"on mind" vs. "in mind"

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

on her mind

to keep / bear / have / remember / put in mind

to be in own mind :slight_smile:

imprinted on my mind
…

Could anybody give a general guide on using in and on with mind?

Tamara

2

Hi Tamara

I’m not sure there is really any general rule. It’s usually best to treat fixed expressions such as these as a whole and then learn them the same way you’d learn any vocabulary.

But if you look at your list, you might be able to come up with your own sort of informal “rule”. :wink:

For example, the word imprint suggests something printed on the surface of something else, and the preposition “on” fits that idea nicely. :smiley:

If something is “on your mind”, that indicates that it is “at the top of your list of things you’re currently thinking about”. Therefore, you could think of the “location” of this thought as being on the “surface”. Again, the prepostion on fits well. :smiley:

But, I’ve got a question for you: Where did you get “remember in mind” and “be in own mind” from? They don’t sound right to me. Have you possibly omitted words? Have you heard them used in conversation?

Amy

3

Hi Amy

Yes, I know… ‘Just to burn it into your brains.’ Willy-nilly… :slight_smile:

But sometimes I dream of finding a magic wand :slight_smile:

Sorry Amy, for my negligence. I’ve just omitted words.

More specifically:
remember in has been taken from carrey’s essay.
It’s been corrected by Alan in Alan’s morning post :slight_smile:

and it’s my fault not to insert the correction in my post for other similar cases.

The second should be to be in one’s right mind

Well, for me and after your post it is:

IN : memory or ‘backing storage’; essential part of personality. in mind = fixed in memory, memorised deeply.

ON : ‘online storage’ or ‘cashe’; also the way of thinking. on mind = current thoughts, ideas, opinion.

If the ‘informal rule’ I produced sounds not completely awful for your absolute pitch :slight_smile: then – many thanks for your explanation.

Tamara

4

Hi Tamara

Let me tell you a little secret. :wink: I’ve created quite a number of my own little “rules” to help me with German. In many (most? :lol:) cases, nobody understands them except yours truly (me) . But they work and that’s great! They’re little memory “assistants” that are meaningful mainly to me.

I’ve been able to send many of my little “assistants” into retirement now, but there are a few hanging around that I’ll probably rely on forever. :smiley:

Try out your memory helpers. Test them. If they seem to be helping, that’s wonderful, isn’t it?

Thanks for the clarification of those two expressions. Glad that’s cleared up. :smiley:

Amy

5

Thank you Amy, indeed, for your constant, accurate and reliable support.

Thanks a billion :slight_smile:

Tamara