Unit 03. Prepositions of place

Prepositions of Place: at, in, on

In general, we use:

* at for a POINT
* in for an ENCLOSED SPACE
* on for a SURFACE

AT : POINT

at the corner
at the bus stop
at the door
at the top of the page
at the end of the road
at the entrance
at the crossroads
at the entrance

IN : ENCLOSED SPACE

in a car
in the garden
in London
in France
in a box
in my pocket
in my wallet
in a building

ON: SURFACE

on the wall
on the ceiling
on the door
on the cover
on the floor
on the carpet
on the menu


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 at, in 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 Oxford Street on the way

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