He always take notes (about, on) the lecture.

[keannu]

Doesn't "about" work here? My grammar books says "on" is the only answer, but as I know "about" is more colloquial while "on" is more written, there seems to be little difference

ex)He always take notes (about, on) the lecture.

 

[tedtmc]

Doesn't "about" work here? My grammar books says "on" is the only answer, but as I know "about" is more colloquial while "on" is more written, there seems to be little difference

ex)He always take notes (about, on) the lecture.

'On' is specific.
'About' is not so specific, it means 'regarding', 'to do with', 'relating to'.

not a teacher

 

[keannu]

'On' is specific.
'About' is not so specific, it means 'regarding', 'to do with', 'relating to'.

not a teacher

I'm not sure of what you said.

 

[tedtmc]

on - specific
about - general

Is this clearer?

not a teacher

 

[keannu]

on - specific
about - general

Is this clearer?

not a teacher

I've never heard of it, I've heard about is more spoken, while on is more written.

 

[joham]

Google books results:

take notes of the lecture 112
take notes on the lecture 120
take notes during the lecture 137
take notes about the lecture 2

 

[keannu]

Google books results:

take notes of the lecture 112
take notes on the lecture 120
take notes during the lecture 137
take notes about the lecture 2

I'm sorry but I don't need search results but a firm opinion from native speakers' point of view.

 

[emsr2d2]

If you write notes on (or in or during) a lecture, then you take notes while listening to a specific lecture - you write down what the lecturer is saying and use the notes to remind yourself later what they said. You might write "History lecture, 27 August 2011, covered American War of Independence, British industrial revolution and the role of women in the Second World War. Check relevant dates. Revise for next lecture".

If you write notes about a lecture, then you write notes about the subject of "a lecture". You might write "Lecture - a class given by a lecturer. A room full of people learning a particular subject. Sometimes called a class or a lesson. Usually refers to university, not school".

 

[keannu]

If you write notes on (or in or during) a lecture, then you take notes while listening to a specific lecture - you write down what the lecturer is saying and use the notes to remind yourself later what they said. You might write "History lecture, 27 August 2011, covered American War of Independence, British industrial revolution and the role of women in the Second World War. Check relevant dates. Revise for next lecture".

If you write notes about a lecture, then you write notes about the subject of "a lecture". You might write "Lecture - a class given by a lecturer. A room full of people learning a particular subject. Sometimes called a class or a lesson. Usually refers to university, not school".

You mean on is for a specific subject, while about is for a general subject? Can you generalize the difference of the concepts?

 

[emsr2d2]

You mean on is for a specific subject, while about is for a general subject? Can you generalize the difference of the concepts?

No, that's not what I said. Read my post again. And then again! ;-)

There are far too many different ways of using "on" and "about", not one firm rule. Sometimes they're interchangeable, sometimes they're not. Sometimes they mean the same thing, sometimes they don't. Context is always important!

 

[keannu]

No, that's not what I said. Read my post again. And then again! ;-)

There are far too many different ways of using "on" and "about", not one firm rule. Sometimes they're interchangeable, sometimes they're not. Sometimes they mean the same thing, sometimes they don't. Context is always important!

I know context is vital to judge the meaning of sentences, and your posting is that "on lecture" is about the content of the lecture, while "about lecture" is about the form of the lecture. Yes! I can tell the difference, but without knowing the general rule, how can I judge in every variant case? I wonder if there's any rough rule or concept.

 

[emsr2d2]

I know context is vital to judge the meaning of sentences, and your posting is that "on lecture" is about the content of the lecture, while "about lecture" is about the form of the lecture. Yes! I can tell the difference, but without knowing the general rule, how can I judge in every variant case? I wonder if there's any rough rule or concept.

No. I didn't say that "about" was to do with the "form of the lecture". I said that if you write notes "about a lecture" you would literally be writing notes about the subject or the word "lecture". You might write "A lecture consists of a lot of people sitting in a room listening to a professor talk about a subject".

Writing something like that will be no help to you after your History lecture when you can't remember what was said.