Page 217 - Advanced English Grammar in Use

A t , i n a n d o n : p r e p o s i t i o n s o f p l a c e

We use at to talk about a place we think of as a point rather than an area, and about an event
where there is a group of people:
• I arrived at New Street Station at 7.30. • We were waiting at the far end of the room.
• We last met at the conference in Italy. • There were very few people at Joan's party.
We use on to talk about a position touching a flat surface, or on something we think of as a line
such as a road or river:
• Is that a spider on the ceiling} (Notice we also say 'on the wall/floor')
• She owns a house on the Swan River.
We use in to talk about a position within a larger area, or something within a larger space:
) • There's been another big forest fire in California.
* • She looked again in her bag and, to her relief, there were her keys.

D Also study how at, in, and on are used in these sentences:
• My dream is to play at Wembley Stadium. - seen as a point
• Didn't I see you in/at the pool yesterday? - either seen as within the pool itself, or as a
building which is a point in town
• He lives in Perth. - within the city
• We stopped in/at Milan, Florence and - we use at when we see the cities as points
Pisa on our way to Rome. on a journey, and in when we see them as
enclosed areas where we stayed for some time
• They were a great success in/at - we can use at when we use a place name
Edinburgh. instead of an institution or event - here, the
Edinburgh Festival; in suggests the city
• He's in Los Angeles on business. - staying or living there
• He's at Manchester studying Linguistics. - a student at Manchester University
• She works at Marks and Spencer. - the name of a particular organisation
• She works in a shoe shop. - the kind of place

• I stopped at the shop on the way home. - we use at to talk about buildings such as the
• I was in the bank when in came Sue. dentist's, the supermarket, the bank, school,
(Notice we say: T work on a farm', but T etc.; we use in to emphasise that we mean
work in a factory.') inside the building

• I read the paper in the taxi on the way. - for travel using taxis and cars
• I'll probably go on the bus. - for travel using bus, coach, plane, or train;
but we use in if we want to emphasise inside
the bus, etc.

9 We usually use at before an address and in or on before the name of a road:
* • They've opened an office at 28 Lees Road. • The church is in/on Park Road.
However, we sometimes use on instead of in when we talk about long streets or roads:
• The town is on the Pacific Highway.
We can use at instead of in when we use a street name to refer to an institution in that street:
• There was an important meeting of ministers at Downing Street today.
But notice that we say 'on Wall Street' to mean the financial institution.
Compare:
• I'll meet you on the corner of the street, and • The lamp was in the corner of the room.
At, in, on: time