How to Use Prepositions At On In Visual Vocabulary Lesson
Hi, I’m Daniel.
Welcome to Oxford Online English!
In this lesson, you can learn how to use the
prepositions ‘at’, ‘on’ and ‘in’
to talk about where something is.
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They’re in the kitchen.
She’s putting the lettuce in a bowl.
Use ‘in’ for rooms and indoor spaces.
For example: ‘in the living room’, ‘in
the apartment’, ‘in my bedroom’.
Also, use ‘in’ for containers and enclosed
spaces.
For example: ‘in the bowl’, ‘in the
box’, ‘in your pocket’.
I live in Seattle, in the north west of the
USA.
Use ‘in’ for cities and countries: ‘in
Brazil’, ‘in Paris’, ‘in China’,
and so on.
Also, use ‘in’ plus ‘north’, ‘south’,
‘east’ or ‘west’.
For example: ‘She lives in the south of
Spain.’
‘Thailand is in Southeast Asia.’
We stayed in a small hotel in the centre of
Venice.
Use ‘in’ with establishments and businesses.
For example: ‘in the shop’, ‘in a restaurant’,
or ‘in the supermarket’.
Sometimes, ‘at’ is also possible here,
with a similar meaning.
You’ll see the exact difference in part
three, when we talk about using ‘at’.
You also say ‘in the centre’ or ‘in
the middle’.
Here’s another example.
In the picture, there are three purple flowers
in the middle.
Use ‘in’ to talk about media.
For example: ‘in a picture’, ‘in this
photograph’, ‘in the film’.
Luckily, there was no one in the car when
it sank in the water.
Use ‘in’ with cars and taxis.
With most other transport, use ‘on’.
You also use ‘in’ to mean ‘surrounded
by a material’.
For example: ‘in the air’, ‘in the sea’,
‘in a thick sauce’.
She goes running in the park every morning.
We went for a walk in the countryside.
You use ‘in’ to talk about many outdoor
spaces.
You can use ‘in’ for smaller, enclosed
spaces.
For example: ‘in the park’, ‘in a field’
or ‘in the garden’.
You can also use ‘in’ for larger, more
open spaces.
For example: ‘in the countryside’, ‘in
the sky’, or ‘in the world’.
While eating breakfast, he felt a pain in
his stomach.
Use ‘in’ to talk about things which are
enclosed by part of your body.
You can hold something in your hand.
If you eat too much sugar, you’ll get toothache
– a pain in your tooth.
She had to stay in hospital for a few days
after the operation.
There are some fixed phrases with ‘in’
that don’t follow a clear pattern.
The most useful are ‘in bed’, ‘in hospital’
and ‘in prison’.
Try to remember these three!
I was waiting in the queue for over an hour.
Finally, use ‘in’ to talk about things
which are in a line
For example: ‘We sat on the floor in a row.’
‘He arranged his tools in a neat line.’
This also works if you arrange things into
a shape.
For example: ‘We set out the chairs in a
circle.’
Now, you’ve seen all the common ways to
use ‘in’ as a preposition of place.
Next, what about ‘on’?
He took the fruit and arranged it on the tray.
Use ‘on’ when something is on top of a
surface.
For example: ‘on the floor’, ‘on the
shelf’, or ‘on the kitchen counter’.
He hung his jacket on the wall.
You can use ‘on’ with all kinds of surfaces
– not just horizontal ones.
For example: ‘She has a small spot on her
nose.’
‘He spilled coffee on his shirt.’
He’s sitting on the sofa, on the right.
Use ‘on’ with furniture.
For example: ‘on the bed’, ‘on my desk’,
or ‘on a chair’.
The book had a blue cover, with nothing written
on it.
Use ‘on’ with print media.
For example: ‘on page one’, ‘on the
menu’, or ‘on the map’.
We stayed on a small island.
You use ‘on’ with many geographical features,
like islands, mountains, beaches and so on.
I went there on my motorbike.
Use ‘on’ with transport which you sit
on top of: bicycles, motorbikes and horses.
You also use ‘on’ with public transport
and boats.
So, you say ‘on the plane’, ‘on the
bus’, ‘on the boat’ and ‘on the ferry’.
Here’s one more example:
He’s sitting on the train and talking on
the phone.
Here, there’s another use of ‘on’.
Do you know why you say ‘on the phone’?
Use ‘on’ to talk about using devices.
You say ‘on the phone’, ‘on the internet’,
or ‘on the Xbox’.
The restaurant is on the top floor, overlooking
the river.
Finally, use ‘on’ with floors.
You say ‘on the ground floor’, ‘on the
second floor’, ‘on the fifth floor’,
and so on.
Finally, let’s see how you can use ‘at’.
“I’m at the airport, just waiting to board.”
‘At’ is often used with public places.
For example, you can say ‘at the cinema’
or ‘at the mall’.
‘At’ in this case can mean that you’re
inside the place, or just near it.
Often, in these cases it’s possible to use
‘in’ or ‘at’ with no difference in
meaning.
You can say ‘I’m in the supermarket’
or ‘I’m at the supermarket’; both are
correct and commonly used.
There might be a small difference.
If you want to emphasise that you’re inside
a building, then use ‘in’.
If you’re outdoors, then use ‘at’.
They sat at the table and discussed what to
do next.
‘At’ can mean ‘next to’.
Let’s see a couple more examples: ‘Someone’s
at the door.
Can you answer it?’
‘I was waiting at the bus stop for half
an hour’.
I was at a conference for most of last week.
Use ‘at’ with events.
You can say ‘at a meeting’, ‘at their
wedding’ or ‘at his birthday party’.
She’s at the dentist’s for a cleaning.
Use ‘at’ with people’s homes or offices.
You can say ‘I was at Tim’s house yesterday’
or ‘We’ll be at Sasha’s place for dinner
tonight’.
My brother’s at university, studying history.
There are a few fixed phrases with ‘at’
that it’s better just to memorise.
The most important ones are ‘at home’,
‘at work’, ‘at school’, ‘at college’
and ‘at university’.
Note that you never use an article, like
‘a’ or ‘the’, in the phrases ‘at
home’ and ‘at work’, and you generally
don’t use an article when you say ‘at
school’, ‘at college’ or ‘at university’.
At the end of her presentation, they gave
her a round of applause.
Use ‘at’ to talk about position or time
with phrases like ‘at the end of’, ‘at
the beginning of’, ‘at the top of’ or
‘at the bottom of’.
For example: ‘Please read and follow the
instructions at the top of the page.’
There’s one exception here: if you’re
talking about two separate objects, then use
‘on top of’.
For example: ‘My suitcase is on top of the
wardrobe’.
I live at 13 Crinklewell Crescent.
Finally, use ‘at’ with house numbers,
for example if you’re giving your address.
Now, you know many ways to use ‘in’, ‘on’
and ‘at’ as prepositions of place.
Don’t forget to visit our website and test
your skills with the quiz!
There are a few less common uses of ‘in’,
‘on’ and ‘at’ – and a few exceptions
– which we haven’t mentioned in this video.
Do you know any?
Share your ideas in the comments!
See you next time!