Upon vs. On

[Ayaka Di'rutia]

Hello,

I was hoping I would be able to get feedback on using the word "upon" or "on." Below are example phrases I'm not exactly sure about from a manuscript I'm editing and revising:

...and his green eyes alighted upon her.
...and his green eyes alighted on her.

She had imposed it upon herself anyway when she...
She had imposed it on herself anyway when she...

Which word would be proper (or more aesthetic, as the case may be) in these two scenarios? "On" or "upon"? Thanks for your feedback

 

[druidofwinter]

I would use "Upon". Not sure which is technically correct, but i think "upon" sounds better in both phrases.

 

[MFreako]

The way I see it, both words mean the same thing in the context of your sentences, “upon” being the more lofty, poetic of the two. So I’ll say the choice depends on the overall tone you’re going for in that sentence/paragraph/chapter as well as previous word choices.

Example:
…and his green eyes alighted upon her – sounds more poetic.
…and his green eyes stopped on her. – sounds more simplistic.

 

[deilaitha]

Here is what I found on (not upon, lol) dictionary.com:

Upon--prepositionUpon | Define Upon at Dictionary.com
1. up and on; upward so as to get or be on: He climbed upon his horse and rode off.
2. in an elevated position on: There is a television antenna upon every house in the neighborhood.
3. in or into complete or approximate contact with, as an attacker or an important or pressing occasion: The enemy was upon us and our soldiers had little time to escape. The Christmas holiday will soon be upon us and we have hardly begun to buy gifts. The time to take action is upon us.
4. immediately or very soon after: She went into mourning upon her husband's death.
5. on the occasion of: She was joyful upon seeing her child take his first steps.

On--preposition On | Define On at Dictionary.com
1. so as to be or remain supported by or suspended from: Put your package down on the table; Hang your coat on the hook.
2. so as to be attached to or unified with: Hang the picture on the wall. Paste the label on the package.
3. so as to be a covering or wrapping for: Put the blanket on the baby. Put aluminum foil on the lamb chops before freezing them.
4. in connection, association, or cooperation with; as a part or element of: to serve on a jury.
5. so as to be a supporting part, base, backing, etc., of: a painting on canvas; mounted on cardboard; legs on a chair.

(The entry for 'on' is much longer, but I only included the prepositional definition here since 'upon' only acts as a preposition.)

My advice is to trust your instincts. Whatever sounds or feels right is probably your best bet. Keep in mind that while, in many cases, your usage can be "correct" either way, that even little prepositions are replete with connotations. I once used "upon" in a sentence at work and my boss called me "Shakespeare" for the rest of the day. (As if that were an insult!) It is all about the effect you want to achieve.

Prepositions are funny words. If you think they are screwed up in English, study Latin--or any other language, really. It will make English prepositions seem like a cakewalk. Trying to explain a preposition across language barriers can be like trying to describe the taste of bubblegum to someone who has never had it.

Good luck with your writing! I hope you find the solution that is perfect for your needs!

 

[Butterfly]

My grammar guide says...

upon/on, with a couple of exceptions are interchangeable.

So I think, go by what you feel sounds the better.

 

[Devor]

The few times I think about it, I usually just decide that "upon" is a little stronger and gives it more emphasis.

 

[Spider]

On the other hand, you could go with neither. You could say "... and his green eyes alighted at the sight of her."

If I had to pick one, though, "upon" would be my choice. But it's whatever works best for you.

 

[Ireth]

On the other hand, you could go with neither. You could say "... and his green eyes alighted at the sight of her."

That doesn't really make sense. To alight on something is to rest on it, like a bird alighting on a tree branch; you seem to be thinking it means to light up.

 

[Spider]

That doesn't really make sense. To alight on something is to rest on it, like a bird alighting on a tree branch; you seem to be thinking it means to light up.

Yeah, sorry. I meant to say "lit up" instead of "alighted." XD

 

[Svrtnsse]

...and his green eyes alighted upon her.
...and his green eyes alighted on her.

She had imposed it upon herself anyway when she...
She had imposed it on herself anyway when she...

Which word would be proper (or more aesthetic, as the case may be) in these two scenarios? "On" or "upon"? Thanks for your feedback

I'd use settled instead of alighted and chose on/upon depending on context.
I'd use upon if his eyes settling upon her signifies an important decision of heralds and important anouncement.
I'd use on if he's just looking around at things in general as if looking for something or trying to pick one of a number of persons.

In the second case I'd go with upon. Using impose here already gives the sentence a sense of importance and using upon emphasises that even more.

 

[Ayaka Di'rutia]

I'd use upon if his eyes settling upon her signifies an important decision of heralds and important anouncement.

It actually does

Here is what I found on (not upon, lol) dictionary.com:

Awesome, thanks for looking that up! It actually cleared up some things for me.

Thanks for all the advice, everyone