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Hi, I'm wondering if the boldfaced preposition in the first following sentence is properly used. Also, should the definite article have been replaced by "its," and do "transport" and "transportation" present a mixture of American and Commonwealth English? In November 2020, Virgin Hyperloop held the first passenger trials on its high speed vacuum tube transport pods. The transportation system uses magnetic levitation, or maglev, train technology. Source: https://www.ivy.com.tw/newsLetter/analysis_cont/2021031911145970609I'd appreciate your help.
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raymondaliasapollyon wrote:Hi, I'm wondering if the boldfaced preposition in the first following sentence is properly used. Also, should the definite article have been replaced by "its," and do "transport" and "transportation" present a mixture of American and Commonwealth English? In November 2020, Virgin Hyperloop held the first passenger trials on its high speed vacuum tube transport pods. The transportation system uses magnetic levitation, or maglev, train technology. Source: https://www.ivy.com.tw/newsLetter/analysis_cont/2021031911145970609I'd appreciate your help. They are correct, the is used as it’s a specific set of trials, not trials in general, the first passenger trials. On is used as it’s not the passengers in the Hyoerlooo that are being tested, but the Hyoerloop itself to see how it reacts to passengers within it,
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I don't understand why "on" is used. In the following sentence on the same topic, "in" is used:
Virgin Hyperloop says it made transportation history on Sunday when it tested human travel in a lightning-quick hyperloop pod for the first time.
The sentence in the OP has "on its high speed vacuum tube transport pods," whereas the sentence here has "in a lightning-quick hyperloop pod."
I'm also wondering whether the "on" in the original should have been "of."
"on" seems to indicate the location where the trial took place, e.g., on a test track.
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raymondaliasapollyon wrote:I don't understand why "on" is used. In the following sentence on the same topic, "in" is used:
Virgin Hyperloop says it made transportation history on Sunday when it tested human travel in a lightning-quick hyperloop pod for the first time.
The sentence in the OP has "on its high speed vacuum tube transport pods," whereas the sentence here has "in a lightning-quick hyperloop pod."
I'm also wondering whether the "on" in the original should have been "of."
"on" seems to indicate the location where the trial took place, e.g., on a test track.
I would understand it like this: Virgin Hyperloop ran a test "on" its pod (the pod itself was tested). But you could also say they ran a test "of" its pod, meaning they own the pod.
At the same time, they also were running a test "on" the humans "in" the pod, to test their reactions.
So you could say two different tests were conducted at the same time: a test on the pod they owned (of it), and on the humans "in" the pod.
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All the examples I could find of "held the first trial on" from native sources on Google are followed by a date, not a thing to be tested. And even when they are not followed by a date, they are about legal contexts.
I wouldn't bat an eyelid, though, if it were followed by a place such as a test track.
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raymondaliasapollyon wrote:All the examples I could find of "held the first trial on" from native sources on Google are followed by a date, not a thing to be tested. And even when they are not followed by a date, they are about legal contexts. The meaning of "on" in "trials on" is "directed towards". See meaning 4c (preposition) in the American Heritage Dictionary quoted by TFD (the example there is "an attack on the fortress"). Other examples: tests on the vaccine carry out work on the project play a joke on someone focus on the facts
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Thank you.
Do we say "complete a test on something" or "complete a test of something"?
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raymondaliasapollyon wrote:Thank you.
Do we say "complete a test on something" or "complete a test of something"?
Either might be used. A test of fire safety drills. A test on the consistency of concrete. I don’t think there is a good rule for when one is used or the other.
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Are both "complete a test on the transport pods" or "complete a test of the transport pods" okay?
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raymondaliasapollyon wrote:Are both "complete a test on the transport pods" or "complete a test of the transport pods" okay?
Yes.
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