yon
yon — determiner
1. an old word used before a noun to point to a person or thing that is far away fr
an old word used before a noun to point to a person or thing that is far away from the speaker but still visible — for instance, 'yon hill' means 'that hill over there'
Look at yon bird on the roof of that cottage across the river.
yon + noun (bird) in a visible distant location
Yon castle on the distant ridge was built over five hundred years ago.
Do you see yon building with the red door?
The children ran toward yon tree at the edge of the field.
- this
refers to something near the speaker
文法句型
yon + noun
用法筆記
This sense is found in Northern English and Scottish dialects. In modern standard English, 'that… over there' is used instead.
常見錯誤
yon — adverb
1. an old word meaning 'at or in a place that is far away but still visible' — used
an old word meaning 'at or in a place that is far away but still visible' — used mainly in Northern English and Scottish regional speech
The village lies yon, past the old stone bridge.
verb of position (lies) + yon for location 'over there'
Asher and Diya built their cabin yon, near the mountain stream.
Linh pointed at the market and said, 'The fruit stall is yon.'
From the tower we could see the sea yon, glittering in the sunlight.
- yonder
a close synonym also archaic, but more widely recognised in literary English
- over there
the standard modern equivalent
- here
at this place, near the speaker
文法句型
verb + yon
用法筆記
In modern English, 'over there' or 'yonder' has replaced this word in nearly all contexts.
2. an old word meaning 'to or toward a place that is far away from the speaker'
an old word meaning 'to or toward a place that is far away from the speaker'
The shepherd drove the sheep yon, toward the summer pasture.
verb of motion (drove) + yon indicating direction
Come yon, and I will show you the old well behind the barn.
Vikram and Tendai journeyed yon for three days before reaching the monastery.
The children ran yon toward the dining hall at the far end of the camp when the bell rang.
- thither
an even more archaic word with the same directional meaning
- over there
can also express direction in modern English, though 'to/over there' is clearer
- hither
archaic word meaning 'to this place'
文法句型
verb + yon
用法筆記
Distinguish from adverb sense 1 ('AT DISTANCE'): sense 1 describes being at a place, while sense 2 describes movement toward that place. Cf. 'there' vs. 'thither'.
yon — adjective
- yonpositive
- yonnercomparative
- yonnestsuperlative
1. an old word describing something that is located far away from the speaker but c
an old word describing something that is located far away from the speaker but can still be seen — used before a noun
The yon peaks in the far distance were covered in snow even in late summer.
the yon + noun (peaks) describing distant visible object
We could see the yon lighthouse from our hotel window.
Hugo gazed at the yon hills, dreaming of the adventure ahead.
The yon village across the valley had no electricity or running water.
文法句型
the yon + noun
用法筆記
The key semantic difference from the determiner sense: the adjective describes a quality ('distant, remote'), while the determiner points ('that…over there'). This allows the adjective to follow 'the' or other determiners ('the yon peaks', 'those yon hills') — a position the determiner cannot occupy. Most modern speakers use 'distant' instead.
yon — pronoun
1. an old word used as a pronoun to mean 'the person or thing that is over there' —
an old word used as a pronoun to mean 'the person or thing that is over there' — it takes the place of a noun phrase
Yon at the far end of the valley is the oldest house in the whole region.
pronoun yon with location cue (at the far end) for distant reference
Choose between this basket of apples and yon.
Yon by the far hedge in the pasture are the cattle that belong to the old farmer.
I will take these apples, and you can have yon.
- this
refers to something near the speaker
文法句型
yon + be + noun phrase
用法筆記
As a pronoun, 'yon' can refer to either singular or plural without changing form. The verb (is/are) shows the number.