On or in a thing?

AtticusFinch

AtticusFinch

AtticusFinch

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That we often travel on a train or on a boat (as opposed to being in either of these things) but we don't travel on a car, rather preferring to travel in it?
 
Travel on the bus rather than being in.

What really annoys me is my wife when she says,

'On the loft'

NO YOU MEAN IT IS IN THE LOFT
 
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Did you go the who whenever the when how you did why?

This brings me to my next point: Goods transported in a car = shipment, whereas goods transported on a ship = cargo
 
Also the phrasing of "there is no smoking on anywhere ON this station" seems a bit weird to me. I accept you can be "on" a station or "on" a football pitch but I am never "on" my office (they're all just places) so why the difference do we think?
 
You're not really "on" a station. You're in it. Whereas you'd be "on" the platform. Which I guess boils down to whether the place has a roof or awning.

You'd be on a football pitch as generally and historically they don't have rooves. Whereas you'd be in the stand watching the match. As they're usually covered.
 
AtticusFinch said:
That we often travel on a train or on a boat (as opposed to being in either of these things) but we don't travel on a car, rather preferring to travel in it?
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Well, when you're on a train - you're still in a car - but it's a train car. You're on the train, but still in the carriage. A definition of train can be:
caravan: a procession (of wagons or mules or camels) traveling together in single file; "we were part of a caravan of almost a thousand camels"; "they joined the wagon train for safety"
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http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=define:train

On a boat makes sense, for the simplest of boats have no 'in'.

That's how I see it, anyway... :)
 
Maybe it's something to do with boats, trains and planes being split into different parts, so you go on a boat or you're going on the train, but you can go in the cabin, or in the cockpit, where as a car is just 1 area that you go "in" to, so you go in the car.

Possibly?
 
AtticusFinch said:
Also the phrasing of "there is no smoking on anywhere ON this station" seems a bit weird to me. I accept you can be "on" a station or "on" a football pitch but I am never "on" my office (they're all just places) so why the difference do we think?
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Well, if you take 'station' back to it's first meaning, that'd also simply be a place where trains or buses stopped. Not really a building. Though taking it that way, I'd prefer to say "at this station". I would argue 'on' is wrong.

Oh, and buses. Originally called omnibuses - these were first horse drawn single or double-decker large carriages - often without a roof. Hence 'on'.

I like these questions :)
 
What happens though if the Station concerned is enclosed with walls and a roof? Does that mean it would be correct to say in that station whereas a non-enclosed station would see one on it rather than in it it?
 
AtticusFinch said:
What happens though if the Station concerned is enclosed with walls and a roof? Does that mean it would be correct to say in that station whereas a non-enclosed station would see one on it rather than in it it?
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Then you're in XX station if it's enclosed, if the platform is open or largely open to the elements you are on the station (platform).

Although I might equally say "I'm in Victoria Station on platform 4" - Victoria Station is enclosed but I'd be describing myself as on platform 4 to distinguish where I am within the confines of the station.
 
My theory: Trains you are 'on' because even if you weren't there, the train would be going anyway. You're on the train but you're not really part of it. This also works for planes and buses.
Whereas you say 'in' a car because you are usually an integral part of the car - be it the driver or a passenger who the driver won't go without. The car's journey revolves around you and therefore you're in it, properly involved. This also works with small single- or dual-seat planes - you probably wouldn't say 'I'm on a plane' if you were flying a little Cessna.
This falls down a bit with boats, but it still mostly works. Big boats like ferries you'd say 'on', but with a small boat you probably wouldn't say 'I'm on a dinghy'. You'd probably say 'in a dinghy'. You might say 'on a yacht', but I can't fathom that one.
 
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