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ESL forum >
Ask for help > in the island or on the island????
in the island or on the island????
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Ali Abbasi
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in the island or on the island????
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hi dear friends
i would realy appriciate if you could help me with this!!!
well i do know that we mostly use "on the island" and it is absolutely correct!!! but i think we can use "in the island" in thiese situation either:
- when the island we are mentioning is vast
- when we are inside that island and we are talking about the same island that we are in!!! (in this case we should use in the island) otherwise when we are somewhere else and are talking about an island we should use on the island!!!
can u post your comments please!!! |
4 May 2009
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alex1968
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Hi Ali Abbasi
As far as I know, it �s on the island no matter the size of the island.
You could say in + name of city/town on the island.
Eg. I live on Crete. I live in Iraklion, Crete.
BUT You´d say: I´m on holiday on Crete.
You could use in if the island is also a country.
Eg. I live in Cyprus. |
4 May 2009
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me_fig
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Hello there,
I �m pretty sure it is always �on � the island.
If the island is vast you can say, "in the jungle" or "in the forest" on that island. You can never be in an island unless you were burried under ground. Even then I �m pretty sure we would say, "she is burried in the ground on that island".
I discussed a similar thing with one of my classes...they wanted to say in the second floor.
Imagine a man standing on top of a box saying, "I am in the box"
Could you give me an example sentence of the second one (talking about the same island we are on)? I can �t understand what you mean. |
4 May 2009
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Ali Abbasi
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well lets imagine that we are in a country like Australia!!! and we are talking about an island which is somewhere else, in that case we do definitely say on the island!!!
but sometimes we are on (or in) the same island and talking about it!!! for example on (in) this island that i am living ........ |
4 May 2009
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source
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definitely �on �
Ok what about THEY ARE SITTING IN CHAIRS... WHAT DOES IT MEAN? |
4 May 2009
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alien boy
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source - a lot depends on the type of chair.
You sit in an armchair, not on - because it is large & enveloping.
CHeers,
AB
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4 May 2009
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Spagman63
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I would say because the island is a "surface" we always use "on". It �s like saying "I am ON the floor". We don �t say "in" the floor. We usually use "in" for a container or something which can surround us. Does that help?
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4 May 2009
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canonar
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Most definitely �ON the island �.
Yes - in Australia, in Britain and in Cyprus... but those are country names, and refer to the �nation � and not the literal geographic nature of the country. We say "in" because countries are bound by borders (as a field is bordered by a fence or a hedge).
We can ALSO say e.g. "Bob �s IN Jersey" even though it �s an island. (Channel Islands - not U.S.) because although it �s an island it also has municipal borders. (I �m IN Cornwall... I �m ON/IN a boat... I �m IN/ON Jersey.)
IF you use the word �island � by itself the preposition is �on � because we are referring to the piece of land as a surface. On the island, On a boat on the sea... He landed ON an island in the Pacific... He landed in a tree ON the island.
If �island � is part of the country name then �in � is also acceptable. "I �m in the Seychelle Islands!" (Yeah, I wish!!) Here, we are referring not to the physical islands but to the area enclosed within the political boundaries of the Seychelle Islands, which also includes the sea between the islands... you could be on a boat going from one island to another and say you "are IN the Seychelle Islands."
Size of the island has nothing to do with it. If you use the word �island � (NOT �Island �) then the preposition is ON.
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4 May 2009
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Dalya
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I agree it �s ON the island
even if you �re talking about things
i mean you would say I forgot (whatever it was) on the island
it �s absolutely ON friend :) |
4 May 2009
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