At, in, on: Prepositions of place

At, in, on: Prepositions of place

Exercise 2

Choose the correct prepositions of place (at, in, on) to complete the sentences.

At, in, on: Prepositions of place

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At

At a point

We use at to refer to a point near something.

• Can you see that car at the traffic light? (=The car is at a point near the traffic light)
• Who is that man at the door? (=The man is at a point near the door)

At the top of/at the bottom of/at the end of

We use at in the expressions at the top of, at the bottom of and at the end of.

• She is at the top of the stairs. 
• Please sign at the bottom of the page.
• The new café is at the end of the street. 

Group activities

We use at to refer to group activities like parties, concerts, and other events.

• We were at the cinema. 
• I didn’t see you at Jackie’s party. 
• We met at a concert. 

At + school/university/college

We normally use at with school, university and college.

• He is at school every morning until 12. 
• I’m studying at Oxford University.

Be at home/work

We say be at home/at work (without the)

• She’s at home.
• She’s at the home.
• I’ll be at work all morning. 
• I’ll be at the work all morning. 

At the shop

We use at to refer to shops, restaurants, cafés, etc.

• I’m at the bakery. 
• If you are at the chemist’s, can you buy some aspirin?

In

In a 3D space

We use in to refer to a position inside of a three-dimensional space.

• The book is in the bag. 
• She is waiting in the classroom. 

In a space with limits

We also use in for areas that have limits or boundaries, like continents, countries, cities, regions, etc.

• We are in France. 
• I love the houses in the Alps.

In a car

We use in for cars and vans.

• They are in the car.

For travel, compare ‘by car’ and ‘in our car’ in our dictionary entry on car.

In the water

We also use in when something is in the water: in the sea, in the river, in the swimming pool, etc.

• The kids have fun in the swimming pool. 

In a picture, in a book

We also use in for things that are printed in books, pictures, documents, etc.

• Who’s that woman in the picture?
• Does it say anything about the concert in the newspaper?

On

On a surface

We use on to refer to a position on a surface.

• The book is on the table. 

On the first/second/etc. floor

We use on to refer to floors in a building.

• The office is on the third floor. 

On the right/left

We use on in the expressions on the right and on the left.

• The office is on the third floor on the left. 

On the bus/train/plane

We use on when we are using public transport: on the bus, on a train, on a plane, etc.

• She’s on the bus right now. 

On TV/the radio/the Internet/a website

We use on when we read, see or learn something in the media.

• I saw it on TV last night.
• I learned it on the internet.

For the difference between ‘on TV’ and ‘on the TV’, see our dictionary entry on TV.