Hi again!
Is the preposition "at" needed in this sentence?

"The chemicals were eating away at his brain"

It is correct this way?

"The chemicals were eating away his brain"

Question

Hi again!
Is the preposition "at" needed in this sentence?

"The chemicals were eating away at his brain"

It is correct this way?

"The chemicals were eating away his brain"

Answer

The second one is what a native speaker would use. To me, adding the "at" doesn't affect anything, it sounds still fine to me. The 1st one sounds a bit more "formal" almost.