he pointed to the chairs vs he pointed at the chairs

Both phrases are correct and commonly used in English. They convey a similar meaning, but there is a slight difference in emphasis. 'He pointed to the chairs' suggests a general direction, while 'He pointed at the chairs' implies a more specific target. The choice between 'to' and 'at' depends on the level of precision the speaker wants to convey.

Last updated: March 27, 2024 • 961 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"he pointed to the chairs"

This phrase is used to indicate a general direction in which someone is pointing.

Examples:

He pointed to the chairs at the back of the room.
She pointed to the map on the wall.

Show examples from the web [+]

He pointed to the increased role for Parliament in the planned review of EU spending.
He pointed to the increased role for Parliament in the planned review of EU spending.
He pointed to the increased role for Parliament in the planned review of EU spending.
And then he pointed to me right in open court.
He pointed to his mother's abusive boyfriend as a suspect... domestic violence...
And he pointed to the busloads of tourists that would show up everyday, with cameras ready usually.
If he pointed to the right, you died.
He pointed to the Parliament's Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought and its opposition to the death penalty.
I asked him where my money was, and he pointed to the dresser.
That picture he pointed to - it was the sacrifice!
He pointed to these changes and to the growing strength of two new economic superpowers, India and China.
He pointed to Wednesday morning's' trialogue' agreement to release a €100m tranche of aid as an example.
Indeed he pointed to rather earlier dubious US foreign policy decisions which in effect allowed Al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein to thrive.
He pointed to my latte and he said,
But he didn't give me that, he pointed to this one.
Darwin was probably one of the first scientists to systematically investigate the human emotions, and he pointed to the universal nature and the strength of the disgust response.
But he pointed to shortcomings in crisis management and the fact that the single market was incomplete as being cases where the Member States still needed to deliver.
He pointed to two external issues, "global warming and declining availability of fossil fuels" as well as an internal one: "the competitiveness of the European Union".
He pointed to the contracting Greek economy in a "death spiral" and said that far from addressing key problems such as youth unemployment, the Troika's policies were driving Greece towards a revolution.
Regarding standardisation, he pointed to the success of the Europe-wide GSM standard for phones, which had enabled Europe to become a world leader in this field.

Alternatives:

He indicated the chairs.
He gestured towards the chairs.

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"he pointed at the chairs"

This phrase is used to indicate a specific target or object that someone is pointing at.

Examples:

He pointed at the chairs around the table.
She pointed at the painting on the wall.

Show examples from the web [+]

He pointed at somebody taking a basket out of a van.
But it was on the principal's joystick And whatever else he pointed at and told her to straddle.
He pointed at your picture and said, "That's my girl Mary."
One day, he pointed at his watch and told me, ...he would remember me forever for that very minute
Because you're the kind of man that could have any pretty girl he pointed at, and I don't look the way pretty girls look.
Then he pointed at me. "Gabriel, what are you doing?"
And when somebody dared to disobey he pointed at him, and he had to come up to him, and he bashed him with the staff, and that was it.
He pointed at three grains of rice at the bottom of my bowl, and he said, "Clean."
And he pointed at the screen, he said, "He's in that firefight."
At the end of it, he pointed at the horizon and said, "Faya."
And there was chairs and they were all pointed at the stage and this was what it was all about.
Luca Romagnoli moved the inadmissibility of the matter in question (the President pointed out that he should have notified the Chair of his intention to do so at least 24 hours beforehand).
I have to say again, and to you too, that the Chair assumes every one of its responsibilities including those you have just pointed out.
Under Rule 167, Luca Romagnoli moved the inadmissibility of the matter in question (the President pointed out that he should have notified the Chair of his intention to do so at least 24 hours beforehand).
A covenant, he pointed out, is not a contract.
- with rifles pointed at me.
Fortunately, someone pointed out - it was the chair of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament - that the euro is stable, not only externally, but also internally, with the lowest rates of inflation.
The chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Budgets pointed out at a recent conference on new resources for the EU budget that the issue of own resources must be resolved.
He pointed me in your direction.
He pointed you to an absence of evidence.

Alternatives:

He gestured at the chairs.
He indicated the chairs.

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he pointed to the chairs vs he pointed at the chairs