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
  • Prices vary state to state.
  • Prices vary from state to state.

Is either more appropriate or ungrammatical?

share|improve this question
I deleted the second question because a) we prefer to have one question per question and b) it is way too basic for this site. It could be a better fit on our proposed sister site for English language learners, though. – RegDwighт♦ Sep 21 '12 at 11:13

2 Answers

up vote 1 down vote accepted

Conversationally, "Prices vary state to state" is perfectly OK, as "from" should be optional in this case. Formally, however, "prices vary from state to state" would be more appropriate.

share|improve this answer
up vote 3 down vote

Prices vary state to state is almost certainly found, but, if you want to be above censure, Prices vary from state to state is the one to use.

share|improve this answer
There are thousands of instances of vary / change day to day in Google Books. The idea that eliding "from" in such constructions is somehow "incorrect" seems rather anal to me. – FumbleFingers Sep 21 '12 at 13:43
@FumbleFingers: I wasn't passing judgement. Just offering pragmatic advice. – Barrie England Sep 21 '12 at 13:47
I don't think I was passing judgement on your answer as such - just making the (additional) point that I personally wouldn't be too concerned about avoiding censure from anyone who wanted to take issue with the shortened form. It seems to me more a "neutral" issue of style, rather than a choice of phrasing from which someone might draw conclusions about your linguistic competence. – FumbleFingers Sep 21 '12 at 14:07
@FumbleFingers: Understood. – Barrie England Sep 21 '12 at 17:39
2  
On reflection, I suppose it's obvious that at least some people would say the full form is the "correct" form, so your answer itself is "above censure", in that it acknowledges that fact without explicitly supporting the position. So +1 for what I now see as a solidly descriptivist stance! – FumbleFingers Sep 21 '12 at 17:58

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

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