Prepositions
expressing spatial relations are of two kinds: prepositions of location and
prepositions of direction. Prepositions of location appear with verbs
describing states or conditions, especially be; prepositions of
direction appear with verbs of motion. This grammar point deals with
prepositions of location that sometimes cause difficulty: AT, ON,
and IN.
The
grammar point is divided into two sections. The first explains the spatial
relationships expressed by the three prepositions. The second examines more
closely the uses of IN and ON.
Prepositions
differ according to the number of dimensions they refer to. We can group them
into three classes using concepts from geometry: point, surface, and area or
volume.
Prepositions
in this group indicate that the noun that follows them is treated as a point
in relation to which another object is positioned.
Prepositions
in this group indicate that the position of an object is defined with respect
to a surface on which it rests.
Prepositions
in this group indicate that an object lies within the boundaries of an area or
within the confines of a volume.
In
light of these descriptions, AT, ON, and IN can be
classified as follows:
Ø
At.... a point
Ø
On.... surface
Ø
In .... area/volume
The
meanings of the three prepositions can be illustrated with some sample
sentences:
Ø
My car is AT the house (the
sentence locates a car in relation to a house, understood as a fixed point).
Ø
There is a new roof ON the house (the sentence treats the house as a
surface upon which another object, the roof, is placed)
Ø
Her house is IN Provence (locates
the house within a geographical area.)
All
of these sentences answer a question of the form, "Where is _______?"
but each gives different information.
AT
calls for further
comment. Because it is the least specific of the prepositions in its spatial
orientation, it has a great variety of uses. Here are some of them:
Ø
Tom is waiting AT the bank (the bank can be understood as a point
defining Tom's location)
Ø
Mary spent the whole afternoon AT the fair ( It makes less sense
to think of a fair as a point since fairs are usually spread out over a
fairly large area.)
Ø
We arrived AT the house (at exhibits its cause/effect
relationship with to, which cannot be used here: arrival AT a
place is the result of going to it)
Ø
The waiter was AT our table immediatly.
Ø
The dog jumped AT my face and scared me.
These
two last sentences show that with certain verbs of motion AT may be used
with the same meaning as its directional counterpart TO, that is, direction
toward something
1.
Nouns denoting enclosed spaces, such as a field
or a window, take both ON and IN. The prepositions have their
normal meanings with these nouns: ON is used when the space is
considered as a surface, IN when the space is presented as an area:
Ø
Three players are playnig ON the field. (surface)
Ø
The cows are grazing IN the fields (area).
Ø
The frost made patters ON the window ( surface).
Notice
that IN implies that the field is enclosed, whereas ON
implies only that the following noun denotes a surface and not necessarily an
enclosed area:
Ø
The cows are grazing IN the pasture ( enclosed by a fence)
Ø
The cows are grazing ON the open range ( not enclosed by a
fence).
Ø
Three players are ON the basketball court ( not enclosed)
2.
When the area has metaphorical instead of actual boundaries, such as when field
means "academic discipline," IN is used:
She is a leading researcher IN the bioengineering field.
3.
Several common uses of IN and ON occur with street. The first two
follow the general pattern of IN and ON usage. The third is an
idiom that must be learned as a unit
Ø
The children are playing IN the street (the street is understood
as an area enclosed by the sidewalks on either side.).
Ø
Our house is ON Third Street. (Here ON locates the
house on either side of Third Street: it doesn't mean that the street is a
surface on which the house sits. Because the street is understood as a line next
to which the house is situated, ON functions much like AT in
its normal use: it locates the house in relation to the street but does not
specify the exact address. For that purpose, AT is used because
the address is like a particular point on the line)
Ø
He declared bankruptcy last week, and now he's out ON the street (out
on the street is an idiom meaning "poor" or
"destitute.").
Ø
IN the car
Ø
ON the
bus
Ø
ON the
plane
Ø
ON the
train
Ø
ON the
ship
Some speakers of English
make a further distinction for public modes of transportation, using IN
when the carrier is stationary and ON when it is in motion.
Ø
My wife stayed IN/ON the bus while I got out at the rest stop.
Ø
The passengers sat IN/ON
the plane awaiting takeoff.
Important expressions to remember |
|
at |
in |
on |
|
POINT |
ENCLOSED SPACE |
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 entrance |
in a car |
on a page |
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 |
EXERCISE
I :
1. Will you wait for
me ------ the bus stop?
2. Jane is ------
her bedroom.
3. Daria's books are
lying ------ the floor.
4. The girls didn't want
to spend a long time ----- the
carnival.
5. I let the cat sit
----- my lap, but then suddenly it
jumped ----- my face!
6. Do you live -----
the city or ----- the
country?
7. Trent arrived -----
the school building just in time.
8. The rancher built a
fence to keep his cows -----
the pasture.
9. Kevin and Mack are
out practicing ------ the football field.
10. From afar,
Heathcliff could see a light ----- the window.
11. The old house had so
much grime ------ the windows that Bradley could hardly
see inside.
12. The shepherd boy
grazed his flock ----- the grassy hillside.
13. The audience threw
tomatoes ------ the terrible comedian.
14. Wrestling isn't
real; those guys ------ the
ring are just pretending.
15. David works ------- the field of network
administration.
16. The car stalled and
got stuck------ the street.
17. Audrey lives ----- Third Street.
18. If William doesn't
make any money on his book, he'll be out
----- the street.
19. I'll use my cellular
phone when I'm ----- the bus,
but never while I'm the car.
20. Passengers are not
allowed to use electronic devices
------ airplanes during
takeoff and landing.
EXERCISE II :
1. Jane is waiting for you ------ the
bus stop.
2.
The
shop is ----- the end of the
street.
3.
My
plane stopped ----- Dubai and
Hanoi and arrived ----- Bangkok
two hours late.
4.
When
will you arrive ----- the
office?
5.
Do
you work ----- an office?
6.
I
have a meeting ----- New York.
7.
Do
you live ----- Japan?
8.
Jupiter
is ----- the Solar System.
9.
The
author's name is ----- the cover of the book.
10. There are no prices ------ this menu.
11. You are standing ------ my foot.
12. There was a "no smoking"
sign ----- the wall.
13. I live ---- the 7th floor ----- 21 Oxford Street ----- London.