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VOA名师答疑2022--Big Trouble with Three Little Words – In, On and At

时间:2023-01-04 06:54:01

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(单词翻译)

Big Trouble with Three Little Words – In, On and At

Hello! This week we answer a question from Sajador.

Question:

I have a question about when we use "in," "on" and "at." I don't know when to use them.

Thank you.

Sajador.

Answer:

Dear Sajador,

Thank you for writing to us. These little words cause a lot of trouble for English learners. They are called prepositions1. One purpose of prepositions in English is to show the relationship between two or more things in time or place. These three words do follow some basic rules. It may be easier to think of them separately. Let's begin with location, or place.

Prepositions of place

The first rule is to think of whether the place is general or exact. Here is an example of a general place, a city:

I live in Washington, DC.

We use "in" with cities, countries, neighborhoods, and places with a clear boundary or dividing line. Now, let us add some detail with our next example:

I live on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC.

This shows that you can use "on" for streets. We are moving from the general - a city - to a more specific location - a street. If we add the intersection3, or cross street, we are adding more detail, that is, we are talking about an exact location and we must use "at."

I live at the corner of 16th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC.

Now you know the exact place the speaker lives and can guess that it might be the U.S. President, who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!

Prepositions of time

When you want to talk about a time something happens, you can also use "in," "on," and "at." I have a friend who is getting married soon. I can begin talking about the event this way.

Caroline's wedding is in September.

I use "in" because this is general information. Use "in" for months, years, and parts of days, such as morning or afternoon. Getting more specific, I can use "on" and the day of the week.

Caroline's wedding is on Saturday, September 24.

Finally, we can add the time, and use "at."

Caroline's wedding is on Saturday, September 24 at 1:00 pm.

I hope this helps you to use these little words with more confidence, Sajador. Just remember them in order (in-on-at) and that they help you go from general to exact information.

What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at [email protected]

And that's Ask a Teacher.

Words in This Story

boundary – n. any line or thing marking a limit, bound2 or border

specific – adj. precise4; definite; explicit5

intersection – n. a place where roads or other lines meet or cross.

corner – n. a point or an area where two or more streets, sides, or surfaces of something join

confidence –n. a feeling of belief that you can do something correctly


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1 prepositions 7b8a15ee38e288a64c84cfeec46fecc3     
n.介词( preposition的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • She lays a lot of emphasis on the usage of prepositions. 她把重点放在介词的使用上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Prepositions and conjunctions are particles. 介词和连词是小品词。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 bound fRUyQ     
adj.一定的,必然的;受约束的,有义务的
参考例句:
  • I feel honor bound to repay the money I borrowed.我觉得有责任归还我借的钱。
  • If he signs that paper,he will be bound hand and foot.如果他签署那份文件,他就会受到束缚。
3 intersection w54xV     
n.交集,十字路口,交叉点;[计算机] 交集
参考例句:
  • There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
  • Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。
4 precise tSpz5     
adj.精确的,恰好的,极清楚的
参考例句:
  • At that precise moment, Miss Pulteney came into the office.就在那时,普尔特尼小姐走进了办公室。
  • A scientist must be precise in making tests.科学家做试验必须精确。
5 explicit IhFzc     
adj.详述的,明确的;坦率的;显然的
参考例句:
  • She was quite explicit about why she left.她对自己离去的原因直言不讳。
  • He avoids the explicit answer to us.他避免给我们明确的回答。

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