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— SilverStone lança adaptadores que permitem ligar seu monitor e até a internet no USB 3.1 Type-C

In this sentence it seems to me that the verb of the subordinate phrase is "permitem ligar" — they (these devices) allow to connect, and following that is a list of direct objects it applies to.

I tend to think that if "até a internet", then it should also be "a seu monitor". Otherwise I need to split it into two different verbs: "que permitem ligar seu monitor e alcançar/atingir até a internet".

What's going on in the grammar of this sentence? Does "até" in places like this imply the verb atingir, in a similar fashion to how "Ela foi para a praia, e eu aqui trabalhando" implies "estou"? Or does the rule omiting prepositions for verb phrases like "permitem ligar sua [coisa]" not apply to each item in a list of direct objects?

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It's actually quite simple. The direct object of ligar is the coordinated series seu monitor e até a internet. In this construction, ligar takes two arguments besides the external argument (here the subject), the thing you are connecting (the internal argument, here the direct object) and the other thing where you connect the first to.

I think what threw you off was the awkwardness of the sentence. Presumably, ligar a internet no USB 3.1 Type-C means something like connecting a cable to a USB 3.1 Type-C port so you can send network traffic through it. Since it talks about an adapter, the adapter probably has a port you can connect an 8P8C plug to. But of course, you don't literally connect the internet to a USB port.

Até means simply even: you can connect your monitor and even the internet.

In Portugal, it's more common to say ligar X a Y in this sense (to use the preposition a, rather than em).

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  • Oh, so "a internet" in that phrase means (roughly) "à Internet"?
    – Dan Getz
    Feb 21, 2016 at 17:34
  • @DanGetz No. Then internet would be the second argument (what you connect to) of ligar (introduced with a), whose place is in the original sentence taken by no USB 3.1 Type-C. So you can say Vou ligar o computador à internet.
    – Artefacto
    Feb 21, 2016 at 18:15

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