Difference between IN and ON 

Intro:

‘Do we get on a train?’ OR ‘Do we get in a train?’

Yes; you got it, my dear reader. Let me tell you that this composition is about the most complicated aspect of the English language “Prepositions”. To make sentences in English, when should we use "IN" and when should we use "ON"?

We non-English speakers, who don't know English well and we start sweating nervously if someone tells us to write a simple sentence in English. And to add insult to injury there are always prepositions present everywhere.

‘Do we get on a train?’ OR ‘Do we get in a train?’ which one is correct?

Every time I want to write a sentence I face problems with the use of prepositions. And I noticed that in the English language most sentences have prepositions.

Dear native English speakers, let me reveal a top secret to you. If you want to overpower a non-English speaker, attack them with prepositions.

These prepositions are innumerable. Due to their versatile applications, the variety of their uses cannot be summed up in words. In addition, there are many powerful missiles like prepositional phrases, prepositional verbs, prepositional objects, etc. It is almost impossible to memorize those things that are uncountable. So the first step is to completely remove the idea of memorization from your head.

You have to find an alternative way.

Be patient, I'm going to tell you my favorite way to correct prepositions in a sentence.

Why do I write?

Well, at the beginning I want to make one thing very clear. You may have already noticed that I don't speak English and I write my articles on how to find easy ways to solve all the problems I face while learning the English language. I always try to share with you my favorite productivity hacks so you can take advantage and make your language learning easier. So, since this article is about prepositions, you might think that like all the other sites, here too, we will learn about good phrases with prepositions and how to use them. If you really think like that, you don't understand me.

To the best of my knowledge, there are preposition-related countless sentences that can be found in almost all English grammar books and on lots of grammar-related sites. From our schooldays, we are continually reading and learning about those prepositions and still wonder about our inability to write proper prepositions in our sentences, don't we?

But I always keep myself busy in search of some life hacks for learning the English language. And the moment I find anything of that sort, without any delay I make myself busy trying them out. And if I find them useful, I come here to inform you about my tips and tricks of it. I hope, I have been able to convey my intention clearly.

The issues with our school system:

However, what I was saying; even after learning the rules of these prepositions throughout my school life, when I want to write something, it seems that the prepositions used are not correct. But the most interesting thing is that; these two propositions ‘in & on’ mentioned in the title of this article, are very basic prepositions, and these two are taught to us first. It is said that these two prepositions are the easiest.

Before you start reading this article, try to guess which of these two sentences is true and which is wrong or both are true. Are both of them incorrect? What is your opinion? We have been learning these two prepositions since childhood, right?

It suddenly occurred to me that if I myself have so much trouble with these prepositions, there are countless non-English speakers like me who have to deal with this same problem all the time. So I thought, if I share what little knowledge I have gained from studying it, then you may as well get some benefit.

How to overcome this huge problem?

Before I started studying these prepositions, I tried to think that native English speakers also use these prepositions arbitrarily. So how do they acquire this very difficult thing? I'm sure none of them learn it by reading grammar books. If they don't learn prepositions by reading books as we do, then obviously we must be doing something very wrong. And it was not too late to understand that prepositions are not learned by heart. Rather, we have to try to know the hidden secret of learning the way they learn. If we can learn that way, then we will definitely be able to learn the prepositions.

 

The preposition in the English language is like an ocean. You can never drink that ocean completely. And so, it was not too late to understand that prepositions cannot be learned by heart. I also understood that you have to try to understand the local context or surroundings to understand the preposition.

Limitation of an article:

Now, it is not possible for us to learn about the endless ocean of prepositions in this single article; so I'll try to tell you with these two sentences how to understand a specific proposition with the help of the local context and surroundings, and what exactly we have to do to use it.

My two tips and tricks:

The first rule is the use of the grammatical method. This is the best method, and I will discuss that one here first.

 And let me tell you one thing quietly; for those who don't have the time or the desire to remember all these rules and methods, but want to use this preposition correctly; I've also looked up a life hack, which I'll share with you a bit later.

My first tip:

But first, let's try to see the reality of learning to use this preposition correctly. By the way, prepositions are extremely difficult. Their subtle differences are hard to put into words. Ask any English speaker "why do they get on a bus?" and "why don't they get in a bus?" When they'll hear that for the first time they'll be surprised and say that it is the way it is. That's how we say it."

There are lists of rules for prepositions, but you will find that they are very complicated and practically difficult to apply during the conversation. But the interesting thing is that native English speakers make the correct choice of prepositions in almost all cases. They hardly make mistakes. But they themselves do not know why they leave the wrong one and choose the right one. But if you ask them the reason, they probably won't be able to explain it very satisfactorily. Their response will be something like 'That's how we say it.'

So without further ado, let's first discuss a bit about only one use among the various uses of these two prepositions, 'on' and 'in'. But before that, let us know that the first sentence given above is correct and the second sentence is incorrect if we judge it normally. The above two sentences are ‘Do we get on a train?’ and ‘Do we get in a train?’

Let's take a drop of the preposition from the ocean of prepositions, and try to understand when and in what particular context or situation and why to use that specific preposition.

Try to imagine a picture in your mind. A big train is standing in front of you on the platform. To board the train, you need to climb up the stairs and walk forward to get a seat. That means you can walk inside the vehicle. Not just trains, if you can stand or walk inside any vehicle like this, then you need to use the preposition "ON". If it is a plane instead of a train, the same rule will apply.

But now imagine this second picture. You hired a minicab, and it came and stood up in front of you, and you ducked in and somehow managed to sit down. That means you need to use the preposition "IN" if you can only sit in the car anyway. Neither you cannot stand nor walk on it.

“Mind it; you don’t get on a car.” Yes, in some rare and unnatural conditions when you really want to ride on the roof of the car, then in that very specific situation you can use the preposition 'ON'.

Native speakers have heard the phrases “get on a train” and “get in a cab” since their childhood, but they don't know why. They just know that that's the way to say them.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/trendy-young-black-lady-sitting-in-taxi-6280691/

https://www.pexels.com/photo/santa-claus-about-to-enter-yellow-tram-beside-buildings-3411003/

Now let's talk about another special situation. We have learned that the second sentence ‘Do we get in a train?’ is incorrect, but it is also not entirely true. Let's assume, for the sake of discussion, that you have built a small toy train that you can somehow get in, just like we get in a car. In that case, to get into it you have to say “get in the toy train” So in that particular situation, your sentence is absolutely correct and your use of prepositions is also correct.

Have I been able to make you understand my point? What I am trying to say is that you can learn some techniques to swim in the ocean, but you can't control the whole ocean. That means that the situation of how and why the preposition is being used should be kept in mind; only then the use of the preposition will be correct.

We do not have the opportunity to listen to those phrases from our childhood; so we have no idea about them; we must learn and memorize them.  

It is only a very small part of prepositions. And that’s why I compared it to a drop of water in the ocean. I hope, I don't have to explain to you why I compared that way.

In this way, by listening and reading the use of each of the prepositions in English grammar books, little by little, you will get an idea about the proposition without you knowing it.

Why 'Hacks'?

I can very well understand that through this article it is impossible for me to satisfy you. This is because I can't put the whole ocean in one container. You may also think that only stories are told without teaching prepositions. Truth be told, there are countless grammar books and websites out there to teach prepositions and their uses. There are thousands of videos on YouTube channel about prepositions and their uses. There you can vaguely get a picture of the whole ocean of prepositions. They can also teach you some swimming techniques.

 

But that is not my intention here. If I wanted to teach you some preposition rules like everyone else, then I wouldn't have to talk as much. In this article, I wanted you to know how to get a grip on the oceans of prepositions. There is a saying in the English language “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” I do my best to go deeper into a problem. You need to water the roots of a tree. If there is no water at the roots and you keep watering the leaves, will that benefit the tree?

My second tip:

However, now I am going to give you the life hack you were waiting for.

It is because I understand that you do not want to learn the ocean of prepositions. You don't have that much time. You want a quick fix; so that without studying anything, you want to use prepositions correctly in a sentence, right? Believe it or not, Aunt Google always thinks about our betterment. She has a completely free site for us which is called “Google Books Ngram Viewer” Visit the site and all your headaches are over. It is as easy as water and it will show you which preposition is the correct one and the most used.

Don't you believe it? Let's try a live experiment with our two phrases mentioned above. Suppose you have confusion with these two phrases: ‘Do we get on a train?’ OR ‘Do we get in a train? Go to that site. Open the free site and write the above two phrases in the search box separated by a comma following this order: [get on a train,get in a train]. Aunt Google will immediately show which one to use. And for that, you not only don't need to read and study anything, but you also don't need to ask anyone else. You will get completely free and delicious food ready on your plate. For you to better understand the procedure I have created this image. I am not sure by doing this whether I am violating the policy or not.

 

Look at the picture and you will find that the phrase “get on a train” has maximum uses than “get in a train”. Please note the search box carefully and you will notice that there isn’t any space in between the comma; this is important.

So no more today; I will try to come back soon with a new hack, until then stay well, stay healthy and keep learning proper English by watching the use of prepositions in ‘Google Books Ngram Viewer’ more and more. Thank you!