聽眾 Greg 想知道介詞 “in” 和 “on” 在用來說明事物所在位置時的區別。雖然搭配 “in the tree” 和 “on the tree” 都可以翻譯成 “在樹上”,但它們的用法不同。這里,介詞 “in” 和 “on” 分別用來說明物體和樹之間怎樣的位置關系?將名詞 “tree” 換成 “playground(操場)” 后,搭配 “in the playground” 和 “on the playground” 又有何不同?本期節目講解介詞 “in” 和 “on” 的用法。
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(關于臺詞的備注: 請注意這不是廣播節目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能沒有體現錄制、編輯過程中對節目做出的改變。)
Feifei
大家好,歡迎收聽 BBC英語教學的 “你問我答” 節目,我是菲菲。
Sam
And I'm Sam. Hello, everyone!
Feifei
本期節目的問題來自聽眾 Greg,他的問題是這樣的:
Question
你好,請問 “on the tree” 和 “in the tree” 到底有哪些區別?“On the playground” 和 “in the playground” 的意思也是一樣的嗎?Thanks, Greg.
Sam
Yes, prepositions – and particularly 'in' and 'on' when talking about place – can be tricky! So, Feifei, shall we start by looking at the basic difference between the two? Then, we'll look at lots of examples.
Feifei
Let's! 我們先來說說 “in” 和 “on” 的基本區別:介詞 “in” 的意思是 “在一個地點、一片區域或封閉的立體空間內”;介詞 “on” 的意思是 “在物體的表面”,突出說明 “物體之間被一個東西連接在一起”。
Sam
So, in the case of a tree, 'leaves' or 'flowers' or 'fruit' are connected to the tree, so we would use 'on'. For example, 'In the autumn, the leaves on the trees change colour.'
Feifei
是的。比如:“leaves(樹葉)”、“flowers(花朵)”、“fruit(果實)” 都是 “長在枝條上、與樹木相連的”,所以要用 “on the tree” 來表示它們 “在樹上”。
但要描述事物 “在樹冠或枝條間” 的時候,就要用 “in the tree”。比如:My cat is in the tree and he won't come down.(我的貓在樹上,不下來)。這里,“in the tree” 表示 “貓在樹枝上坐著,因為貓本身和樹不是一體,沒有連著”。
Sam
Let's look at some more examples now, specifically with 'tree'.
Examples
After the storm, there wasn't much blossom left on the cherry tree.
(暴風雨過后,櫻花樹上的花朵寥寥可數。)
There is lots of ripe fruit on the trees in the orchard. Let's go pick some.
(果園里的樹上有很多熟果。我們去摘一些吧。)
The little boy started crying when his balloon got stuck in a tree.
(當小男孩的氣球卡在樹上時,他哭了起來。)
Can you see the beautiful blue and yellow bird sitting in the tree?
(你能看到那只站在樹上藍黃相間的美麗鳥兒嗎?)
Feifei
所以,搭配 “in the tree” 和 “on the tree” 的意思完全不同。區別它們最好的方法是想一想物體本身和樹之間是不是連為一體。
接著,我們來看問題中的第二組搭配 “in the playground” 和 “on the playground”,都表示 “在操場上”。
Sam
Is there a big difference, Feifei?
Feifei
No. When we use 'in the playground' and 'on the playground', there is hardly any difference. “In the playground” 和 “on the playground” 幾乎沒有區別。
Sam
Exactly. It really depends on your own definition of 'playground'. If you are thinking of a 'playground' as a two-dimensional area of space or a patch of ground, then use 'on'.
Feifei
對的。說到 “playground”,如果你的腦海里出現的是 “一片平面的區域或地面”,那就可以用 “on the playground” 表示 “在操場上”。
但如果你想象的 “playground” 是 “被圍起來的戶外的活動空間,而且裝有大門”,那就需要用 “in the playground” 來表示 “在操場上”。
Sam
In the UK, our playgrounds tend to be distinct outdoor areas, often enclosed by a fence, so people probably use 'in the playground' more for this reason. But, again, both are correct and commonly used. Let's hear a couple of examples.
Examples
The kids spent hours in the playground today. They're exhausted.
(孩子們今天在操場上玩了好幾個小時。他們精疲力盡。)
Where's your hat? Did you leave it on the playground?
(你的帽子呢?你把它落在操場上了嗎?)
Sam
Now, we thought it might be helpful to also introduce the difference between 'in the field' and 'on the field' here.
Feifei
下面我們給大家補充一下 “in the field” 和 “on the field” 之間的區別。
名詞 “field” 的意思是 “種莊稼、飼養牲畜的田地或運動場”,像 “playground” 一樣,“field” 的周圍也可能裝有圍欄和門。所以,在表示 “在農田里,在田間” 的時候,就要用介詞 “in” —— “in the field” 或者 “in a field”。
Sam
Yes, so a farmer works 'in a field', or animals are kept 'in a field'. If you hear someone say 'on the field' in this context, they probably mean 'on the ground' or 'on the grass' referring to being connected to and touching the surface of the ground or grass.
Feifei
那么他們很可能說的是 “在地面上” 或 “在草地上”,強調 “物體與地面或草地直接接觸”。來聽三個例句,例句中用 “in a field” 或 “in the field” 來表示 “在地里”。
Examples
Most of the sheep are grazing in the field. Only a few are lying on the grass.
(大多數羊都在地里吃草。只有幾只躺在草地上。)
We try to work in the field early in the morning, as it gets too hot later in the day.
(我們盡量早上下地干活,因為晚些時候天氣會變得太熱。)
Please don't leave the tools out in the field overnight – they will get rusty if left on the ground.
(請不要把農具放在地里不收,如果留在地里,它們會生銹的。)
Sam
But, if we change the context from agriculture to sport, it's common to hear 'on the field', isn't it, Feifei?
Feifei
是的,名詞 “field” 還可以指 “運動場”。那么,“在運動場上” 所對應的搭配就是 “on the field”。比如:The players and coaches are on the field.
Sam
Of course, if you want to be more specific, depending on the sport, you can say 'on the football pitch' or 'on the golf course', but it's also correct just to say 'on the field'. Let's hear a couple of examples.
Examples
After a red card, we only had ten players on the field.
(我隊收到一張紅牌后,場上只剩下10名球員。)
When his team won, the coach joined the players on the field.
(當他的球隊獲勝時,教練也走上了球場,加入到了球員的行列。)
Feifei
好了,在聽了我們以上的講解后,希望大家對介詞 “in” 和 “on” 的使用方法有了更好的理解。
Sam
Yes! Thank you for another great question and remember that if you have a question you'd like us to answer, you can email us too, at: questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk
Feifei
你也可以通過微博私信向我們提問,我們的微博賬號是 “BBC英語教學”。謝謝收聽 “你問我答” 節目。下期再會!
Sam
Bye-bye, everyone.