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Grammar pedants - help please.

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Nord SledRunner 🛷 Dec 2022 8:55pm, 15 Dec 2022 2,421 posts	Quote Pin Nord SledRunner 🛷 I suppose that's the difference between grammar and what people imagine the intention is.
Badger Dec 2022 9:20pm, 15 Dec 2022 15,849 posts	Quote Pin Badger Columba let me assure you I was only pointing out the examples and not the needlessly lurid alliteration!
Columba Dec 2022 10:09pm, 18 Dec 2022 22,057 posts	Quote Pin Columba Badger Yes, I did realise that!
ChrisHB Feb 2023 2:56pm, 20 Feb 2023 22,262 posts	Quote Pin ChrisHB If an aircraft is "coming in to land", do you take "to land" to be an infinitive or a prepostion+noun? Is there any other example of using the verb "to come" like this? I think a sea-plane would still "come in to land", but I am sure that a boat comes into port.
DeeGee Feb 2023 3:06pm, 20 Feb 2023 22,416 posts	Quote Pin DeeGee Coming in(to the immediate vicinity of the airport) in order to carry out the action known as "landing". "Land" as a verb rather than a noun. Thus allowing the possibility of a "landing" on water. Other examples would be "to come in to have a look round", or "to come in to cause trouble", maybe?
ChrisHB Feb 2023 3:45pm, 20 Feb 2023 22,263 posts	Quote Pin ChrisHB Well, 'coming in to have a look around' - surely that means you go through the door, so it very different from the plane. I can't think of an obvious example of 'coming in to cause trouble'. How about 'he came in to the office to cause trouble'? Here too he has entered the office before he causes trouble. But a train comes in to a station. It does not come in to stop, though it might come to a stop. So I am not convinced.
Silent Runner Feb 2023 8:10pm, 20 Feb 2023 914 posts	Quote Pin Silent Runner I think "coming in" there suggests approaching or incoming, rather than entering a particular space or area. I would definitely take "land" to be a verb in that phrase.
RichHL Feb 2023 8:42pm, 20 Feb 2023 20,825 posts	Quote Pin RichHL "Coming in" means "approaching" as Silent Runner said. Ships do "come in" to harbour in the same way. For some reason, I don't think cars "come in" to a garage or parking space.
Badger Feb 2023 8:50pm, 20 Feb 2023 16,049 posts	Quote Pin Badger The closest parallel I can think of is "is Bill coming out to play?” Definitely a verb, and also a fairly rare formation. I think land is a verb.
DeeGee Feb 2023 8:51pm, 20 Feb 2023 22,417 posts	Quote Pin DeeGee I've just rewatched "The Three Amigos". It's based in a small Mexican town called San Pedro. In that film, the three actors went in to stop the bandits, who kept coming in to terrorise the locals.