http://www.englishforums.com/English/EslGeneralEnglishGrammar-Questions/Forum12.htmAsk your questions on grammar and get your sentence checked. We answer lots of different types of general English grammar questions here. <font color=red>DO NOT post paragraphs and compositions here. Post them in our <a href="http://www.englishforums.com/English/EssayReportCompositionWriting/Forum9.htm"><b>Essay, Report and Composition Writing Forum</b></a>.</font>enXMOD (Build: 3616.28671)http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/2/bdvmv/Post.htm#100816Fri, 27 Feb 2009 06:54:36 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:100816abbie19480http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/2/bdvmv/Post.htm#100816http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-100816.xmlOf course, temico. We probably all took that for granted!http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/2/bdvmv/Post.htm#100815Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:54:36 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:100815temico1http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/2/bdvmv/Post.htm#100815http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-100815.xmlRe: 'They prepared to watch the performance on top the wall.' ?? Even if you add "of" to correct it to, 'They prepared to watch the performance on top OF the wall.', what kind of performance can be performed on top of A WALL, may I ask? Not all walls are wide enough like the Great Wall of China, to conduct a perfomance on top of it, or are they? I believe the sentence should read, 'They prepared to watch the performance FROM THE top OF the wall.' I have seen many kids watch for free, football matches/music performances from the top of neighbouring walls.http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/2/bdvmv/Post.htm#100772Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:54:36 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:100772abbie19482http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/2/bdvmv/Post.htm#100772http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-100772.xmlI wonder if it comes from "atop". From Cambridge Learners dict: Definition atop preposition MAINLY US on or at the top of:http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htm#100712Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:54:36 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:100712CalifJim3http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htm#100712http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-100712.xmlOf course not! It's clearly, "I have beseated myself ..." (Just kidding!)http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htm#100160Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:54:36 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:100160abbie19484http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htm#100160http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-100160.xmlNot common usage in BrE either.http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htm#100139Fri, 27 Mar 2009 06:54:36 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:100139khoff5http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htm#100139http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-100139.xmlOkay Paco - I'll have to amend my signature line to indicate that I can only judge what sounds right for American English of the present century! I wasn't in any way hurt by your assertion - I just wanted to let you know that in this case, as in some others we have found, your sources do not always reflect actual current usage. For example, few people would now say "I seat myself to write you a few lines. . ." --khoffhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htm#100119Fri, 27 Feb 2009 06:54:36 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:100119paco20046http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htm#100119http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-100119.xmlHello Khoff and CJ I'm sorry for it if you are hurt by the message that "on top the ~" is an American usage. I just translated what was written in dictionary. After I read your postings, I surveyed by google the use frequency of "on top the ~" and found it is used very rarely, as Pieanne pointed already. For example, "on top the hill" hit only 986 pages while "on top of the hill" and "on the top of the hill" did 78,700 and 52,800 pages respectively. I don't know on what ground my dictionary is saying that "on top the ~" is exclusively of American usage. Among the 986 pages, 31 pages belong to UK domains. Though the ratio of 31 to 986 is a bit lower than 15 % that is the percentage UK domain contributes to all google's English sites,...http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htm#99944Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:54:36 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:99944CalifJim7http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htm#99944http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-99944.xmlPaco, I agree with khoff. "on top the car" certainly doesn't sound to me like it's from AmE. Jimhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htm#99941Fri, 27 Feb 2009 06:54:36 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:99941khoff8http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htm#99941http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-99941.xmlPaco - "on top the car" is not something Americans would be likely to say. When I read it, I thought maybe it was British! --khoffhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htm#99633Mon, 27 Apr 2009 05:54:36 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:99633pieanne9http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htm#99633http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-99633.xmlThere are 926 google hits for "on top the wall", against 15.300 for "on top of the wall".http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htm#99631Tue, 27 Jan 2009 06:54:36 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:99631paco200410http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htm#99631http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-99631.xmlHello "Let's put the skis on the top of the car" (formal) "Let's put the skis on top of the car" (less formal than #1) "Let's put the skis on top the car" (less formal than #2 : AmE only) pacohttp://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htmFri, 27 Feb 2009 06:54:36 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:99624Manohonor11http://www.englishforums.com/English/OnTop/bdvmv/post.htmhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-99624.xmlHi, Came across this sentence 'They prepared to watch the performance on top the wall.' Is there a mistake here? I mean why not 'on top OF the wall'? And is it all right to drop OF preposition here? Thanks.