in/on the early morning of May 5

Kenny Chang

Kenny Chang

Senior Member
Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Chinese(Traditional)
Hello, everyone.

I know that "on" is correct when we say "on the morning of + a date." But a Chinese English-teaching website says that if we put "early" or "late" before morning, "in" is also acceptable. Is that correct? I made two example sentences to compare.

1. The fire broke out on the morning of May 5.
2. The fire broke out in the early morning of May 5.

Thank you.
 
    • Thank you for your help.

    sound shift said:
    You can't say "The fire broke out on the early morning of May 5", no.

    "The fire broke out in the morning of May 5" is correct.
    Click to expand...
    Did you mean that "The fire broke out on the morning of May 5" is wrong? Because we leanred "on" is the correct preprosition in this expression in Taiwan. Is there a BrE and AmE difference?
     
    Kenny Chang said:
    Thank you for your help.


    Did you mean that "The fire broke out on the morning of May 5" is wrong? Because we leanred "on" is the correct preprosition in this expression in Taiwan. Is there a BrE and AmE difference?
    Click to expand...
    On is used with a date: on Saturday, on the 5th of May; in is used to specify the period of time : in the morning, in the evening.
     
    JulianStuart said:
    On is used with a date: on Saturday, on the 5th of May; in is used to specify the period of time : in the morning, in the evening.
    Click to expand...
    Thank you for your explanation. I learned this too. But I was taught that if there is a "date" or "day" involved, use on, such as on Monday morning/afternoon/evening/night.

    Here's an example from our test.

    (On the morning of May 4th)​
    [Helga asks when Tom can come to the pool.]​
    Tom: Only on Thursday morning. What time is the pool open on Thursday?​
    [——] ​
    Helga: Well, it is open from 9 a.m. on Thursday, but the pool is not open on the fourth Thursday of May.​
    ​
    Is it wrong to use on?

    < Edited to comply with 4-sentence limit on quotation (Rule 4). Cagey, moderator >
     

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    Kenny Chang said:
    Thank you for your explanation. I leanred this too. But I was taught that if there is a "date" or "day" involved, use on, such as on Monday morning/afternnon/evening/night.

    Here's an example from our test.
    View attachment 84834

    Is it wrong to use on?
    Click to expand...
    Post # 7 was either/or but if you combine a time period and a day/date, then you can use on.
    When is he coming?
    In the morning on Thursday
    On Thursday morning.
     
    This is really shocking because in China, we prefer to use on, especially in the exam:

    I met him on that cold morning.

    Do you mean we should use "in" here?
     
    Sun14 said:
    This is really shocking because in China, we prefer to use on, especially in the exam:

    I met him on that cold morning.

    Do you mean we should use "in" here?
    Click to expand...
    You have added words to the general advice. I met him in the morning. I met him on that cold morning.
    "in the morning" on its own just refers to a time of day, but "on a {specific} morning" relates to the morning of a specific day.
     
    JulianStuart said:
    You have added words to the general advice. I met him in the morning. I met him on that cold morning.
    "in the morning" on its own just refers to a time of day, but "on a {specific} morning" relates to the morning of a specific day.
    Click to expand...

    Got it. Thank you very much!
     
    Kenny Chang said:
    Thank you for your help.

    So if morning was combined with a date, it is still better to use on, right?

    > On the morning of May fifth. (Not sixth or seventh)
    Click to expand...
    No, if you combine the date and the time of day, I would use the preposition associated with the expression next to it:

    ... in the morning of the fifth of May
    ... on the fifth of May in the morning

    If you use a different expression than a date, 'on' is possible.

    ... on a bright May Day morning
    ... on a gloomy Good Friday afternoon
     
    natkretep said:
    No, if you combine the date and the time of day, I would use the preposition associated with the expression next to it:

    ... in the morning of the fifth of May
    ... on the fifth of May in the morning

    If you use a different expression than a date, 'on' is possible.

    ... on a bright May Day morning
    ... on a gloomy Good Friday afternoon
    Click to expand...
    Gee! Why our schools and textbooks taught us wrong English? :confused:

    I found this sentence in Cambridge Dictionary. Is it correct?
    Would you mind telling me what you were doing on the afternoon of Friday the 13th of March?
     
    @Kenny Chang Reading through this thread, I get the impression that you are getting more confused with each follow-up question that you ask. Perhaps it would help to go back to the examples in your OP.
    Kenny Chang said:
    Hello, everyone.

    I know that "on" is correct when we say "on the morning of + a date." But a Chinese English-teaching website says that if we put "early" or "late" before morning, "in" is also acceptable. Is that correct? I made two example sentences to compare.

    1. The fire broke out on the morning of May 5.
    2. The fire broke out in the early morning of May 5.

    Thank you.
    Click to expand...
    1. The fire broke out on the morning of May 5. --> This is fine. It might be used when answering the question "when did the fire break out?" I often see statements like this in news articles describing forest fires that burn for several weeks, although it could also be used for fires that burn for a much shorter length of time.

    1a. The fire broke out in the morning of May 5. --> This is also fine. It might be used when answering the question "what time of day did the fire break out?" I see statements like this describing fires that burn for just a few hours, but it could also be used for fires that burn for a long time.

    2. The fire broke out in the early morning of May 5. --> This is fine.

    2a. The fire broke out on the early morning of May 5. --> This is wrong.
     
    Joetofu said:
    @Kenny Chang Reading through this thread, I get the impression that you are getting more confused with each follow-up question that you ask. Perhaps it would help to go back to the examples in your OP.

    1. The fire broke out on the morning of May 5. --> This is fine. It might be used when answering the question "when did the fire break out?" I often see statements like this in news articles describing forest fires that burn for several weeks, although it could also be used for fires that burn for a much shorter length of time.

    1a. The fire broke out in the morning of May 5. --> This is also fine. It might be used when answering the question "what time of day did the fire break out?" I see statements like this describing fires that burn for just a few hours, but it could also be used for fires that burn for a long time.

    2. The fire broke out in the early morning of May 5. --> This is fine.

    2a. The fire broke out on the early morning of May 5. --> This is wrong.
    Click to expand...
    Thank you for your explanation. So detailed, so helpful!
     
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