Learn English – Right use of prepositions in, on, under in relation to water

prepositionsword-choice

The dictionaries do not provide good enough answers for the right use of these prepositions in the following context:

  1. The man is IN the water.
  2. The man is under the water.
  3. The man is below the water.

Besides, which of one of these it is correct and why?

  • A: The boat is ON the water.
  • B: The boat is IN the water.

Best Answer

If you are in X, you are surrounded by X on all or most sides.

The surrounding can work vertically (I'm in a cardboard box) or horizontally (I'm in a box I drew on the ground with chalk).

If you are on X, X is touching your feet or the bottom of yourself, and X is a surface or something flat. If X is something flat and you are on it, you are generally on the top of it.

If you are under X, the "top" of X is generally above your head. At this point, if X is also surrounding you on all or most sides, you are also in x.

Being under X, if X is a surface or something flat, means it is on you, and you can't be on it.

Water is both something that can you can have the top of beneath your head, something that can surround you on most sides and is also something that is a flat surface so it works with all these prepositions.

So you can be:

  • in water,
  • on water,
  • both in and on water,
  • both in and under water
  • but not really both on and under water.
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