Learn English – Is “He is on the swim team” correct

gerundsprepositions

I have read the sentence below:

He is on the swim team.

My questions are:

  1. Why use the preposition "on" ? Can I use "in"?

  2. What's the difference between "on" and "in "?

  3. Can "the swim team" be replaced with "the swimming team"?

Best Answer

In contemporary American usage, an athlete is always on a team, never in it. Similarly, a juror is on a jury, a bureaucrat sits on a committee, and a professor is on the faculty.

By contrast, a soldier is in the army, a politician is in the Senate, and a singer is in the choir. Some entities such as the army and the senate are thought of as corporate bodies that encompass their members. Others, such as athletic teams and juries, are thought of as panels on which the members serve. I can't explain why the difference exists, but it does.

So to answer your question: "He is on the swim team" is entirely correct; "he is in the swim team" would be wrong.

As for "swim" versus "swimming", I think that's an American vs. British issue. Americans say "swim team." They do not, however, say "fence team"--it's still "fencing team." Again, I can't explain why.

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