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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > prepositions! Mr. Norton is a partner ____ a prestigious New York law firm
prepositions! Mr. Norton is a partner ____ a prestigious New York law firm
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ihope97
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prepositions! Mr. Norton is a partner ____ a prestigious New York law firm
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Mr. Norton is a partner (at) a prestigious New York law firm.
Could anyone help me get this clear?
Would it be wrong if I use " in" instead of "at" ?
I�ve seen this sentence, too : How many people work (in) that advertising agency?
If I use �at� instead of �in�, would this sentence be wrong or have different meaning?
Please help me! |
17 Nov 2008
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Zora
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... I think that both are correct - at least they sound and look correct to me. Some prepositions are interchangable and just depend on where you are coming from. A good example of this is.. the English say "at the weekend" and North Americans tend to say "on the weekends".. both are correct.
Also, you could say.. "Mr. Norton is a partner with that law firm..."
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17 Nov 2008
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ihope97
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Thank you , Zora!
But, if both are possible, is there any difference in meaning of the sentences?
The sentences I wrote were from grammar quiz for ESL classes on internet.
And it doesn�t say both are possible!
According to the site, only the follwing prepositions are correct one among in, at, on.
How many people work (in) that advertising agency?
Mr. Norton is a partner (at) a prestigious New York law firm.
If you think both are correct, I�d like to know if there is at least any difference in meaning or they are just same.
Americans say �on the weekend� and the English say �at the weekend�. They are just same. I don�t know why they use different prepositions, but at least both of them means same thing. right?
Thanks! but I need a little more help! Would you mind giving me some extra help? ^^
By the way, I�m not American at all!! I don�t know why my flag is USA..^^;; |
17 Nov 2008
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Zora
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No, there is really not any difference in meaning between "in"/"at" here ... and the only difference would be perhaps if you used "with" - then it could mean that he collaborates with the law firm but does not work for them, or he is, indeed, part of the law firm. It would depend on the context the sentence is used in.
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17 Nov 2008
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wolfy
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I think that�
A)�Mr. Norton is a partner (at) a prestigious New York law firm. �
Is correct because the "prestigous New York law firm isn�t specified, so we must use "at". � ��we cannot use "in" because no building is mentioned so we cannot be "in" it. �e.g:�Mr. Norton is a partner (in) a prestigious New York law office. �If you use "office" then you can use "in".
B)How many people work (in) that advertising agency? Again for the same reason as above; this time the advertising agency is speciifed i.e you are pointing to it, so we use "in".�
By the way, when I come across these situations in a test; most native speakers have problems with the answer I either allow both to be correct or change the options:
Q01)�Mr. Norton is a partner _____ a prestigious New York law firm. � a) at b) on c) off d) up
You can�t expect the students to answer these questions if you�re not sure. �And you can bet your life savings they will ask... Teacher Why is it "in" and not "at"?
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17 Nov 2008
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Zora
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"a law firm" denotes and implies a place of work or unit kevin that�s why it could be both. From just the sentence at hand, one cannot necessarily know what the context the sentence is being used in.
It�s like saying... "He is one of the partners in a law firm"... or "He is one of the partners at a law firm" both are correct.
A simpler example (just to throw a small stone at your theory and show that English rules are made to be broken  ) using a specific "place" would be .. "She works at the hospital" and "She works in the hospital." both are correct.. just the second one to me is lacking and incomplete, like the idea is not quite finished. Better would be, "She works in the hospital on Green Street." BUT then again you could say "She works at the hospital on Green Street..."
Also, I�d like to point out that these activities that you find on the net or in books are the typical things written by people who tend to stick to .... the American or British grammar rules..(and are not ever found on a Cambridge exam since they accept both options)... and if you have a student who is very smart and reads a lot, like I have had in the past, you will find that they will point out that they have seen things both ways...
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18 Nov 2008
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