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upon as a preposition?
Hi all,
I encountered this sentence in a letter written by a native speaker. What does the word "upon" mean there? How would you paraphrase the sentence?
The sentence: 'Upon' buying the product I was assured by the salesman that if there were any inconveniences I would be promptly attended to.
Can I use "upon" in this sentence: I regret to inform you that 'upon' reading the novel I am about to vomit.
Jul 30, 2014 9:36 AM
Answers · 10
3
LOL. "Upon" means "when" or "at the time of". Your sentence works.
July 30, 2014
2
In this situation upon cannot be replaced with on. Upon buying the product means after or when you have purchased the product. Example. Upon buying the car, we will give you a 1 year guarantee. That means when you buy the car you will get a 1 year guarantee. An example of when upon can be replaced with on would be "He placed the apple upon the table. The same as, He placed the apple on the table.
July 30, 2014
1
'Upon' is simply an older form of 'on'.
In almost all cases, you can replace the word 'upon' with 'on'. The only exceptions are a few set phrases such as 'upon my word' and 'once upon a time'.
You need never worry about using 'upon' - just 'on' will always do fine.
July 30, 2014
I regret to inform you that upon reading the novel I was* about to vomit.
July 30, 2014
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