A Quick Guide to Prepositions of Place

Image courtesy of Sergey Sokolov via Flickr (CC 2.0)

 

A preposition of place shows the location of someone or something. Three of the most commonly used ones in this category are at, on and in.

 

When to use at

Use at when referring to the specific position where someone or something is located.

 

Used to refer to	Example
addresses	at 39 Lake Road | at 221B Baker Street
a specific location	at the bus stop | at the railway station | at the airport
a meeting point	We decided to meet at the club. | Let’s meet at the mall.
a place of study	She’s studying at Glasgow University.
someone’s shop or house	I’m at the grocer’s. | I’m at the dentist’s. | I’m at Katie’s.
group activities	at a conference | at a party | at a rock concert | at a wedding
a large place when we consider it to be a point in a journey	Our plane stopped at Dubai for refuelling before landing in Zurich.

 

 

When to use on

Use on to indicate someone or something is located on a surface.

 

Used to refer to	Example
travel via public transport	on a bus | on a train | on the metro | on a plane | on a ship
travel using horses or two-wheelers	on a cycle | on a motorbike | on a scooter | on a horse
pages in a book	on the first page | on page 23
the number of the floor	on the ground floor | on the eight floor
position by a lake, sea, road, street, etc.	London is on the Thames. | They used to live on Orchard Street.
something that is in contact with a surface	on the wall | on the table | on the floor | on the ceiling

 

When to use in

Use in to show that someone or something is in an enclosed space.

 

Used to refer to	Example
large areas	in Paris | in France | in Europe | in the desert | in the woods
three-dimensional space	in the office | in a supermarket | in a flat | in a house
cars, small private aircrafts, boats, etc.	in a car | in a taxi | in a boat | in a helicopter

 

Remember, you cannot do without prepositions of place if you wish to use English accurately.