Breakdown of Er schreibt jede Korrektur an den Rand.
er
he
schreiben
to write
an
at, on (vertical) / to (addressee) / of (in quantity/stock expressions)
jeder
everyone / each
die Korrektur
the correction
der Rand
the margin
Questions & Answers about Er schreibt jede Korrektur an den Rand.
Why is it an den Rand (accusative) instead of am Rand (dative)?
The preposition an is a two-way preposition. Because the action describes a movement or direction toward a destination (putting the words onto the margin), it takes the accusative case (den Rand). If you were describing something already located there, like "The correction is in the margin," you would use the dative (am Rand).
Why use the preposition an here when the English translation says "in"?
Prepositions rarely map one-to-one between languages. In German, an is used for things located on or moving to a border, vertical surface, or edge. Since der Rand literally means the edge or border of the page, you write onto that edge (an den Rand). Using in would sound like you are physically carving letters inside the paper itself!
How can I easily remember the gender of Korrektur so I know to use jede?
Nouns ending in the suffix -ur (like die Natur, die Kultur, die Struktur) are almost always feminine. Since it is the direct object of the sentence, it takes the standard feminine accusative ending, making it jede Korrektur.
Does der Rand only mean the margin of a piece of paper?
No, der Rand is a very versatile word for "edge" or "border." You can also use it for the edge of a table (der Tischrand), the rim of a glass, or the outskirts of a city (der Stadtrand).
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