"...at the following skills..." or "...in the following skills..."

Question

1- Excellent at the following skills...2- Excellent in the following skills...Which is correct and why?Thanks!

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Generally speaking, "at" is a milder word than "in" - this is probaby because to pronounce "in" requires greater effort than when pronouncing "at" - and you'd tend to use "at," for example, in the following:  She is excellent at sewing, cooking, and child care.   "In" would tend to be used in the following:  He is excellent in boxing, shooting, and hunting.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Both phrases sound awkward and unnatural.

If you really want it in sentence form, say

eg I have excellent skills in the following areas: A, B, C, and D.

But if this is a section heading for your resume, it often looks like this.

SKILLS

- able to jump high buildings

- able to design a spaceship

Have a look here for more practical examples.

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/resumewriting/a/resume-skills-section.htm

Clive

Nerdikarp · Answer

Do we usually say 'He is excellent in carpentry' or 'He is excellent at carpentry'? Is there any difference in meaning?

Refering to the post by anonymous, do we really use 'at' for womenly activities and 'in' for manly activities?

I have trouble with using prepositions, and I am still confused...

BarbaraPA · Answer

nerdikarpRefering to the post by anonymous, do we really use 'at' for womenly activities and 'in' for manly activities?

It's certainly an... interesting theory. She's good at fencing. She's good at judo. She's good at butchering pigs. She good at skeet shooting. Do those sound womanly to you?

nerdikarpI have trouble with using prepositions, and I am still confused...

Many do. And sometimes there is more than one that works. Don't let it get in the way of feeling that you're mastering this language.

Anonymous · Answer

The only way to learn use of prepositions is by experience, a very difficult task for a non-native speaker (native speakers grow up with prepositions and so they know all the inumerable situations by instinct). For example, from a purely theoretical linguistic point of view there should be nothing wrong with saying "He is excellent with (in the same sense as "at" or "in") swimming."; however, this is not said in English. There is no logical reason for this. This is just the way the language evolved over hundreds of years of use.

In the situation you asked about with "in" and "at," the differences in use are very subtle, and one might even say the these prepositions are interchangeable in this situation - for an English learner it's probably enough to simply leave it at that. However, I would say that there is a subtle difference in use, which I believe stems from the "harder" pronunciation of "in" as compared to "at" - you have to tense your mouth with "in," while it remains open and relaxed with"at". For example:

He is excellent at fencing. (This might tend to be said more of a boy or young man.)

He is excellent in fencing. (This might tend to be said more of a grown man who is very experienced with the sword.)

He is excellent at cards and ballroom dancing. (These are milder activities.)

He is excellent in boxing and rugby. (There are robust activities.)

And so forth.

Dimsumexpress · Answer

Just my two cents based on what sounds idiomatic and common, and I'd make a disclaimer that this purely from my listening perspective.

If we have to say something about our skills in our resume that I am sending out for a job, I'd be hesitant to say " I am excellent in communication", not that it's grammatically wrong, it just sounded overly boasting. Instead, I'd say " I have excellent commincation skills".

I don't know exactly what the subtle difference is, but if I say " I am an excellent swimmer" , vs " I am a very good swimmer". I think the former sounds a little "over-the-top" conceited.

"...at the following skills..." or "...in the following skills..."

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