Which preposition to use? It's doubtful whether to use 'in' before 'moment' in the sentence below; is that really a right choice? I mean I've seen both 'at this moment' and 'in this moment' but I've s

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Masoud

Which preposition to use? It's doubtful whether to use 'in' before 'moment' in the sentence below; is that really a right choice? I mean I've seen both 'at this moment' and 'in this moment' but I've seen the latter in some informal texts. "In that moment, I understood my Italian trip was going to be less familiar and more troublesome than what I had thought."

2014年7月28日 21:27

回答 · 9

'At that moment' is more of a clinical, scientific statement of time, it's widely used. Whereas 'in that moment' refers not only to time, it also suggests involvement, participation. Also someone who is completely immersed in the situation with no other thoughts or worrys can be characterized as 'in the moment' .

2014年7月28日

The usual preposition is 'at', because you usually use 'at' for precise times, for example 'midnight', and times of the clock. However, you can sometimes use 'in that moment', suggesting that it is a longer period of time, or a time which seemed long to the person concerned. 'In that moment' is fine in the example you have given, because something happened during that time: the writer realised something about his Italian trip. If you're not sure, I'd advise you to use 'at', because it's more likely to be right. And remember that the preposition with 'the moment' is nearly always 'at' : at the moment.

2014年7月28日

Yes, I see. In fact I'd just checked Carmen's blog, and found the phrase in question, together with your discussion about it. And sorry to have assumed - for no good reason - that the writer was a man! ('his' Italian trip below). It's quite a subtle distinction, but 'in' is right here. And 'shed light' is a great phrase, too. Glad to have helped.

2014年7月28日