ABSTRACT
Mandarin words do not include any features that mark their grammatical function. There fore, some Mandarin words can be used in more than one way, and 在 is one of those words. In any given sentence, 在 only has only one grammatical function, and the overall struc ture of the sentence makes it clear how 在 is being used. If 在 is followed by a noun phrase and a verb phrase, it is being used as a preposition that indicates the location where some action takes place (在 chBzhàn 上六号 xiàn get on the number 6 line at the station), or the location where something exists (在那儿 有一个电 yHngyuàn there is a movie theater there). If 在 is followed only by a noun phrase and not a verb phrase, it is being used as a verb indicating the location of some noun (gDngyuán 在 bGibiAn the park is in the north).
