Prepositions of Place – At, On, In
We use at, on and in to say where something or somebody is. Compare them in these examples:
- The children are in the classroom.
- There is a picture on the wall.
- I'll meet you at the bus stop.
A simple rule is:
- in → inside a space or a larger area
- on → touching a surface
- at → a point or a specific place
In = inside
We use in when something is inside a space, an area or a larger place such as a town or a country.
- rooms and buildings: in the kitchen, in the bookshop
- towns, countries and regions: in the town, in Italy, in the south of England
- larger natural areas: swimming in the sea, in the river, dark clouds in the sky
- containers: in the bag, the eggs in the fridge
On = touching a surface
We use on when something touches or lies along a surface.
- surfaces: a spider on the wall, on the ceiling, on the floor, sitting on the grass, a book on the table
- levels and platforms: on the balcony, on the third floor, on the roof
- transport: on the bus, on the train, on a bike, on a plane
! but with small, private vehicles, we use in:
- in a car, in a taxi
At = a point or specific place
We use at for an exact point or a place where we do a particular activity.
- points and meeting places: at the bus stop, at the traffic lights, at the station, at the end of the road
- events and activities: at the party, to meet friends at the concert, at the tennis match
- somebody's home or a workplace: at Mike's, at the doctor's
- fixed places without the: at home, at work, at university
Fixed expressions
Some common phrases do not follow the general rules and are best learned by heart.
- in bed, in hospital (British English), in prison
- in the picture / in the photograph, in the newspaper
- in the world, the best player in the world
- on the way home, at the top / at the bottom of the page
Quick reference
- in → inside or in an area
in a room, in Spain - on → on a surface
on the table, on the wall - at → a point or specific place
at the station, at home
