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Ansonguy Posted 6 years ago
Grammar

[in] or [with] your hands

(1a) I am holding a postage stamp in my hand. (my version)

(1b) I am holding a postage stamp with my hand. (my friends' version)

(2a) I am holding a tennis racket in my hand. (my version)

(2b) I am holding a tennis racket with my hand. (my friends' version)

(3a) I am holding a table in both hands. (my version)

(3b) I am holding a table with both hands. (my friends' version)

Most of my non-native English speaking friends think "with" is the correct preposition. A few think I am right.

How do you know which preposition is correct?

Please help me. Thank you very much.

  

Top answer

ansonguy How do you know which preposition is correct? Look it up. Those are all correct, so it's a matter of which are preferred.

  • ansonguy How do you know which preposition is correct?
  • Look it up.
  • Those are all correct, so it's a matter of which are preferred.
  • It turns out that it's in my hand and with both hands .
  • t1%3B%2Cwith%20both%20hands%3B%2Cc0 Note also, however, that 'hold' implies 'hand(s)' by default, so the final prepositional phrase is very often unnecessary.
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1 Answers
0
ansonguyHow do you know which preposition is correct?

Look it up. Those are all correct, so it's a matter of which are preferred.

It turns out that it's in my hand and with both hands.

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