moving to a location on (the surface of something). A road perhaps?
____________________________

in·to
ˈin(t)o͞o,ˈin(t)ə/
preposition
1.
expressing movement or action with the result that someone or something becomes enclosed or surrounded by something else.
___________________________________

These definitions are not ambiguous.

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@cicerone imposter,

Quote:

I'm changing my currency from US dollars in to Euros.

This fails your Klebs test, and is wrong.

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I note that Glennnnnnn has taken the rather witless path of claiming that standard American usage is logical, and therefore, the only acceptable usage. Into as Tes yeux has used it is a quite common usage in British English. For that matter, it is used in certain contexts even in the United States. My heart almost stopped when the little girl ran into the street. The crowd was so thick that i stepped into the street to get by. No American would bat an eye at those uses of "into,"--so much for that bullsh*t logic argument.

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@Setanta,

I wonder what Glennnnnnnnnn would say if I said "While I was in Boston, I ran into your sister"?

1 Reply

Difference between into and in to

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