内容简介

听众 Greg 想知道介词 “in” 和 “on” 在用来说明事物所在位置时的区别。虽然搭配 “in the tree” 和 “on the tree” 都可以翻译成 “在树上”，但它们的用法不同。这里，介词 “in” 和 “on” 分别用来说明物体和树之间怎样的位置关系？将名词 “tree” 换成 “playground（操场）” 后，搭配 “in the playground” 和 “on the playground” 又有何不同？本期节目讲解介词 “in” 和 “on” 的用法。

欢迎你加入并和我们一起讨论英语学习的方方面面。请通过微博 “BBC英语教学” 或邮件与我们取得联系。我们的邮箱地址是 questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk

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（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Feifei
大家好，欢迎收听 BBC英语教学的 “你问我答” 节目，我是菲菲。

Sam
And I'm Sam. Hello, everyone!

Feifei
本期节目的问题来自听众 Greg，他的问题是这样的：

Question
你好，请问 “on the tree” 和 “in the tree” 到底有哪些区别？“On the playground” 和 “in the playground” 的意思也是一样的吗？Thanks, Greg.

Sam
Yes, prepositions – and particularly 'in' and 'on' when talking about place – can be tricky! So, Feifei, shall we start by looking at the basic difference between the two? Then, we'll look at lots of examples.

Feifei
Let's! 我们先来说说 “in” 和 “on” 的基本区别：介词 “in” 的意思是 “在一个地点、一片区域或封闭的立体空间内”；介词 “on” 的意思是 “在物体的表面”，突出说明 “物体之间被一个东西连接在一起”。

Sam
So, in the case of a tree, 'leaves' or 'flowers' or 'fruit' are connected to the tree, so we would use 'on'. For example, 'In the autumn, the leaves on the trees change colour.'

Feifei
是的。比如：“leaves（树叶）”、“flowers（花朵）”、“fruit（果实）” 都是 “长在枝条上、与树木相连的”，所以要用 “on the tree” 来表示它们 “在树上”。

但要描述事物 “在树冠或枝条间” 的时候，就要用 “in the tree”。比如：My cat is in the tree and he won't come down.（我的猫在树上，不下来）。这里，“in the tree” 表示 “猫在树枝上坐着，因为猫本身和树不是一体，没有连着”。

Sam
Let's look at some more examples now, specifically with 'tree'.

Examples
After the storm, there wasn't much blossom left on the cherry tree.
（暴风雨过后，樱花树上的花朵寥寥可数。）

There is lots of ripe fruit on the trees in the orchard. Let's go pick some.
（果园里的树上有很多熟果。我们去摘一些吧。）

The little boy started crying when his balloon got stuck in a tree.
（当小男孩的气球卡在树上时，他哭了起来。）

Can you see the beautiful blue and yellow bird sitting in the tree?
（你能看到那只站在树上蓝黄相间的美丽鸟儿吗？）

Feifei
所以，搭配 “in the tree” 和 “on the tree” 的意思完全不同。区别它们最好的方法是想一想物体本身和树之间是不是连为一体。

接着，我们来看问题中的第二组搭配 “in the playground” 和 “on the playground”，都表示 “在操场上”。

Sam
Is there a big difference, Feifei?

Feifei
No. When we use 'in the playground' and 'on the playground', there is hardly any difference. “In the playground” 和 “on the playground” 几乎没有区别。

Sam
Exactly. It really depends on your own definition of 'playground'. If you are thinking of a 'playground' as a two-dimensional area of space or a patch of ground, then use 'on'.

Feifei
对的。说到 “playground”，如果你的脑海里出现的是 “一片平面的区域或地面”，那就可以用 “on the playground” 表示 “在操场上”。

但如果你想象的 “playground” 是 “被围起来的户外的活动空间，而且装有大门”，那就需要用 “in the playground” 来表示 “在操场上”。

Sam
In the UK, our playgrounds tend to be distinct outdoor areas, often enclosed by a fence, so people probably use 'in the playground' more for this reason. But, again, both are correct and commonly used. Let's hear a couple of examples.

Examples
The kids spent hours in the playground today. They're exhausted.
（孩子们今天在操场上玩了好几个小时。他们精疲力尽。）

Where's your hat? Did you leave it on the playground?
（你的帽子呢？你把它落在操场上了吗？）

Sam
Now, we thought it might be helpful to also introduce the difference between 'in the field' and 'on the field' here.

Feifei
下面我们给大家补充一下 “in the field” 和 “on the field” 之间的区别。

名词 “field” 的意思是 “种庄稼、饲养牲畜的田地或运动场”，像 “playground” 一样，“field” 的周围也可能装有围栏和门。所以，在表示 “在农田里，在田间” 的时候，就要用介词 “in” —— “in the field” 或者 “in a field”。

Sam
Yes, so a farmer works 'in a field', or animals are kept 'in a field'. If you hear someone say 'on the field' in this context, they probably mean 'on the ground' or 'on the grass' referring to being connected to and touching the surface of the ground or grass.

Feifei
那么他们很可能说的是 “在地面上” 或 “在草地上”，强调 “物体与地面或草地直接接触”。来听三个例句，例句中用 “in a field” 或 “in the field” 来表示 “在地里”。

Examples
Most of the sheep are grazing in the field. Only a few are lying on the grass.
（大多数羊都在地里吃草。只有几只躺在草地上。）

We try to work in the field early in the morning, as it gets too hot later in the day.
（我们尽量早上下地干活，因为晚些时候天气会变得太热。）

Please don't leave the tools out in the field overnight – they will get rusty if left on the ground.
（请不要把农具放在地里不收，如果留在地里，它们会生锈的。）

Sam
But, if we change the context from agriculture to sport, it's common to hear 'on the field', isn't it, Feifei?

Feifei
是的，名词 “field” 还可以指 “运动场”。那么，“在运动场上” 所对应的搭配就是 “on the field”。比如：The players and coaches are on the field.

Sam
Of course, if you want to be more specific, depending on the sport, you can say 'on the football pitch' or 'on the golf course', but it's also correct just to say 'on the field'. Let's hear a couple of examples.

Examples
After a red card, we only had ten players on the field.
（我队收到一张红牌后，场上只剩下10名球员。）

When his team won, the coach joined the players on the field.
（当他的球队获胜时，教练也走上了球场，加入到了球员的行列。）

Feifei
好了，在听了我们以上的讲解后，希望大家对介词 “in” 和 “on” 的使用方法有了更好的理解。

Sam
Yes! Thank you for another great question and remember that if you have a question you'd like us to answer, you can email us too, at: questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk

Feifei
你也可以通过微博私信向我们提问，我们的微博账号是 “BBC英语教学”。谢谢收听 “你问我答” 节目。下期再会！

Sam
Bye-bye, everyone.