"in glasses" vs "with glasses"

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1
  1. The man in glasses teaches math in my school.
  2. The man with glasses teaches math in my school.
    What’s the difference in meaning between in glasses and with glasses?
2

.
Well, the man with glasses could be just holding them, but in normal use the two meanings are identical.
.

1 Like
3
  1. He knows the girl in a red hat.
  2. He knows the girl with a red hat.
    Are the above sentences both acceptable?
4

.
In what way do you think 3 & 4 differ from 1 & 2, Sitifan?
.

1 Like
5

Hi Sitifan,

‘In a red hat’ suggests she is wearing the hat. ‘With a red hat’ suggests she is carrying it.

Alan

1 Like
6

How about glasses?
Does ‘in glasses’ suggest one is wearing glasses and ‘with glasses’ suggest one is carrying them?

7

Hi Sitifan

Using “with” could mean either “wearing” or “holding/carrying”. However, without any additional context that might affect the interpretation, I would interpret “with” to mean “wearing”.
.

1 Like
8

Hi Sitifan,

To me ‘a man with glasses’ sounds a bit quirky on its own -possibly ‘with glasses on’. I think I’d either go for ‘in glasses’ or ‘wearing glasses’.

Alan

1 Like
9

Google Booksearch
with glasses 9190 results
google.com/search?hl=zh-TW&t … 6l96l6l6l0
in glasses 2930 results
google.com/search?q=%22man+i … 1&hl=zh-TW

10

Whenever I hear “with glasses” I immediately think of this song: youtube.com/watch?v=TaWaQBxc0aI Thanks a lot, now I’ll have this in my head all day!

1 Like