Look at these examples to see how we use these prepositions.
Please put the book on the shelf.
They live in Helsinki.
You should keep milk in the fridge.
Mette is studying at the library.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
We can use the prepositions in, on and at to say where things are. They go before nouns.
I am in the kitchen.
My dog likes sleeping on the sofa.
The children eat lunch at school.
in
We use in to talk about a place that is inside a bigger space, such as a box, a house, a city or a country.
The clothes are in the wardrobe.
The children are playing in the park.
There's a bookshop in the shopping centre.
My grandmother was born in Sweden.
We also use in with other physical locations such as:
in the world
in water / the sea / a river / a lake / a pool
in the mountains / the countryside / a valley / the forest
in a car / a taxi
on
We use on to talk about location on a surface.
The books are on the desk.
We live on the fifth floor.
There are pictures on the wall.
She likes to sit on the floor.
We also use on for some types of public transport.
He's on the bus now.
You can't make phone calls on a plane.
They go to school on the train.
We also use on for lines (including rivers, borders, streets, etc.) and islands.
London is on the River Thames.
The Pyrenees are on the border of Spain and France.
There's a market on James Street.
I'd love to live on the Isle of Wight.
at
We use at in many common phrases, especially when we are talking about a place for a specific activity.
I'm at work.
She's working at home today.
The children are at school.
See you at the train station!
They're at the supermarket.
I met him at a party.
We also use at for addresses or exact positions.
I live at 15 Craig Street.
She's sitting at a desk.
He's waiting at the entrance.
Please sit at the back of the room.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
I'll meet my friends at the cafe in Hanoi on Friday.
Hullo teachers,
I would be grateful if you could help me with the below.
I was watching the BBC News with my friend. During the news programme we heard the below:
............as IKEA unveils its latest store on London's Oxford Street today.
My friend says in British English, it is always "in the street", so the above should be "in London's Oxford Street today".
(1) But I think the newsreader is right, because
(a) if a thing is between the left edge and the right edge of a road or street, we use "in" in British English.
(b) If it is located on or along the edge, then we can use either "on" or "in".
(c) If it is outside the edge but close to it, we use "on", which is the case regarding the position of the IKEA store mentioned above.
Do you agree with me on what I say in (a),(b) and (c) above?
(2) In the sentence read by BBC, should I have placed the fullstop between "today" and close inverted commas, or should I have placed the fullstop after the close inverted commas?
Thank you.
Hello Yornis,
When we talk about the street as an address or map location we say on with street names. This is true of buildings, statues and even moveable objects like cars:
I left the car on Buttermarket Street.
In is used most often, as you say in (a), to mean inside the boundaries of the street. It's used when we think of the street not as an address but as a physical space and so it's usually used with things that are located on the surface of the street and are non-permanent:
There's a lot of rubbish in Buttermarket Street today. Was there a parade or something?
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thanks
Hullo Peter,
Thanks for the answer. I understand your answer, but what if it is EXACTLY on the boundary of the street or road. For e.g:
"I can see a car parked on/in the road. This is not allowed."
Should I use "on" or "in"?
Hello again Yornis,
For me, 'in the road' suggests the car is not parked in a normal way but is in the middle of the road, perhaps blocking it. I would say 'on the road' or (more likely) 'by the side of the road'.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thanks
I am learning English in the study room; suddenly, a cat jumped onto my table, which made my thermos cup spill.
so nice
Hello teachers,
I would be grateful if you could help me with the below.
(1) There are two libraries IN my school.
(2) There is a food court IN this mall.
I am quite sure we can use "in" for the above two.
But is "at" an equally suitable preposition for no. (1) and (2) above?
(3) I used "is" just after "But" in the sentence just before this.
I know that the word "would" would be a right word to use there; I am just curious as to whether my using "is" there is also correct in that context ( in standard English ) . Thank you.