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14-Jun-2008, 08:38
|  | Key Member | | Join Date: Sep 2007 Country: Canada
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| |  Re: On/In
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clark 
'On' is associated with a platform, while 'in' refers to an object inside some enclosed space. But some things can be interpreted both as platforms and enclosed space, which causes all those fluctuations. I'm sure there are other factors that matter when you make a choice between these two prepositions. | Similarly, on is associated with walking on (board), whereas in with getting in(side). Thus,
1. She got in/on the bus.
2. She got in/on the plane. Here on means she boarded.
3.She got in the taxis, not *on the taxi. That would imply she walked on the roof or hood of the taxi.
Cf. She got on (top of) the skiis/skateboard.
4. She got on the bicycle/motorcycle, not * in.
With boat and ship, the meanings differ:
1. She got on(to) the boat.
2. She got on (board) the ship.
_____________________
1. She left something in(side)/on (board) the bus.
2. She lost her cell phone [while] in(side) the bus/[while] on (board) the bus. | | The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Soup For This Useful Post: | |
14-Jun-2008, 08:39
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| | Re: On/In
Is a sentence with [on/in] so complicated to use? How can you classify 'on' and 'in'?
Last edited by PINKGREAT; 14-Jun-2008 at 08:48.
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14-Jun-2008, 08:40
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| | Re: On/In
Thank you, David! 
Thank you, Soup! |
14-Jun-2008, 08:48
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| | Re: On/In
Quote:
Originally Posted by PINKGREAT Is a sentence with [on/in] so complicated to use? | Yes, it can be. For example, which preposition works best here, and why? Ex: The bird is sitting ____ (in/on) the tree.
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14-Jun-2008, 08:49
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| | Re: On/In
Pinkgreat - how do you mean? |
14-Jun-2008, 10:35
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| | Re: On/In
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soup Yes, it can be. For example, which preposition works best here, and why? Ex: The bird is sitting ____ (in/on) the tree.
| As a non-native, I would say The bird is sitting on the tree due to a bird likes flying and put itself on a branch to rest awhile. There is the meaning that the bird is on top/it.
Does it work? By the way, I must therefore observe that nobody has no rule to use the prepositions - Am I in too deep? |
14-Jun-2008, 10:52
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| | Re: On/In
Quote:
Originally Posted by philadelphia As a non-native, I would say The bird is sitting on the tree due to a bird likes flying and put itself on a branch to rest awhile. There is the meaning that the bird is on top/it. Does it work? | In your language? In English it's expressed as the bird is in(side) the tree's foliage. You see, prepositions can be tricky because they require real world knowledge, and that kind of knowledge can be culture specific--how the world is perceived. | | The Following User Says Thank You to Soup For This Useful Post: | |
14-Jun-2008, 11:20
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| | Re: On/In
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14-Jun-2008, 11:27
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| | Re: On/In
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clark | What should we be looking for?
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14-Jun-2008, 11:32
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| | Re: On/In
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