On and upon
What’s the
difference between on and upon?
There are
two ways to answer this question, the first way is "Formality"!
‘On’ is generally considered to be more common, and is preferred for
everyday use. ‘Upon’ on the other hand, is far more formal, and should not be
used all the time, instead of ‘on’. The two words, ‘on’ and ‘upon’ are mostly
interchangeable, but not always.
Both words
function as prepositions and adverbs (also, ‘on’ can be
an adjective). Anytime, ‘on’ is being used, ‘upon’ could take its
place, if the speaker wanted to do so. It’s generally best to use ‘on’ most of
the time and use ‘upon’ more sparingly.
Examples
with ‘on’
I went on a
school trip to Trujillo, Peru.
Cristal put
the books back on the shelf where they belong.
I’ll be
waiting for you on the third floor.
On arrival,
beware of the dogs.
You can only
enter on my authorization.
The same
examples, but with ‘upon’
I went upon a
school trip to Trujillo, Peru.
Cristal put
the books back upon the shelf where they belong.
I’ll be
waiting for you upon the third floor.
Upon arrival,
beware of the dogs.
You can only
enter upon my authorization.
The second
way to answer this question is about movement.
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 verb. Does it suggest movement? If it
does, onto is usually the best choice. Verbs like drive, climb,
step, walk, run and many others suggest movement.
Example:
The dog
climbed onto the sofa.
This means
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, look at 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
This is an example with 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.
International Exams and Grammar: The Essential Grammar Rules You Need to Know
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