[title]Family quotes[/title] [description]Welcome to our family quotes section! Here you'll find some of the funniest (and wisest) quotes on the subject of family life![/description]
Learn English and meet people on the world’s largest EFL social network

We have partnered with TradePub to bring you free industry magazines and resources - no coupons or credit cards required!

Visit: englishforums.tradepub.com


Share this topic:
This question is Not Answered
Latest post Tue, Dec 14 2004 3:01 PM by Klavier. 3 replies.
Suggest an answer | | |
Klavier  +  61406 Tue, 14 Dec 04 03:01 PM
Hello. Which is the best/wrong preposition for these sentences?

There are some islands in/on the ocean.
Something happened in/on the second floor.
I like to read in/on the train.
I need to send an e-mail on/through the internet.
Joined on Thu, Sep 23 2004
Chile
Full Member 357
"If I have seen further, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants" Isaac Newton
Mister Micawber  +  61413 Tue, 14 Dec 04 03:13 PM

There are some islands in the ocean.
Something happened on the second floor.
I like to read on the train.
I need to send an e-mail via the internet.-- but the whole prepositional phrase is unnecessary; there is no other methoc, is there?

Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004
Yokohama
Veteran Member 30,842
'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'
Klavier  +  61425 Tue, 14 Dec 04 04:28 PM
MrM. You're right, we can't send e-mail via phone (not yet...Smile [:)] you never know), well, I look up via in a dictionary and has 'through' as a synonym, I wonder if it's interchangeable in this context or via it's more formal. In fact we have in spanish 'via' as well, but we can also use the meaning of through. for ex.: via satellite, through satellite.
Mister Micawber  +  61485 Wed, 15 Dec 04 12:31 AM

I gave you a rather terse answer the first time, Latin.

RE: 'I like to read in/on the train'-- 'on' is normal for me; the train is a point location. I understand however, that 'in' is certainly possible, and may be preferred by some Englishes.

RE: 'I need to send an e-mail on/through the internet'-- neither sounds normal to me, so I substituted what came to mind most naturally. Although 'via' means 'through' (though more usually 'by way of'), I still don't like 'through/in the internet' and would suggest 'over the internet' instead (as well as 'via').

'Through satellite' does not work either-- and because there is no article or other modifier, 'by' is called for here, as a medium of transportation or communication: 'by satellite'. For some reason, 'by internet' does not work for me-- I have a feeling that the internet is a unique species, communication-wise, and is therefore developing its own independent collocations as well as vocabulary.

© MediaCet Ltd. 2009, v5.0.3616.28671. All content posted by our users is a contribution to the public domain, this does not include imported usenet posts.*
For web related enquires please contact us on webmaster@mediacet.com, status updates are available at status.mediacet.com.
*Usenet post removal: Use 'X-No-Archive'. You may not have understood that your posts would end up in the public domain. Please send proof of the poster's email, we will remove immediately.