Prepositions "On," "At," and "In"

[abramov_maxxim]

Copyright by talkenglish.com

On
Used to express a surface of something:

• I put an egg on the kitchen table.
• The paper is on my desk.

Used to specify days and dates:

• The garbage truck comes on Wednesdays.
• I was born on the 14th day of June in 1988.

Used to indicate a device or machine, such as a phone or computer:

• He is on the phone right now.
• She has been on the computer since this morning.
• My favorite movie will be on TV tonight.

Used to indicate a part of the body:

• The stick hit me on my shoulder.
• He kissed me on my cheek.
• I wear a ring on my finger.

Used to indicate the state of something:

• Everything in this store is on sale.
• The building is on fire.

At
Used to point out specific time:

• I will meet you at 12 p.m.
• I will meet you at noon.
• The bus will stop here at 5:45 p.m.

Used to indicate a place:

• There is a party at the club house.
• There were hundreds of people at the park.
• We saw a baseball game at the stadium.

Used to indicate an email address:

• Please email me at abc@defg.com.

Used to indicate an activity:

• He laughed at my acting.
• I am good at drawing a portrait.

In
Used for unspecific times during a day, month, season, year:

• She always reads newspapers in the morning. (but 'at night')
• In the summer, we have a rainy season for three weeks.
• The new semester will start in March.

Used to indicate a location or place:

• She looked me directly in the eyes.
• I am currently staying in a hotel.
• My hometown is Los Angeles, which is in California.

Used to indicate a shape, color, or size:

• This painting is mostly in blue.
• The students stood in a circle.
• This jacket comes in four different sizes.

Used to express while doing something:

• In preparing for the final report, we revised the tone three times.
• A catch phrase needs to be impressive in marketing a product.

Used to indicate a belief, opinion, interest, or feeling:

• I believe in the next life.
• We are not interested in gambling.

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In general, we use:

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

at
POINT

in
ENCLOSED SPACE

on
SURFACE

at the corner
in the garden
on the wall

at the bus stop
in London
on the ceiling

at the door
in France
on the door

at the top of the page
in a box
on the cover

at the end of the road
in my pocket
on the floor

at the entrance
in my wallet
on the carpet

at the crossroads
in a building
on the menu

at the front desk
in a car
on a page

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