In, on or at for place?
In surrounds, on touches, at pinpoints. Where two of them fit, the one you pick says how you are looking at the place.
The short answer
Use in for somewhere enclosed — in the box, in Paris. Use on for a surface or a line — on the table, on the wall. Use at for a point, an address or an event — at the door, at work, at a concert.
Which one do you need?
| Relation | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| inside an area or volume | in | in the kitchen, in Spain, in the car |
| touching a surface | on | on the shelf, on the floor, on the wall |
| a point, address or event | at | at the bus stop, at 42 King St, at a wedding |
| public transport | on | on the bus, on the train, on a plane |
| a private car | in | in the car, in a taxi |
Practice the choice
Loading…
Getting your first question ready.
Side by side
Three sentences for each form, taken from the 457 sentences this drill uses. The answer is highlighted.
in
- The photographs are in a thick album.
- We took a walk in the park, following the path that runs beside the river.
- The cat is hiding in the box we brought back from the store, and we cannot see her at all.
on
- The photo frame was placed on the shelf.
- He hung his coat on the hook by the stairs.
- The school is on the corner, its railings running the length of both streets.
at
- We will meet at the office tomorrow and go on to the client together.
- We met at the cafe as arranged, though it turned out to be closed for the holiday.
- We will meet at the park and decide from there whether to go in or carry on to the river.
Three ways of seeing the same place
The choice is less about the place than about how you are treating it:
- in — somewhere with edges you are inside of: in the room, in the garden, in Italy
- on — a surface, a line or a list: on the roof, on the river, on page 4
- at — a single point, with no interest in its shape: at the station, at the crossroads
A café can take all three. In the café means inside it. At the café means there, as a meeting point. On the café would mean on its roof.
Where two of them fit
at school / in school. At school means on the premises; in school means in education, which in American English covers university too.
in the corner / at the corner / on the corner. In the corner is inside a room. At the corner is where two streets meet. On the corner is the building that stands there.
in the front / at the front. In the front of a car means the front seats. At the front of a queue means the head of it.
arrive in / arrive at. Arrive in a city or country; arrive at a building, a station, an event. Never arrive to.
Transport
A rule learners rarely expect, because the logic breaks:
- on the bus, the train, the plane, the ship, a bike, a horse
- in a car, a taxi, a van, a small boat, a helicopter
The pattern is roughly size: if you walk about inside it, it takes on; if you sit down and stay put, in.
Addresses
The preposition narrows with the address:
in Spain → in Madrid → on Calle Mayor (American English; British English says in Calle Mayor) → at 14 Calle Mayor
The full address with a number always takes at.
Fixed phrases with at
at home, at work, at school, at university, at the doctor’s, at a party, at a concert, at the top, at the bottom
Several of these are events rather than places, and events take at.
Fixed phrases with on
on the left, on the right, on the way, on the coast, on the beach, on a farm, on the road, on the page, on the menu, on television
For these three prepositions used about time, see in, on or at for time.
Mistakes to avoid
Wrong: She's in the bus. correct: She's on the bus.
Buses, trains, planes and ships take on. Cars and taxis take in.
Wrong: I live at Berlin. correct: I live in Berlin.
Towns and countries are areas, so they take in. At goes with a precise point or an address.
Wrong: He's standing in the door. correct: He's standing at the door.
At the door means by it. In the doorway would mean inside the opening itself.
Wrong: The picture is in the wall. correct: The picture is on the wall.
On means touching the surface. In the wall would mean buried inside it.