Quote:
Originally Posted by jiang  Dear teachers,
I know I can say 'to cover something with something'. Then I come across a sentence:
The city was covered in a thick blanket of snow.
Could you please explain if there is any difference between "to cover something with something" and "to cover something in something'?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.
Jiang |
When you cover A
with B, B often exists before you start. It could be a blanket or a sheet or a piece of paper; you could pick it up and say 'this is a <
whatever-it-is>'. When something covers A
in B, B doesn't exist until the process starts - a blanket of snow, a sheet of ice, a layer of dust...
But the
with case is not rigidly true. Something
can be 'covered with a blanket of snow', but as I hear it - other views may differ - 'with' makes the process sound complete:
The snow was beginning to settle, covering the village in a white blanket
but this is also possible:
When I woke, the village was covered with a thick blanket of snow
b