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You walk onto a train. You climb into a car. Whether it's [in/on] depends on what verb "get" is replacing. I don't know if there's a name for this kind of rule
by dehugger 1y ago
You walk onto a train. You climb into a car. Whether it's [in/on] depends on what verb "get" is replacing.
I don't know if there's a name for this kind of rule or if it's just a vague implicit thing.
- mrheosuper 1y agowhy not "walk into a train" ?
- eigenspace 1y agoI couldn't tell you why this is a rule, but at least to my Canadian English speaking ears, if you said "Joe walked into a train", I'd think that Joe walked across some train tracks and was struck by the train, not that he boarded it.
- dehugger 1y agoBecause you "walk into" things and get hurt. Like walls, or trees. The notable exception is buildings, or less tangible things like a spotlight. Trains, ships, and busses are a weird kind of middle ground between on/in. Thinking about it, I believe the principal difference is if there is something significant (more significant than the roof of a train) above your head? It seems to be very subjective and though, any time I think I've gotten it figured out another example/edge case comes out.