Dear SY:

You wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I’d like to knoe the difference between “On the
> grass” AND “in the grass” phrases?
>
“On” means “on top of”; “in” means “inside.”

A common English expression is “a snake in the grass.” The means the snake is concealed in the grass or hiding in the grass.

A person normally lies on the grass–lying down on top of the grass. However, it is possible to say that someone lies in the grass if the grass is tall and the person is partially or completely hidden in the grass. Then he is no longer on (i.e., on top of) the grass but in it.

>Thank u soooo much for the reply!
>
> I have found out some sentences from the web (grammar sites) which use
> ‘on the grass’ and ‘in the grass’ phrases!
>
> If you can please be kind enough to go through them and make a small
> comment on why they use that relavent phase.
>
> These are some sentences:
> 1) As the little prince cries in the grass, a fox appears.
> 2) They sat down in the grass.
> 3) The football player is laying the football in the grass.
>
1. The grass must have been tall, which is likely because foxes are stealthy and would are not usually found in short grass.
2. Very unusual. The grass must have been tall. I suspect it should be “on the grass.”
3. Even more unusual because football is usually played on short grass or no grass at all. I am pretty sure it should be “on the grass.”

> 4) You can walk anywhere on the grass.
> 5) Teacher talking with his students on the grass.
> 6) we go outside and sit on the grass to admire the full moon.
4-6. All three are normal usage. All three would likely happen on a lawn with short grass and would be unlikely or impossible if they were “in” grass.

> Again James, a BIIIIIIG THANK for u! 🙂
>
> So is it the same scenario for difference between ‘ON THE FIELD’ and
> ‘IN THE FIELD’ phases??

I guess so, but usually “in the field” would refer to a field that has an enclosure. You would say, for example, “the cow is in the field” or “in the pasture,” but that would be because the field is a defined space, and the cow is inside that defined space. The expression “in the field” is more common because it can be used that way, while “grass” is vegetation, not a defined area.

You would still use “on the field” to describe an object or person that is placed on a field, especially if the speaker is in the field himself. So in football, a foul or penalty is called if a team has twelve players on the field.