My brother's in business.
I'm in Baltimore on business.
Note: They use different prepositions for the word 'business'.
Why is that?
2006-07-14 16:44:33 · 5 answers · asked by donotmisstony 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
It sounds like "my brother is in business" means that he is a businessman, business is his profession. "I'm in Baltimore on business" means that you traveled to Baltimore on a business trip.
2006-07-14 16:53:13 · answer #1 · answered by thecatphotographer 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because it's showing the two usages. If you add some words into the sentence you can see the different meaning that each preposition connotes: My brother is (working) in business. I'm in Baltimore on (a) business (trip).
2006-07-14 16:51:25 · answer #2 · answered by coffeeandcigarettes 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's the Queen's English, I believe, not the American English most Americans are used to. Actually, the Cambridge dictionary is correct in that our English came from the British English (the Queen's English), but we're lazy in the US, so our rules are laxed.
2006-07-14 16:49:15 · answer #3 · answered by rliedtky 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In the first sentence, "in" suggests he is immersed in something or amidst it, like being _in_ a room.
In the second sentence, "on" suggests he is actively doing or completing an activity, like being _on_ a trip to Baltimore.
2006-07-14 17:04:14 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
because its CAMBRIDGE dictionary thats why
2006-07-14 16:47:22 · answer #5 · answered by Azul 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋