enter (into)

English translation: yes there's a difference

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

English term or phrase:	enter (into)
Selected answer:	yes there's a difference
Entered by:	lindaellen (X)

06:54 Mar 14, 2008

English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Linguistics / grammar

English term or phrase: enter (into)

Dear native English speakers!

Would someone explain to me the difference (if any) between ‘enter’ and ‘enter into’?
For example, which should I use in the following contexts:

A few travelers have come to a wall of rock with a narrow opening in it. Now, do they ENTER the opening or ENTER INTO the opening?

Or suppose someone (say, a magician) can go right through sheer walls of rock. Does he ENTER the wall or ENTER INTO the wall?

Is there a difference, anyway?

I’ll appreciate any help.

Andrew Vdovin KudoZ activity Questions: 3923 (2 open) (2 closed without grading) Answers: 3924
Local time: 17:40

yes there's a difference

Explanation:
Using my experience as a native speaker, I would use "enter into" for something small or where the entering was extraordinary- like the narrow opening to emphasize that getting in is not that easy, whereas "she entered the room" is fine, as would be "she entered into the room *with flair* "to emphasize that the entering was special. An agreement is always "entered into". I wouldn't say that a magician enters into a wall at all, I would say that he passed through it.

Selected response from:

lindaellen (X)

Grading comment

Thank you very much for your help Linda! Thanks everybody!!!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

5 +3

enter into (phrasal verb)

Michael Iakovides

4 +3

yes there's a difference

lindaellen (X)

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

39 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

yes there's a difference

lindaellen (X)
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 24

Grading comment

Thank you very much for your help Linda! Thanks everybody!!!

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +3

enter into (phrasal verb)

Explanation:
Actually enter and enter into are two different things. If you wanted to use the verb enter, you would not use into with it because it basically means to come or go into. Enter into is a phrasal verb with a diffrent meaning alltogether.

See the link below has the exact definitions

Reference: http://www.answers.com/topic/enter

Michael Iakovides
Local time: 13:40
Native speaker of:

Greek,

English

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