VOA慢速英语--On 和 Onto的区别

The Difference Between On and Onto

Welcome back to Ask a Teacher! Many English prepositions² can be close in meaning. So, sometimes knowing which to choose is hard. But, today’s program can help. Here is the question:

Question:

I would like to know when I should use in, into, on or onto. Thanks. -MOD

Answer:

That is a wonderful question! Today, I will explore just two of those words. In a future program, I can talk about the other two.

It is easy to confuse the word on with onto since, at times, they can replace each other.

The difference

The main difference is that onto is about movement from one place to another. The word on is not.

If you ever have trouble choosing, look at the verb³. Does it suggest movement? If it does, onto is usually the best choice. Verbs⁴ like drive, climb, step, walk, run and many others suggest movement.

Listen to an example:

The dog climbed onto the sofa.

This means⁵ that the dog was not on the sofa at first. He climbed there.

Now, listen to the difference:

The dog climbed on the sofa.

This suggests that the dog was already on the sofa. Maybe he was moving around on it. That is probably not what the speaker wanted to say.

Here is another example:

I walked onto the bridge and took a photo.

This means the person was not on the bridge at first. They walked there from some other place.

Now, listen to the difference:

I walked on the bridge and took a photo.

This suggests the person was already on the bridge. They walked around while on it.

Using on

Next, listen to an example where on is the correct choice.

The book is on the table.

The verb be does not suggest movement. The book is already there. Therefore, you cannot say, “The book is onto the table.”

With a few verbs, such as put, you can use either word. Here is an example:

He put the book onto the table.

It has the same meaning as this:

He put the book on the table.

Onto is technically⁶ right. But on usually sounds more natural with put in speech.

And that’s Ask a Teacher.

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

preposition¹ – n. a word or group of words that is used to show direction, location⁷, or time or to introduce an object

confuse – v. to make someone uncertain or unable to understand something

sofa – n. a long and comfortable piece of furniture on which a person can sit or lie down

stage – n. a raised platform in a theater or auditorium⁸ where performers⁹ or speakers stand

roof – n. the cover or top of a building, vehicle or something else

1 preposition   

n.介词

参考例句：

• You should cancel this preposition in the sentence.你应该删去句子中的这个介词。
• We use different preposition to talk about time,days,months and seasons.我们用不动的介词来谈论时间，日，月和季节等。

2 prepositions   

n.介词( preposition的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She lays a lot of emphasis on the usage of prepositions. 她把重点放在介词的使用上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Prepositions and conjunctions are particles. 介词和连词是小品词。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 verb   

n.[语]动词

参考例句：

• The sentence is formed from a verb and two nouns.这句子由一个动词和两个名词构成。
• These are the finite forms of a verb.这些是一个动词的限定形式。

4 verbs   

动词

参考例句：

• I have to swot up on phrasal verbs for a test tomorrow. 我不得不为明天的测验努力温习短语动词。
• Verbs that do not take object are called intransitive verbs. 不带宾语的动词称为不及物动词。

5 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

6 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

7 location   

n.地点，位置，定位

参考例句：

• It is a suitable location for a new school.那是建一所新学校的合适地点。
• I have to find a convenient location for the shelves.我得找一合适的地方放这些书架。

8 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。

9 performers   

n.演出者( performer的名词复数 )；演奏者；表演者；履行者

参考例句：

• The boss kissed the other performers off as mere amateurs. 老板认为其他的演员只有业余水平而把他们打发掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They manage to sign up all the best performers. 他们设法跟所有最佳演员签订合同。 来自《简明英汉词典》