English
Hello, I've just read a news on the BBC app and haven't made sense of the preposition "on" in this context as I've ever been taught that when mentioning a particular year, we use " in" such as in 2020, in 2021 ect.
Could you explain for me why the BBC journalist wrote like that ?
" The percentage of pupils achieving A to C grades in their Highers was 87.3%- down slightly on 2020"
source: A-level 2021: What you need to know about this year's results
Thanks in advance.
Top answer
3%- down slightly on 2020 . It looks like the writer is comparing this year's grades (2021) to those of last year (2020) because "on" means "in comparison to". On the other hand, "on" may be a misprint for "in".
- 3%- down slightly on 2020 .
- It looks like the writer is comparing this year's grades (2021) to those of last year (2020) because "on" means "in comparison to".
- On the other hand, "on" may be a misprint for "in".
- It's impossible to say from such a short excerpt.
- CJ (By the way, I don't know what "Highers" is.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
queen115The percentage of pupils achieving A to C grades in their Highers was 87.3%- down slightly on 2020.
It looks like the writer is comparing this year's grades (2021) to those of last year (2020) because "on" means "in comparison to".
On the other hand, "on" may be a misprint for "in".
It's impossible to say from such a short
0
Related Questions