Know Your English (Jan 2002)-15

Know your English

Is it OK to say "Ganesh is going to abroad"?

No, it is not. You generally say that someone is going abroad or went abroad. The word "abroad" is like the words "upstairs" and "downstairs"; you do not use "to" before any of these words. Here are a few examples.

*Mala is going abroad next month.

*Mala went abroad several times last year.

*Mala is going upstairs to get her pen.

*Mala went downstairs to meet the guests.

Source:

The Hindu daily, Tuesday, Jan 22, 2002