Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote -1 down vote favorite
1

I give up dating with girls and stay in home.

share|improve this question
20  
How about "I totally rule in World of Warcraft"? ;=) – Robusto Mar 17 '11 at 13:41
3  
@Robusto: that wouldn't work with all girls, though. Including this one. – Marthaª Mar 17 '11 at 13:52
@Martha: Oh no! Let me guess ... you're a night-elf resto druid! – Robusto Mar 17 '11 at 13:57
@Robusto Actually, I have no time to play WOW, I'm not a teenage again, lol. – dodo Mar 17 '11 at 13:58
3  
Hmmm..."with girls" seems to imply the possibility that the speaker will continue dating with non-girls. This may not be the intended meaning. – dmckee Mar 17 '11 at 20:39
show 4 more comments

closed as not a real question by Matt Эллен, tchrist, Mitch, RegDwighт♦ Aug 22 '12 at 8:44

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, see the FAQ.

5 Answers

up vote 8 down vote accepted

I'm going to give up on dating girls and stay home.

I've given up on dating girls and am staying home.

share|improve this answer
1  
"I have purchased shaving cream and am staying home" "I have subscribed to Penthouse and am staying home" – bobobobo Mar 23 '11 at 0:38
This phrasing demands so many snarky comments, it’s hard to know where to start. Or stop. “I’m giving up dating girls because my Xbox is too jealous.”; “I’m giving up dating girls because it’s cheaper just to buy lube for myself.”; “I’m giving up dating girls because it’s easier just to have them delivered straight to my home from the escort service.; “I’m giving up dating girls so I can concentrate on my boyfriend.” There’s lots more where that came from. I suggest you reword your answer so none of those comes so readily to mind. – tchrist Aug 19 '12 at 2:52
up vote 11 down vote

There are several things to point out here.

First, "dating with girls" implies that you and a group of (other) girls are going around together, many of you on dates with people outside the group. This would be somewhat unusual even if it is what you meant, and would be better explained at greater length to avoid confusion. Assuming it isn't what you meant, you want "girls" to be the direct object of "dating" to show that "girls" are the general class of people that you are dating.

"Stay in home" is falling into a subtle trap. Contrary to what you might expect, "home" is used in the way we would refer to a general location rather than a building. You can be "in" (inside) a building, but usually "at" a location instead. There are some exceptions to that rule, but "home" isn't one of them. You have to say "stay at home" or simply "stay home".

Now we get to the tenses. "I give up dating girls" is something that happens at a point in time -- "give up" is in the present simple tense. "Stay at home" is also in the present simple, but that doesn't fit with the sense of the sentence. What you actually want to convey is that after this decision, you will stay at home instead of going out on dates in the future. This needs a future tense to express: "will stay at home." So your sentence becomes:

I give up dating girls and will stay at home.

Note that the second half is in the future relative to the first half. If you made your decision some time in the past, then the second half can use any tense that implies the "staying at home" happened after that point. So all of the following work, though with different shades of meaning:

I gave up dating girls and stayed at home. [Implies I don't stay at home any more]

I gave up dating girls and was staying at home. [As above, but I stayed at home for an extended period]

I gave up dating girls and stay at home. [Implies I stay at home now]

I gave up dating girls and am staying at home. [Implies I will carry on staying at home into the future]

I gave up dating girls and will stay at home. [Implies I have other things to do with my time right now]

share|improve this answer
+1 Rhodri for a brilliant and exhaustive answer. – n0nChun Mar 17 '11 at 15:31
1  
another +1 for "First, dating with girls implies that you and a group of (other) girls are going around together, many of you on dates with people outside the group." – n0nChun Mar 17 '11 at 15:31
1  
@n0nChun: I just got this scary image of @user5015 and friends hunting as a pack, and thought the rest of the world should suffer too :-) – user1579 Mar 17 '11 at 15:49
up vote 8 down vote

I would probably say:

I have sworn off dating.

or

I am done with dating.

where "swearing off" means "to pledge, vow, or promise not to."

"Giving up dating girls" does not preclude dating boys or sheep, and if you say this to your friends (the most likely) you are most certainly going to get some wise-ass like myself pointing this out to you. :)

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

share|improve this answer
"I have sworn off dating, and started m..." – bobobobo Mar 23 '11 at 0:38
up vote 1 down vote

I will stop dating girls, and I will stay home.
I will stop going out with girls, and I will stay home.
I decided to stop dating girls, and stay home.

share|improve this answer
Should be "shall", for intention rather than prophecy. – TimLymington May 25 '11 at 22:00
up vote -1 down vote

I won't date girls and will stay at home.

share|improve this answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.