0
Aashita Sharma Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Difference betwen ON and AT

Hello everyone,

could you please help me with my doubt?

I have kept the papers______on the table.

what should we fill in the blank?on or at?

what is the difference between on the table and at the table?

when do we use on and when do we use at?

at the beach/on the beach?
at the door/on the door?
at the table/on the table?

could you please explain the dfference in the meaning of the above 3 sentences?Also, please tell me where we use at and where we use on.

Thank you
  

Top answer

You sit ON a chair. Your bottom is in contact with the chair. So I think you can imagine what it means to sit ON a table.

— CalifJim

  • You sit ON a chair.
  • Your bottom is in contact with the chair.
  • So I think you can imagine what it means to sit ON a table.
  • We don't normally sit ON tables.
  • If you are sitting on a chair close to the table, as when you eat, you are sitting AT the table, not ON it.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

7 Answers
0
You sit ON a chair. Your bottom is in contact with the chair.
So I think you can imagine what it means to sit ON a table. We don't normally sit ON tables.
If you are sitting on a chair close to the table, as when you eat, you are sitting AT the table, not ON it.

See

CJ
0
0
Then I think it should be wrong to say "My grandpa was sitting in his armchair and reading a newspaper."

Is it (the sentence above) wrong, sir?

Thank you.
0
0
LaboriousThen I think it should be wrong to say "My grandpa was sitting in his armchair and reading a newspaper."Is it (the sentence above) wrong, sir?
No. We sit on a stool, dining room chair or couch, but we sit in an armchair or recliner.
0
0
Blue JayNo. We sit on a stool, dining room chair or couch, but we sit in an armchair or recliner.
Thank you so much Blue Jay, for your reply!

So, we should use on and not "in" when the thing we are sitting on has nothing to support our back or hands or in other words when something just has a plain surface.

Thank you again.
0
0
LaboriousSo, we should use on and not "in" when the thing we are sitting on has nothing to support our back or hands or in other words when something just has a plain surface.
Yes, I think it's fairly safe to say that we sit on something that has no back or arms. However, the presence of a back or arms doesn't guarantee the use of in
0
0
LaboriousThen I think it should be wrong to say "My grandpa was sitting in his armchair and reading a newspaper."
So you think that, do you? Let me know when you finish writing your book on the grammar of English!
0
0
CalifJimSo you think that, do you? Let me know when you finish writing your book on the grammar of English! Big chairs that seem to surround you or enclose you get the preposition "in" instead of "on". Strange, isn't it?CJ
Dear sir, I wish I could, but I am not writing any book on on the grammar of English.  I just read somewhere that sentence in w
0

Related Questions