“Call” vs. “Call at”

Question

Consider

I will call your office some time in the evening.

vs.

I will call at your office some time in the evening.

Which is correct — the version with 'at', or the version with no preposition?

Robusto · Answer 1 · 2012-11-07 13:22:30Z

up vote 9 down vote

They mean different things.

I will call your office ...

means you will use a telephone.

I will call at your office ...

means you will show up in person.

answered Nov 7 '12 at 13:22

Robusto
82.7k12158318

	I've never heard of "call at" there enters a new phrase in my vocabulary! – picakhu Nov 7 '12 at 15:37
	A related phrase is "to come calling". – Roddy of the Frozen Peas Nov 7 '12 at 15:39
	Call (at) meaning visit in person is a bit dated, but used to be common in the UK. There was a time when a remark like I will call tomorrow was actually ambiguous - some people had adopted the meaning of phone from across the Atlantic, while others still used it to mean come in person. – Colin Fine Nov 8 '12 at 0:48

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