Preposition

[Geet Talwar]

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING PREPOSITON IS CORRECT.

The man sat under the shade of the tree.

or The man sat in the shade of the tree.

please let me know the reason for the correct or wrong answer.

[Casiopea]

The norm, "under the tree" and "in the shade". Poetically, "in the shade of the tree" means, the shade encompasses him.

Compare:

EX: I stood in his shadow.
EX: I stood in the shadow (that) his body gave forth.
EX: I stood in the shadow of his body. awkward; it means the shadow is inside his body.
EX: I sat in the shade of the tree. (ambiguous; either, "the shaded area of the tree" or "the shade inside the tree")

[M56]

PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING PREPOSITON IS CORRECT.

The man sat under the shade of the tree.

or The man sat in the shade of the tree.

please let me know the reason for the correct or wrong answer.

Both are correct. The first one uses the word shade in its definition of "protective covering that protects something from direct sunlight". You can sit under a covering, so "under" is correct there. The second example expresses the idea of "in the shade" as "in the shadow caused by an opaque object". In or out of something. Out of the shade or in the shade.

[M56]

EX: I sat in the shade of the tree. (ambiguous; either, "the shaded area of the tree" or "the shade inside the tree")

Also, shade means "protective covering that protects something from direct sunlight". So, "under" is also used.