Saturday, June 11, 2011

Prepositions of Place (in-on-at)

Prepositions of Place: at, in, on

     In general, we use:
  • at for a POINT
  • in for an ENCLOSED SPACE
  • on for a SURFACE
at
in
on
POINT
ENCLOSED SPACE
SURFACE
at the corner
in the garden
on the wall
at the bus stop
in London
on the ceiling
at the door
in France
on the door
at the top of the page
in a box
on the cover
at the end of the road
in my pocket
on the floor
at the entrance
in my wallet
on the carpet
at the crossroads
in a building
on the menu
at the front desk
in a car
on a page

Look at these examples:
  • Jane is waiting for you at the bus stop.
  • The shop is at the end of the street.
  • My plane stopped at Dubai and Hanoi and arrived in Bangkok two hours late.
  • When will you arrive at the office?
  • Do you work in an office?
  • I have a meeting in New York.
  • Do you live in Japan?
  • Jupiter is in the Solar System.
  • The author's name is on the cover of the book.
  • There are no prices on this menu.
  • You are standing on my foot.
  • There was a "no smoking" sign on the wall.
  • I live on the 7th floor at 21 Oxford Street in London.
Notice the use of the prepositions of place atin and on in these standard expressions:

at
in
on
at home
in a car
on a bus
at work
in a taxi
on a train
at school
in a helicopter
on a plane
at university
in a boat
on a ship
at college
in a lift (elevator)
on a bicycle, on a motorbike
at the top
in the newspaper
on a horse, on an elephant
at the bottom
in the sky
on the radio, on television
at the side
in a row
on the left, on the right
at reception
in (on) Oxford Street
on the way

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