Teo
Joined: 15 Oct 2005
Posts: 193
Location: Taiwan
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 Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 2:13 am Post subject: stay on the bed |
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Don�t go out, John. Stay __ bed. You need some sleep. (A) in the (B) on the (C) in (D) on
The answer is C, but I think B is also possible. Can any native speaker of English make some comments?
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ebb
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
Posts: 87
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2006 2:57 pm Post subject: stay in bed |
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C is usual, but "stay in the bed" is also possible. I wouild not use "stay in the bed" however, because this will cause confusion for you in other contexts. for example: "Go to bed" is correct, but "go to the bed" is not (usually). 
"He was at home, sick in bed" is correct, but "... sick in the bed" is not.
"In bed" does not refer to any particular bed, but rather to the act or state of lying down, presumably to sleep. "Stay in the bed" thus refers to the particular bed in which the sick person finds himself. The speaker's intent, however, is not to dictate a place to stay, but rather to express the notion that the hearer is sick and should rest. Thus "Stay in bed" is better.
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