(a) He walked the street listening to music.
(b) He walked along the street listening to music.

Are both sentences grammartically correct? If so, which one is more commonly used and what’s the difference?

Thanks in advance.

I had to think about this one.

To me "He walked along the street listening to music" would sound best in most contexts.

Mainly because the phrase "walk the street" has a different meaning to "walking along the street".

But of course, that’s just IMHO. YMMV, and all that.

Azh.

Mainly because the phrase "walk the street" has a different meaning

Yes, "walking the street" in English implies a sexual context,  while walking along the street is just walking.

What Azh & Melissa said.

(Azh - Do you use miles down there (YMMV)?  I thought you guys were on the metric system. )

-Tim

[quote author=melissa link=board=grammar;num=1122271755;start=0#2 date=07/25/05 at 03:13:49]
Yes, "walking the street" in English implies a sexual context,  while walking along the street is just walking.

Does that connotation appply to all english speakimg areas?

J

[quote author=melissa link=board=grammar;num=1122271755;start=0#2 date=07/25/05 at 03:13:49]
Yes, "walking the street" in English implies a sexual context,  while walking along the street is just walking.

I rarely would say "walked along the street." Usually it would be "walked down the street" or "walked up the street." I’m not exactly sure what "along" means in that context. Does "along the street" mean by the street or does it mean in the middle of the street? For example, my wife and I usually take a walk around the neighborhood in the evenings. During part of it we walk in the street, and during part of it we walk on the sidewalk. Sometimes we walk in the street even where a sidewalk is available. So, in any of those instances, are we "walking along the street"? Perhaps. But I’d probably never put it like that.
As to "walk the street," I don’t think that necessarily implies sexual context, but could, depending on its actual context. Example: if asked of a young woman, "What are you going to do for a living?" "I guess I’ll have to walk the street." But more generally I would take "walk the street" to imply some degree of vagrancy, such as having nothing else to do or nowhere to go. Example: if asked of a homeless person, "Since you have no job and no place to live, what do you do during the day?" "I walk the street."

[quote author=Tim link=board=grammar;num=1122271755;start=0#3 date=07/25/05 at 07:19:33]Azh - Do you use miles down there (YMMV)?  I thought you guys were on the metric system. )

Well spotted!

actually, we (that is, my generation and older) do use "mileage" for that kind of context - mainly because "kilometerage" sounds awkward.

for literal discussion of "what distance X can be travelled on amount of fuel Y", we tend to note it in terms of "Litres per 100km", which is how it’s written in brochures and advertising.

also, YMMV is a very useful FLA that is quite widespread across the net, even in civilised places where they use kilometres instead of miles.

Azh
(netizen extraordinaire)

I rarely would say "walked along the street." Usually it would be "walked down the street" or "walked up the street."

Okay, I’m basing this on New York distinctions, but ‘down the street’ is south, although it’s probably an avenue you’re walking on, no one says ‘down the avenue’ unless they’re reporting a huge migration of people. Or walking toward ‘downtown’ which would be east if you lived on the west side. and up the street is the opposite.  And ‘walking the street’ implies a different thing, not the same as being on the street as in homeless. Walking along the street would mean walking aimlessly, or at least pretending to.  But I have never heard a cop referred to as ‘walking the street’. In New York they always walk their beat, and it’s never aimless, they follow a routine which I think is where the term comes from. But it’s always ‘down’ the street to the deli, meaning within a block. So what I was saying doesn’t apply to other English speaking areas at all.

(a) He walked the street listening to music.

just confuses me tho.

Swedish used to have the euphemism "gå på gatan", ‘walk on the street’. You heard the difference, because in the not so innocent meaning the "gatan" got the stress.

For walking downtown, we’d say "gå in till sta’n" ‘walk in to the town’. I think the expression combines the ideas of into and towards, but it looks strange in print.

I can’t help thinking of a (female) cat when I see Swedish gata or Romanian gata (ready).

Brazilian dude

Yes, it is.

Brazilian dude

I spent some more time this morning thinking about this, particularly about the "up, down and along" parts.

In the place where I live, which is fairly hilly, one speaks of "going down the street"  to the shops. One also speaks of "going up to the shops" - same shops, which happen to be downhill from here.

When my son comes in from walking the dog, I might ask him "Where did you go?" and he’d answer "I walked up the street". He might also say "I walked along the street."

But it’s extremely doubtful that he’d say "I walked the street".

Azh

Verus, now that you pointed out the hilarity of it, I couldn’t help but laugh as I read it again! ;D  When I read it the first time, I knew exactly what you meant and it didn’t sound weird at all…

-Tim

Hi Verus!

I would be interested to know if you agree with me that the following dialogues contain common NY phrases

Ok, they all do, but only III and IV make sense to me.  Unless they’re abusing good drugs. And III is a little iffy.  Up and down are useful distinctions in New York,  but when I hear people from other places saying they are going ‘uptown’ I become confused. And when they say they’re going ‘up the street’ I assume there is a hill involved.  

[quote author=BELLATOR link=board=grammar;num=1122271755;start=0#7 date=07/25/05 at 19:40:51]WALKING ALONG [the street]

From Webster’s:

(1) Over the length of: walked along the path. (without regard to where one is doing the walking)

(2) On a line or course parallel and close to; continuously beside: rowed along the shore; the trees along the avenue.

I agree with bfrank that "To walk the street" does not always mean "street-walking". It also means walking down a street as a policeman does when "walking his beat" and wandering around aimlessly by foot when one is pensive or despondent.

Verus

VB (repost in order to edit)

[quote author=BELLATOR link=board=grammar;num=1122271755;start=0#14 date=07/27/05 at 21:28:27]Hi!

I just realized that the following part of my post was unclear.

"It also means walking down a street as a policeman does when "walking his beat" and wandering around aimlessly by foot when one is pensive or despondent".

I didn’t mean to say that cops who are walking their beat wander around aimlessly, all depressed. I laughed when I reread the sentence because I wrote such a silly thing, and because my cop friends always appear to be wandering around aimlessly and depressed when they are walking their beats.

At any rate, the sentence should have been divided in two parts. I see now that my structure obviously was incorrect.

My intended statement was:

"To walk the street" can mean:

(1) "to walk a beat" (cops); and

(2) "to walk around aimlessly" (anyone).

With regard to the phrase "to walk the street" as it is used to say to walk a beat, detectives I’ve worked with at NYPD have used the phrase thus:

A- "Where’s Patrolman Smith?"
B- "He’s out walking the street"

The answer means "he’s out walking his beat".

With respect to wandering around aimlessly, perhaps you have heard a dialogue similar to the following:

A- "Hey, where’s Jones?"
B- "His dog just died and he’s depressed. He’s out walking the street"

About walking up and down the streets and avenues of Manhattan, I would be interested to know if you agree with me that the following dialogues contain common NY phrases:

I.
A- "Hey, where are you going?"
B- "Down the street"
A- "Which way?"
B- "That way"
A- "What for?"
B- "Buy a lottery ticket at Benny’s"
A- "OK, I’ll walk up there with you"

II.
A- "Hey, where are you going?"
B- "To get a lottery ticket"
A- "Where?"
B- "Up the street"
A- "Where?"
B- "At Jerry’s"
A- "Where is it"
B- "Right up there!"
A- "You mean all the way down there?"
B- "Yup"
A- "See you later"

III.
A- "Yeah, living down here in SoHo is great"
B- "Well, I like the Equinox up on 76th"
A- "Oh, so do I! John and I will meet you down there sometime"

IV.
A- "Hey, where are you going?"
B- "Up 5th. You?"
A- "Down"
B- "OK, see you later"

Verus

VB (repost in order to edit)