La Liseuse
American English speakers, please: How is 'in back of' used? Could any American English speakers explain how to use of the prepositional phrase 'in back of', and also how this differs from 'in the back of'? I'd be grateful for an explanation and some examples of use, please. This might seem like an odd request from a fellow native speaker, but the form doesn't exist in GB.E.Could any American English speakers explain how to use the prepositional phrase 'in back of', and also how this differs from 'in the back of?'
Oct 20, 2014 11:23 PM
Answers · 21
7
In American English, you can use the prepositional phrase “in back of” as an exact synonym for the preposition “behind”. Example: “There’s a tall tree in back of the house.” (= “There’s a tall tree behind the house.”) Having said that, some Americans will use “in the back of” in that same sense: “There’s a tall tree in the back of the house.” But to my ears, the "the" is superfluous. However, I would certainly use “in the back of” when "back" is used as a noun meaning “the rear part (of something)". Example: “During the flight he was seated in the back of the airplane.” Obviously he was not seated “behind” (“in back of”) the airplane; rather, he was seated in the rear section of the airplane.
October 21, 2014
2
Well, I'm from the Midwest and I would say the two phrases are exactly the same. I personally would prefer to use "in the back of". I'm not sure if "in back of" is more common in certain American dialects. To get a more in depth explanation you might have to wait for someone who uses such a phrase. I'm not actually sure what part of the US would say that, possibly southern? Actually, the more I think about it I think "in back of" can also be used to mean "behind". For example "the parking lot in back of the building". According to my British English source that's not really possible with "in the back of" in GB.E. However, I would still use "in the back of" that way so they still hold the same meaning for me.
October 21, 2014
The shoe is in back of the chair. (I have heard this but mostly we say 'The shoe is behind the chair'.) Please sit in back of the girl with the red hair. The theater was packed, we had to sit in back of a talkative British couple.
October 21, 2014
I have always understood it to be the opposite of "in front of", so I never questioned the phrase. I grew up in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. and now live in New England. It might be a regional expression; I never really noticed whether the usage is common in this part of the U.S.
October 22, 2014
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