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06-Jul-2004, 10:39
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As for the 'fruit' being on the tree, it's exactly what our Man in New York, Mike, has said. :D
As for 'the money' being in/on the tree, I agree with 1.; I agree with 2. The monkey is playing inside the foliage (the leaves). The leaves form a 3D enclosed space, as Mike has mentioned. As for 3, the monkey is jumping on top of the tree branches or on top of the highest tree branch. I like 4. :D 
All the best, |
07-Jul-2004, 15:34
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Thanks, our Man in New York. @->--
Sabrina |
07-Jul-2004, 15:34
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Thanks, our Man in New York. @->--
Sabrina |
07-Jul-2004, 15:40
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Quote: |
Originally Posted by Casiopea As for the 'fruit' being on the tree, it's exactly what our Man in New York, Mike, has said. :D
As for 'the money' being in/on the tree, I agree with 1.; I agree with 2. The monkey is playing inside the foliage (the leaves). The leaves form a 3D enclosed space, as Mike has mentioned. As for 3, the monkey is jumping on top of the tree branches or on top of the highest tree branch. I like 4. :D
All the best, | Cas,
I really appreciated of your help. Your kindly agreement adds happiness in a ESL learner's life. And your opinion helps create a more complete picture of all possible postures of "mokey in the tree." :D |
07-Jul-2004, 15:40
| | Key Member | | Join Date: Apr 2004 Country: Taiwan
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Quote: |
Originally Posted by Casiopea As for the 'fruit' being on the tree, it's exactly what our Man in New York, Mike, has said. :D
As for 'the money' being in/on the tree, I agree with 1.; I agree with 2. The monkey is playing inside the foliage (the leaves). The leaves form a 3D enclosed space, as Mike has mentioned. As for 3, the monkey is jumping on top of the tree branches or on top of the highest tree branch. I like 4. :D
All the best, | Cas,
I really appreciated of your help. Your kindly agreement adds happiness in a ESL learner's life. And your opinion helps create a more complete picture of all possible postures of "mokey in the tree." :D |
07-Jul-2004, 18:02
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Originally Posted by blacknomi Thanks, our Man in New York. @->--
Sabrina | You're welcome, nice lady from Mars. |
07-Jul-2004, 18:02
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Quote: |
Originally Posted by blacknomi Thanks, our Man in New York. @->--
Sabrina | You're welcome, nice lady from Mars. |
03-Apr-2008, 03:39
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| |  Re: In and On
I'm writing a lesson about "take/ride + transportation" as well as "by/in + transportation." This information is quite useful to clarify which preposition to use for describing vehicle taking. I wonder if there's any reference that talks about it so that I can put it in my bibliography. It there is, that would be great!!
Thanks a million. |
29-Apr-2008, 09:24
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| |  Re: In and On
Spacious prepositions are really a hard nut to crack. Sometimes one and the same picture can be described by using different prepositions. The thing is that language does not reflect reality as it is, it reflects our vision of reality. When one hears 'There is a bird in the tree', they imagine the bird inside the crown of the tree. When one hears '... a bird on the tree', they imagine it on the surface of a tree branch. A spacious preposition serves as a special cognitive instrument by means of which we conceptualize what we see.
A language may determine the way we look at the outside world. Sometimes even within one language, perception concepts may vary from one group to another depending upon the climate, relief, traditions, history and other factors. For example, the British traditionally say 'in the street', whereas the Americans say 'on the street'. 'A street' for a Briton is a road with the facades of the houses on both sides. That's why 'in' is used - 'within an enclosed space'. For an American 'a street' is just the flat surface of a road only, and that accounts for 'on'. There could be historical and architectural reasons for that.
I can't say for sure, but it might be a similar thing with ' fruit/monkey on vs. in the tree'.
If you are writing a thesis on 'in/on + vehicle', it may be useful to look into the history of the English language. Which preposition was used when the first buses appeared? What did buses look like in those days? Did they look like a platform? How was the preposition usage changing as time went by? etc. In carrying out semantic research it is always good to combine the synchronic and the diachronic aspect.  | | The Following User Says Thank You to Clark For This Useful Post: | | | Thread Tools | | | | Display Modes |  Linear Mode | 
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