On과 in은 영어에서 가장 흔하고 실제로 자주 사용하는 전치사들입니다. 하지만 비원어민이라면 언제 어떤 것을 사용해야 하는지 자주 헷갈리곤 합니다.

만약 지금 본인이 열차 안에 있다면 "in the train"일까요?, 아니면 "on the train"일까요?

In은 어떤 공간이나 물체의 안쪽에 있거나, 내용물의 속을 지칭할 때 사용합니다. On은 어떤 공간이나 물체 위쪽에 있거나, 윗부분에 직접적으로 붙어있을 때 사용합니다.

하단은 시간의 개념에서 on과 in을 사용할 때의 예시입니다.

  • On: specific dates, days of the week, holidays
  • In: month, season, quarter of the year, year, decades, centuries, school semester
Image Credit: Pexels

Examples for "on"

  • Specific date
The inauguration was on January 20, 2021.
  • Day of the week
Jim did his presentation on Tuesday.
  • Holiday
People light fireworks on Independence Day.

Examples for "in"

  • Month
We are going on a trip to Spain in May.
  • Season
In winter, the villager have to clear the snow from the streets.
  • Quarter of the year
The company did well in Q4 last year.
Image Credit: Pexels

장소를 설명하는 개념에서는 다음과 같이 활용됩니다.

  • On: street name
  • In: city, state, country

다음은 두 전치사의 차이를 이해하는 데 도움이 되는 연습문제입니다. 정답은 맨 하단에 있습니다.  

  1. The trash truck comes around in/on Thursdays.
  2. You shouldn’t wear leather in/on summer.
  3. In/on India, most people know multiple languages.
  4. The project will be due in/on June.
  5. In/on April 18th, Paul Revere rode his horse in town.
  6. Experts are predicting that the economy will get better in/on the Second Quarter of 2022.
  7. Where will you be in/on New Year’s Day?
  8. My teacher lives in/on Cherrygrove Lane, which is only a few streets down.
  9. I am taking an introductory physics course in/on spring semester.
  10. The entrepreneur has another house in/on California.

문맥에 따라서 교통수단(subway, train, plane)에 대해 in이나 on 중 하나를 사용할 수 있습니다. 일반적으로 말할 때는 "on a subway/train/plane"이라고 하지만, 실제로 차량 안에 있는 상황을 강조하고 싶다면 "in a subway/train/plane"이라고 말합니다. 다음에 제시된 문장을 살펴보시기 바랍니다.

I’m on a train to New York City.
I can’t hear you clearly because I’m in the subway.

그러나 상단 내용이 on과 in의 사용을 더욱 혼란스럽게 한다면,  on을 사용하는 것이 더 안전합니다. 다음은 in 또는 on이 앞에 붙는 다른 단어들입니다.

  • In: building, park, school, room, bag, backpack, pocket, elevator, pool, valley
  • On: table, chair, floor, stairs, wall, road, street, escalator, beach, cliff, mountain

하단에 보다 더 많은 연습 문제를 준비했습니다. 정확히 이해했는지 확인해 보세요.

  1. He placed the books in/on the lobby counter.
  2. Henry is in/on a plane to Italy right now.
  3. Can you put this in/on your purse?
  4. Rose took a seat in/on the chair next to the door.
  5. The group of tourists went in/on the cafe to buy drinks.
  6. Her five-year-old son drew in/on the wall with his crayons.
  7. The students had a bonfire in/on the beach to celebrate their graduation.
  8. A fly just landed in/on that freshly washed plate.
  9. Jennifer put her dirty clothes in/on the laundry basket.
  10. There was a deer in/on the road on our way to the camping site.
Image Credit: Juan Moyano

만약 여전히 in과 on을 사용하는 것에 어려움을 느낀다면, Engram을 확인해 보세요. AI 인공지능 기술을 활용해서 원하는 문장을 빠르고 정확하게 교정해 줍니다!

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정답:

  1. on
  2. in
  3. in
  4. in
  5. on
  6. in
  7. on
  8. on
  9. in
  10. in

  1. on
  2. on
  3. in
  4. on
  5. in
  6. on
  7. on
  8. on
  9. in
  10. on

참고 자료:

On vs. In
You use the preposition in when you are inside a space or object, and you use the preposition on when you are on top ofor directly above a space or object.
Engram BlogCindy
Difference Between In and On (with Comparison Chart) - Key Differences
The difference between in and on is that we use the word ‘in’ when we talk about a situation in which something that is enclosed by something else. On the other hand, ‘on’ is used to talk about the surface, or when the object is placed above or outside something else.
Key DifferencesSurbhi S