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# on

«on» in Mova's school dictionary: **touching the top or side of something: on the table, on…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

preposition, adverb; adjective (the light is on; the game is on)

### meaning for a pupil

1) On means touching the top or side of something: on the table, on the wall. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#m1)

2) On shows a day or date: on Monday. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#m2)

3) On means working or switched on: the light is on. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#m3)

4) On shows what something is about: a book on sharks. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#m4)

5) On means going ahead, carrying on: read on. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#m5)

6) On means happening as planned: the party is still on. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#m6)

7) (casual) «You're on!» accepts a dare or a bet; «what are you on about?» means what do you mean; «not on» (UK, Australia) means not acceptable; «on me» means I'll pay. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#m7)

8) (rough) «Get on with it!» means hurry up; «come on!» can be an angry push or a cheer; «having me on» means fooling me. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#m8)

9) (formal) The exam voice says «upon», «situated upon», «concerning», «on the occasion of», «in the event of», «on each occasion». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#m9)

10) On can also mean against someone or aimed at someone, as in "a vengeance on her." [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#m10)

### sense in the lessons

on the table, on the board, on Monday; «on each» marks equal groups («4 birds on each branch»); in everyday life «turn on», «get on the bus», «put on your coat», «go on», «on time», «on foot», «on and on»; in safety «put your seat belt on»; in casual talk «you're on», «it's on me», «you having me on?»; in rough talk «get on with it», «come on»; in the exam voice «situated upon», «upon each shelf», «on the occasion of»

### examples

- I put three spoons on the table. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#x1)
- Ben bought 6 cards on Monday … [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#x2)
- There are 4 birds on each branch. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#x3)
- The cat is sleeping on my bed. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#x4)
- Turn the light on, please. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#x5)
- Put your coat on; it's cold. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#x6)
- We went to school on foot. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#x7)
- Read on to find out what happens. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#x8)
- race ya to the gate? «you're on» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#x9)
- Ice creams are on me, how many we need? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#x10)
- Oh, get on with it, just count them! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#x11)
- There are 3 shelves; upon each shelf are situated 6 volumes. Determine the total. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#x12)
- "A vengeance on her!" said they. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/#x13)

### note

No clue by itself; «on the table» marks where things are counted. Trap: «on each» or «upon each» marks equal groups: multiply. «it's on me» means I'll pay, not a place. «You having me on?» means are you joking. Use «on» for days (on Monday), «in» for months (in May), «at» for clock times (at 3). «upon» is a stiff form of «on».

### In the corpora

- [Knowing this helps you understand why a family's week is planned round a piece of paper on the fridge.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/2-shifts-nights-and-other-ways-of-working/4/)
- [Retiring means stopping paid work for good, usually in your sixties, and living on a pension and savings.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/3-finding-a-job-and-getting-on/16/)
- [Banks pay interest on savings, and they charge interest when you borrow.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/7-cards-banks-and-apps/4/)
- [Interest that grows on interest is called compound interest.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/7-cards-banks-and-apps/5/)
- [Example: in a café in Toronto, Mum taps her phone on the reader and the coffee is paid in a second.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/adult-life/7-cards-banks-and-apps/6/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «on» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/O/on/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.