Your Grammar Teacher: do we be "on alert or at alert?"
Habeeb Waliyu
Collocation is one of the key aspects that points at the level of grammaticality in English language
Do you be "at alert or be on alert"
It's mostly said that: you must be "at alert," which is ungrammatical.
Its correct to say: you must be "on alert."
What does it mean to be "on the alert?"
1. To know about or understand something especially danger or problem.
2. To also think quickly or to give attention to what is happening
3. A situation in which people are watching for danger and ready to deal with it.
Examples:
1. Troops in the vicinity are put on alert
2. Police are warning the public to be on the alert for suspicious packages.
3. You need to be on alert for his arrival.
It should be noted that you can also be on full alert.
E.g. All our border points are on full alert
The word 'alert' can also function as a verb in a sentence.
Examples:
1. She had been alerted before the incident happened.
2. I will alert you when I return.
3. The school management alerted the police when the riot started.
"Alert" can also function as an adjective:
Examples:
1.Jack was as mentally alert as a man half his age.
2. We must be alert to the possibility of danger.
3. She was alert to the slightest move.
We need to be grammatically inclined
Collocation is one of the key aspects that points at the level of grammaticality in English language
Do you be "at alert or be on alert"
It's mostly said that: you must be "at alert," which is ungrammatical.
Its correct to say: you must be "on alert."
What does it mean to be "on the alert?"
1. To know about or understand something especially danger or problem.
2. To also think quickly or to give attention to what is happening
3. A situation in which people are watching for danger and ready to deal with it.
Examples:
1. Troops in the vicinity are put on alert
2. Police are warning the public to be on the alert for suspicious packages.
3. You need to be on alert for his arrival.
It should be noted that you can also be on full alert.
E.g. All our border points are on full alert
The word 'alert' can also function as a verb in a sentence.
Examples:
1. She had been alerted before the incident happened.
2. I will alert you when I return.
3. The school management alerted the police when the riot started.
"Alert" can also function as an adjective:
Examples:
1.Jack was as mentally alert as a man half his age.
2. We must be alert to the possibility of danger.
3. She was alert to the slightest move.
We need to be grammatically inclined
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