N
nnyy
Senior Member
Japanese
- Jul 19, 2016
- #1
i am holding something in/ on my hand.
which preposition is correct?
Thank you for your help. 
C
Cagey
post mod (English Only / Latin)
California
English - US
- Jul 19, 2016
- #2
I am holding something 'in my hand' is what we say.
If something is 'on my hand', it is on the surface of your hand. For instance, a bird might land on your hand, or you might have dirt on your hand.
SwissPete
Senior Member
94044 USA
Français (CH), AE (California)
- Jul 19, 2016
- #3
But in a different context, you can say: "I have time on my hands" (note the plural).
The following two threads explain the expression:
have an awful lot of free time on your hands.
he has all this time on his hands
99bottles
Senior Member
Greek
- Mar 12, 2022
- #4
Cagey said:
I am holding something 'in my hand' is what we say.
Is there any difference between hold something in my hand and hold something with my hand?
elroy
Moderator: EHL, Arabic, Hebrew, German(-Spanish)
Chicago, IL
US English, Palestinian Arabic bilingual
- Mar 12, 2022
- #5
99bottles said:
Is there any difference between hold something in my hand and hold something with my hand?
Yes, a huge one.
I’m holding a grape in my hand.
I’m holding the railing with my hand.
99bottles
Senior Member
Greek
- Mar 12, 2022
- #6
elroy said:
Yes, a huge one.
I’m holding a grape in my hand.
I’m holding the railing with my hand.
I know, but on Google Books, there are countless sentences where hold something in one's hand, is used with objects that are not small enough to be enclosed by the hand. E.g.
In his other hand, he was holding a knife/gun/newspaper etc.
elroy
Moderator: EHL, Arabic, Hebrew, German(-Spanish)
Chicago, IL
US English, Palestinian Arabic bilingual
- Mar 12, 2022
- #7
They don’t have to be enclosed by the hand. The difference is that “with” means that your hand is being used as a means to an end.
I held the newspaper in my hand as I rushed to the bus stop.
I held the newspaper with my hand to keep it from flying off the table.
99bottles
Senior Member
Greek
- Mar 12, 2022
- #8
elroy said:
They don’t have to be enclosed by the hand. The difference is that “with” means that your hand is being used as a means to an end.
I held the newspaper in my hand as I rushed to the bus stop.
I held the newspaper with my hand to keep it from flying off the table.
So, essentially, they mean the same but they emphasize different parts of the meaning. Right?
Gioacchino
Senior Member
Italy
Italian
- Jul 3, 2022
- #9
How about a weapon like a sword or a spear, can you hold it in your hand during a fight? Can you hold it in your hand to carry it around? Thank you
Wordy McWordface
Senior Member
SSBE (Standard Southern British English)
- Jul 3, 2022
- #10
Gioacchino said:
How about a weapon like a sword or a spear, can you hold it in your hand during a fight? Can you hold it in your hand to carry it around? Thank you
Yes, definitely. "In" would be the normal preposition to use here. Did you have an alternative in mind?
Gioacchino
Senior Member
Italy
Italian
- Jul 3, 2022
- #11
Wordy McWordface said:
Yes, definitely. "In" would be the normal preposition to use here. Did you have an alternative in mind?
I was thinking of "with"
Wordy McWordface
Senior Member
SSBE (Standard Southern British English)
- Jul 3, 2022
- #12
We would only use "with" if there were something unusual about this use of your hand or if there were some reasonable alternative. For example, you might talk about giving a signal with your hand, if you were in charge of a vehicle with no automatic signals. If you are just stating that someone is holding an object in a normal manner, you would say that they are holding it in their hand. "With" would not work in this context.
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