PLACE EXPRESSIONS WITH In, On, At

1. Used with place, in always has the meaning of inside, within, within borders or limitations. in the desk- inside the desk
2. In used with the names of continents, countries, state, provinces, and usually with cities or towns:

                in Asia

                in Peru

                in California

                in Normandy

                in Buenos Aires

3. On has the meaning of on top or on the surface of.

                on the desk- on top of the desk

                on the wall- on the surface of the wall

4. On is used with island or mountains, meaning on the surface of the island or mountain, it is also used with river, in the sense of on the bank of the river.

                 New York is on the Hudson River.

                 Paris is on the Seine

5. At is used with  specific places:

                 at home              at the post office

                 at work               at the hospital

                 at school             at the office

                 at church             at the store

6. At has a strong sense of purpose when used with place expressions. There is a difference between at school for the purpose of studying and in the school, meaning only inside the school building.

                 The people were at church for service.

                 There are some beautiful windows in that church.

7. On is used for addresses when only the name of the street is given, at is use when

both street and number are given.

            Sally lives on the Twelfth Street.

            Sally lives at 848 Twelfth Street.

SENTENCES FOR PRACTICE

 1.      The files are in those cabinets.

2.      The paper clips are in the top drawer.

3.      She put the books away in the shelves.

4.      My office is in that building.

5.      We were in Europe last year.

6.      We’ll be in South America next month.

7.      There are a lot of interesting things to see in France and Spain.

8.      He was in Mexico last autumn.

9.      The map is on the wall.

10.  The picture is on the wall.

11.  The telephone is on the table over there.

12.  The pamphlets were in the corner.

13.  He spent his vacation on an island in the Caribbean.

14.  The children are at school.

15.  They were at church on Sunday.

16.  He stayed at  the hotel last year.

17.  I saw her at the store when she was shopping.

18.  My house is on Jefferson Street.

19.  It’s at 342 Jefferson Street.

20.  The big stores are on Fifth Avenue.

21.  That store is at 550 Fifth Avenue.