this morning; in the night

[jiang]

Dear teachers,

I have two questions to ask:

No.1
Could you please explain when "this morning " refers to? What goes before it is a description of an event. So can it mean "the next morning"?

No.2
He had come in the night.
It should be "at night". Is that right?

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.

Jiang

[BobK]

Dear teachers,

I have two questions to ask:

No.1
Could you please explain when "this morning " refers to? What goes before it is a description of an event. So can it mean "the next morning"? No, that's 'tomorrow morning'. 'This morning' usually means 'since most ordinary people have risen, and before midday', but it can be used for emphasis to refer to earlier times: 'I didn't get to bed until after midnight - this morning, in fact'

No.2
He had come in the night.
It should be "at night". Is that right?

Looking forward to hearing from you.
Thank you in advance.

Jiang

Re 2. No - either is possible, as also is 'by night'. 'At night' suggests to me some doubt about which night - 'He came last Tuesday, in the night', as opposed to 'He came some time last week, at night'; but it's not a very strong suggestion. I think in most cases I'd not use a preposition at all, and say 'last/this/that/the next/following/previous...... night'.

b

[jiang]

Hi BobK,

Thank you so much for your explanation. Now I understand it.

Jiang

Re 2. No - either is possible, as also is 'by night'. 'At night' suggests to me some doubt about which night - 'He came last Tuesday, in the night', as opposed to 'He came some time last week, at night'; but it's not a very strong suggestion. I think in most cases I'd not use a preposition at all, and say 'last/this/that/the next/following/previous...... night'.

b