Fenglu  +  428012 Sat, 06 Oct 07 09:20 PM When I was in a bus, I heard the bus driver asked "anybody get off here?"  —— Should we use "gets off" here?  Is it because the bus driver who is a native speaker made a grammar mistake or he spoke fast that I didn't catch it? At the same time, a boy wanted to get on the bus and he asked that," is this bus going downtown?"——shouldn't we use "going to" here?  The boy's grammar mistake or my hearing mistake?   I feel puzzled. Fenglu Joined on Fri, Jan 26 2007 New Member 24 Grammar

	Grammar Geek  +  428074 Sun, 07 Oct 07 12:41 AM "Anybody get off here" is a shortened for of "Does anyone want to get off at this stop?" or "Does anyone get off here?" I wouldn't call it a mistake so much as shorthand. The boy spoke correctly. Some destinations don't take "to." I'm going home, not I'm going to home. Downtown doesn't take the "to."  Grammar Geek Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006 Veteran Member 19,671 Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random! Grammar