redset
Joined: 18 Mar 2006
Posts: 582
Location: England
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 Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Q2: If the show is on TV |
You answered yourself with this one  . If a show is on TV, then things that happen on the show.
Actually this is a pretty tricky set of questions, and a good example of why prepositions are hard to describe. Native speakers don't have a nice set of rules to follow, they just hear certain prepositions used in certain cases and remember them. Eventually you end up with a general understanding in your mind, but it's hard to explain as simple rules!
Ok - if you're watching a show that's being performed in front of you, like a play or a musical, we usually say that events happen in the show. This means that the events are planned as part of the show, they're part of the script - it's the same as talking about what happens in a book.
'He's my favourite character in this play.'
'There are dolphins in this opera?'
If we're talking about TV, it's common to say things happen on TV, especially on live broadcasts, chat shows, game shows etc. If it's not scripted, say on.
'I'm going to be on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire!'
'She just swore on live TV!'
If it is scripted, you can also say in - again, it's like saying what happens in a book. The difference in this case is very subtle, in feels more like you're talking about the story and the characters, on feels more like you're referring to the TV show itself, if that makes sense. You can think of on as referring to where things happen, if you like.
'Wait until you see what happens in the next episode...'
'I saw Clint Eastwood on House yesterday.'
If it's a movie, use [i]in - the only exception is when people sometimes talk about events happening on the screen.
During is a tricky one - it can either mean at a certain time or throughout a period of time. A show lasts for a period of time, so either meaning would work. A story doesn't, so when talking about a story during would mean at a certain time.
'The dolphins made funny noises several times during the show.'
'At one point during the show a dolphin made a funny noise.'
I hope that makes sense. |
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