Prepositions of place can be difficult - here's some help about using 'at', 'in' and 'on' when you're talking about where things are.
Basics:
If something is contained inside a box or a wide flat area, we use ‘in’:
in the newspaper | in a house |
in a cup | in a drawer |
in a bottle | in a bag |
in bed | in a car |
in London | in England |
in a book | in a pub |
in a field | in the sea |
in my stomach | in a river |
If something is on a line or a horizontal or vertical surface, we use ‘on’:
on the table | on the wall |
on the floor | on the window |
on my face | on a plate |
on the page | on the sofa |
on a chair | on a bag |
on the river | on a t-shirt |
on the ceiling | on a bottle |
on a bike | on his foot |
If something is at a point, (it could be a building) we use ‘at’:
at the airport | at the door |
at the table | at the bus stop |
at the cinema | at the top |
at the bottom | at the pub |
at the traffic lights | at the front |
at the back | at school |
at university | at the window |
at the hospital | at the piano |
Here are some more common ones that don't really fit:
- on TV
- on the bus
- on a train
- on a plane
- on the radio
- at home
- at work
Click here to download this explanation as a pdf.
Try an exercise about prepositions of place
here.
Try another one here.