66 表示地点、方位的介词 Track58
这样的介词主要有:
at in on over above
under below beneath before in front of
after behind about around round
out out of outside outside of
(1)at,in
1)在表示地点或场所时,一般来讲,in表示较大的地方;at表示较小的地方。例如:
at home at the office at school at the bridge
at the crossroads at the bus stop at the doctor's at the hairdresser's
in a country in a town in a village in the street
in the forest in a f ield in a desert
此外,常用in的情形有:
in a line/in a row/in a queue
in a photo/in a picture
in a mirror
in the sky/in the world
in a book/in a newspaper/in a magazine/in a letter
in the front/back row (但也可以说:at the front/back)
in the front/back of the car
(at the front/back of the building/cinema/classroom)
2)我们可以用in或at来谈论建筑物,比如:at a restaurant或in a restaurant。但用at通常表示某事发生的场合。例如:
a. I met him at the cinema last night. 我昨晚在电影院见到他了。
而用in往往表示建筑物本身情形,例如:
b. I enjoyed the film but it was very cold in the cinema. (不说:at the cinema)
另外,我们用in强调“在建筑物里面”,而用at则笼统地指“在这个地点”,包括建筑物的里面及周围。例如:
at the restaurant 可以是在餐馆里面,也可以是在餐馆附近。
in the restaurant 强调在餐馆里面。
at the cinema 在电影院,但不一定是电影院里面。
in the cinema 强调在电影院里面,所以上面一句用 very cold in the cinema。
再比如下面的例句:
c. There were a lot of people in the shop. It was very crowed.
商店里有很多人,很挤。
d. Go along this road, then turn left at the shop.
沿着这条路直走,然后在商店那儿左转。
(2)on,over,above
三个词均有“在……之上”的含义,但意思有区别。
1)on表示两事物表面接触。
a. Put away the books on the desk. 把桌上的书收好。
b. The dictionary on the table is not mine. 桌上的字典不是我的。
c. There is a label on the bottle. 瓶子上有个标签。
比较:
d. There is somebody at the door. Shall I go and see who it is?
门口有人,我要去看看是谁吗?
e. There is a notice on the door. It says “Do Not Disturb”.
门上有个标牌,上面写着“请勿打扰”。
此外,常用on的情形有:
on the left/on the right
on the first/second floor(在一/二楼)
on a map
on the page/on Page Seven(但说:at the top/bottom of the page)
on the menu
on the list
on a farm
on the way to school
on the corner of the street(但也可以说:in the corner of the room)
2)over表示两事物表面不仅有接触,而且有覆盖的含义。
a. Spread the cloth over the table.
b. Mom put a rug over me when I was asleep.
我睡着的时候,妈妈在我身上盖了一块小毛毯。
over还可以表示“正上方”,如:
c. There is a bridge over the river. 河上有一座桥。
d. There is a lamp over the desk. 桌子正上方有个电灯。
3)above仅表示上下方位关系,且事物表面不接触,也不是“正上方”。
a. The sun rose above the horizon.
用于抽象概念表示职位高低时,over和above的差别:
b. He is over me.=He is my immediate superior.
他是我的顶头上司。
c. He is above me. 他是我的上司。(一般不是直接上司)
(3)below,under,beneath
1)under表示“在……下方”,两物体可以接触,也可以隔开一定的距离。
a. I put the money under the mattress. 我把钱放在了床垫底下。
b. The dog is groveling under the table.
2)below则一般表示在两个表面之间间隔一定的距离。
They live below us.
3)beneath可用来替换under,但在表示抽象含义时,最好用beneath。
a. He would think it beneath him to tell a lie.
他认为说谎有失他的身份。
b. She married beneath her. 她嫁给了一个比她社会地位低的人。