I love to teach prepositions for two reasons. Number one is they are small words that are very easy to confuse. The second reason is that I always make preposition mistakes in my second language, Japanese. If I can help other language learners with this tricky grammar I’m very happy.
In the Shade or Under the Shade?
The shade is a dark and cool area that is protected from the sun. We want to be inside that cool area to stay away from the heat of the sun so we say IN the shade. If we get shade from a tree we can be UNDER the tree, but we are IN the shade.
You will find more examples of this phrase used with some common verbs, AND I’ll teach you how to pronounce this word correctly so you can start using it in your own conversations right away.
Where do you live?
Readers of my blog come from all over the world, some places cooler and some places warmer. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere it’s summer! Do you remember the meaning of hemisphere?
hemisphere – pronunciation
In the Shade
When it’s hot outside it’s good to be “out of the sun.” The sun can make us feel hot and also burn our skin if we’re not careful. On a hot sunny day, we want to be in the shade. This is today’s expression.
shade – noun – an area that is cool and dark under or behind something, under a tree, or behind a building, for example, protected from the sun’s light.
Definition from: Oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com – shade
Shade is a cool area and we want to be inside of it, so we use the preposition in. Be in the shade.
Here are some more natural example sentences of verbs with the phrase in the shade.
- “It’s so hot today, let’s get in the shade.”
- “Tanya came to the park early. She already got a spot in the shade.”
- “We like to set up our picnic under a tree in the shade. It’s more comfortable.”
- “Kevin is setting up over there in the shade.”
- “My friend will meet us here in 15 minutes. We should wait over there in the shade.”
- A: Sorry I’m late.
B: It’s okay, I waited in the shade so I wasn’t too hot.
- “I like sitting in the shade under an umbrella on a cafe patio and drinking ice coffee. That’s a perfect summer’s day for me.”
- “Is it hot yet where you live? Where is a good place to sit in the shade?”
I also learned something from my students here in Japan. (This is one of the advantages of being an active English teacher, live feedback!) The word shade can be easy to mispronounce if you have never heard it. If you only read the word, the sound is not so clear.
Shade – Pronunciation
Here is the sound shade makes:
SH is like “Shhh….! This is a library, please be quiet.”
ADE is like AID “I cut my finger and now I need a band-aid.”
“It’s hot and sunny today so let’s put our picnic blanket in the shade under that big tree.”
Under the shade
Under the shade of something is possible but it is not as common (for me.)
- “His dog was sleeping under the shade of the apple tree in his backyard.”
In The Shade – Music Video
I found a song on YouTube called In The Shade. (I think there are a few songs called “In the Shade.”) The pronunciation of shade is long in this song because the word is sung not spoken. << Sha~de >>
I hope it’s helpful!
