Swara Bhaskara’s English

Apakah anda sering dibingungkan oleh penggunaan kata depan IN, ON, dan AT?  Jangan khawatir! Anda tidak sendirian. Ketiga kata depan (presposition) ini tidak hanya membingungkan beginners, tetapi juga advanced learners, bahkan native English speakers sekalipun.

Tulisan ini membahas perbedaan penggunaan IN, ON, dan AT, ketika digunakan sebagai keterangan waktu (modifier of time), keterangan tempat (modifier of place), dan berbagai ungkapan lainnya. Perhatikan dan hafalkan tipe noun yang mengikutinya dan ungkapan yang terkandung di dalamnya. Jika dilink, sebaiknya anda ikuti link-nya agar anda lebih cepat memahami perbedaan penggunaan  kedua kata depan yang dilink tersebut.

Penggunaan IN

a. in + the + ruangan/bangunan/container

Pada phrase seperti ini, IN = inside (di dalam), dan merupakan antonim (kebalikan) dari OUT (di luar).

Note: Tergantung konteks kalimatnya,  adjective pronouns (i.e. my, his, her, their, our, your, its) juga dapat digunakan untuk menggantikan the, namun, keduanya tidak dapat digunakan secara bersamaan.

Misalnya: in the room -  in his room; in the pocket – in my pocket. Tetapi INCORRECT jika: in the his room; in the my pocket, dst

Contoh:

1. My classmates were in the classroom, while I was lying sick in my room. (lie = terbaring)
2. The water in the fridge is not cold. The fridge must’ve been out of order.  (fridge = refrigerator = kulkas; out of order = rusak).
3. Don’t put your damp clothes in the drawer. (damp = lembab; drawer = laci khusus untuk pakaian).

Note: AT juga bisa digunakan jika kata yang mengikuti merupakan nama bangunan. Misalnya: at the bookstore, at the police station, at the university, at the restaurant, dst. Phrase ini digunakan untuk menyatakan general location, dan maknanya lebih luas (atau kurang spesifik) dibandingkan dengan IN. (Lihat Penggunaan AT. a)

b. in + wilayah (desa, kabupaten, provinsi, kota, pulau, negara, dll.)

Cont0h:

1. Ahmad Fannany lives in Palembang.
2. Most people in villages cannot access internet.
3. Most people in Indonesia reside in Java. (reside = live = tinggal).
4. Amelia and Henni are in Japan now.

c. in + the + morning/afternoon/evening

Contoh:

1. The class begins in the morning and ends in the afternoon.
2. He left in the evening and will be back at midnight.

Note: Gunakan AT jika diikuti oleh midnight. INCORRECT jika ditulis “in the midnight atau in midnight”. Kata-kata lain yang dapat mengikuti AT dapat dilihat pada Penggunaan AT. e.

d.  in + nama bulan/tahun

Contoh:

1. My birthday is in October.
2. Indonesia proclaimed its independence in 1945.

Note: Gunakan ON jika diikuti oleh nama hari atau tanggal. (Lihat Penggunaan ON. b)

e. in + the + past/future

Contoh:

1. In the past, attendance at school was not compulsory, but it is now.
2. If the massive deforestation continues as it is today, all of the islands in Indonesia will become deserts in the future. (deforestation = penggundulan hutan; desert = gurun)

f. in + the + beginning/end

Contoh:

1. They didn’t know each other in the beginning, but in the end they became friends.
2. In the end of this article, you will be linked to Practice test 6.

g. in the middle

Contoh:

1. I am lost. I am in the middle of nowhere.
2. My friends could not spot me because I was in the middle of the crowd. (spot = melihat).

h.  in time

In time = early enough = “beberapa saat sebelum waktu yang telah ditentukan”.

1. Bloko arrived 15 minutes before the meeting began.  He was in time.
2. Which one do you prefer: being in time, on time, or late?

Note: Apakah bedanya dengan ON TIME ? (Lihat Penggunaan ON. g)

i. in the street

Contoh:

1. Children should not play in the street.
2. I used to play football in the street in front of my house.

Note: Gunakan ON jika diikuti oleh nama jalan. (Lihat Penggunaan ON. c )

j. in the way

Contoh:

1. He could not park his car in the driveway because another car was in the way.
2. I stopped paddling my bicycle and then pushed the brake because a crowd of kittens was playing in the way.

Note: Bedakan dengan on the way. (Lihat Penggunaan ON. j)

k. once in a while

Once in a while = at times =occasionally = sometimes = kadang-kadang/sekali-sekali.

Contoh:

1. Once in a while, we go out for dinner.
2. Once in a while, the naughty boy behaves well.

l. in no time at all

In no time at all = dalam waktu yang sangat singkat.

Contoh:

1. Robert finished his assignment in no time at all.

m. in the meantime

In the meantime = at the same time = meanwhile = pada saat yang bersamaan.

Contoh:

1. School starts in several weeks, in the meantime, let’s have fun.

n. in + the + army/air force/navy.

Contoh:

1. My brother has been in the army since he graduated from senior high school. (army = angkatan darat).
2. The number of females in the air force is fewer than that of males. (air force = angkatan udara).

o. in + the + ordinal number + row (pada baris ke).

Ordinal number : first, second, third, fourth,…, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, …, twenty first, twenty second, twenty third, twenty fourth, dst.

Contoh:

1. You will be able to watch the performance best if you sit in the first row. (in the first row = pada baris pertama).
2. Students who sit in the first row of the classroom usually have better grades, don’t they?

p. in the event that (= if).

Contoh:

1. In the event that you win a certain prize, you will be notified by mail. Please remember (that) we will NEVER notify you by SMS. Therefore, in the event that someone tells your winning a prize by SMS, do not bait. Otherwise, you will be fooled. (be fooled = tertipu).
2. You should know how to perform CPR, an important life saving procedure before a medical assistance arrives. You could save someone’s life in the event that he or she doesn’t breath and his or her heart fails to beat.

q. in case (if).

Contoh

1. I will give you the key to the house so you’ll have it in case I arrive a little late.
2. Feel free to post a question in case you need further explanations.

r. (get) in touch with, (get) in contact with (berhubungan/berkomunikasi).

Contoh:

1. It’s very difficult to get in touch with Jenny because she works all day.
2. The last time I got in contact with her was last January.
3. The last time I was in touch with her was last January.

Nah sekarang, untuk mengetahui perbedaan penggunaan IN dengan ON silakan baca Perbedaan Penggunaan IN, ON, dan AT Part 2, sedangkan perbedaan penggunaan IN dengan AT silakan baca Perbedaan Penggunaan IN, ON, dan AT Part 3.

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