in/on the hills

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-From Shanghai our Chinese friends took us for three nights to Hangchow on the Western Lake, said to be the most beautiful scenery in China. This was merely holiday. The Western Lake is not large - about the size of Gramere - it is surrounded by wooded hills, on which there are innumerable pagodas and temples. It has been beautified by poets and emperors for thousands of years. We spent one day in the hills - a twelve hour expedition in Sedan chairs - and the next in seeing country houses, monasteries, etc. on islands in the lake.

1.For FOR THREE NIGHTS, does the act of taking take three night?

2.Why does the writer inconsistently say ON THE LAKE and IN THE LAKE?

3.Why does the writer inconsistently say ON HILLS and IN HILLS?

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@WBYeats,

-From Shanghai our Chinese friends took us for three nights to Hangchow on [1] the Western Lake, said to be the most beautiful scenery in China. This was merely ?? holiday. The Western Lake is not large - about the size of Gramere - it is surrounded by wooded hills, on [a] which there are innumerable pagodas and temples. It has been beautified ?? by poets and emperors for thousands of years. We spent one day in the hills - a twelve hour expedition in Sedan chairs - and the next in seeing country houses, monasteries, etc. on islands in [2] the lake.

1.For FOR THREE NIGHTS, does the act of taking take three night?

I don't understand your question/ your concern, WB.

2.Why does the writer inconsistently say ON THE LAKE and IN THE LAKE?
[1] on = this is similar to 'to' ->> to Western Lake, while 'on' = on the shores of Western Lake
[2] in = on islands which are in the lake.

3.Why does the writer inconsistently say ON HILLS and IN HILLS?

[a] on = by wooded hills, on [a] which there are innumerable pagodas and temples.

The buildings sit on the hills, the ground which makes up the hills.

= We spent one day in the hills. We use in the hills, forest, mountains when we describe walking, hiking, biking, horseback riding, skiing, etc in those locations.

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@JTT,

Thank you, JTT.

1. The original question: in 'our Chinese friends took us for three nights to Hangchow', the meaning is they spent three nights in Hangchow, but can I interpret it as they spent three nights in travelling to Hangchow and how long they stayed there is unknown?

2. Does 'AT for non-definite;ON for definite' apply to the location of a person near a lake?

-We spent the summer in the Sierras, at Fallen Leaf Lake near Lake Tahoe.

3. Why does the writer inconsistently say 'Fallen Leaf Lake', no THE, but 'the Western Lake', with THE?

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@WBYeats,

WBYeats wrote:

1. The original question: in 'our Chinese friends took us for three nights to Hangchow', the meaning is they spent three nights in Hangchow, but can I interpret it as they spent three nights in travelling to Hangchow and how long they stayed there is unknown?

You should interpret it as 'our Chinese friends took us to Hangchow for a stay which lasted three nights." The amount of time spent travelling there is unknown. Stays whose length is measured in nights are often in hotels.

Quote:

2. Does 'AT for non-definite;ON for definite' apply to the location of a person near a lake?

-We spent the summer in the Sierras, at Fallen Leaf Lake near Lake Tahoe.[/quote]

Fallen Leaf Lake is here being used as the name of a place, which consists of houses, a camp ground, etc, as well as the identically named lake.

Quote:

3. Why does the writer inconsistently say 'Fallen Leaf Lake', no THE, but 'the Western Lake', with THE?

Native speakers, especially when writing or speaking informally, are frequently inconsistent.

Statutory declaration:

I, contrex, DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR, DECLARE STATE and AFFIRM that -- so help me God -- the above answers are all my own work. May I be struck dead if I am lying. Hereto I set my hand this 14th day of July in the year of our Lord twenty hundred and fourteen.

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Thank you, Contrex~

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@WBYeats,

Quote:

2. Does 'AT for non-definite;ON for definite' apply to the location of a person near a lake?

-We spent the summer in the Sierras, at Fallen Leaf Lake near Lake Tahoe.

-We spent the summer in the Sierra Mountains, at (the location known as Fallen Leaf Lake) near Lake Tahoe.

3. Why does the writer inconsistently say 'Fallen Leaf Lake', no THE, but 'the Western Lake', with THE?

As has been discussed, names of lakes, rivers, mountain, etc don`t take `the`. I thought that The Western Lake was the name given to this lake in China so I just ran with it even tho`it sounded kinda odd. My computer is back on foreign mode, sticking in all sorts of funny symbols that make zero sense to me. Here`s what happens for a question mark - É. Now what in the sam hell is that thingy for? (? mark is obtained by Shift + 6. A restart will set things straight.

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@JTT,

Quote:

names of lakes, rivers, mountain, etc don`t take `the`.

This is the first time a native speaker has told me rivers don't take THE.

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@WBYeats,

I misspoke on the river part, WB. Rivers use `the`.

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