Unit 123 · Prepositions

in/at/on (position) 1

Study

We use in for position inside a large area or a container.

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in a room

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in a building

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in a box

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in a garden

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in a town

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in the city centre

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in a pool

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in the sea

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in a river

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There’s no-one in the room / in the building / in the garden.

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What do you have in your hand / in your mouth?

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When we were in Italy, we spent a few days in Venice.

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I have a friend who lives in a small village in the mountains.

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There were some people swimming in the pool / in the sea / in the river.

We use at for a point or a specific location.

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at the bus stop

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at the door

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at the roundabout

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at her desk

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Who is that man standing at the bus stop / at the door / at the window?

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Turn left at the traffic lights / at the next junction / at the roundabout / at the church.

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We have to get off the bus at the next stop.

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When you leave the hotel, please leave your key at reception. (= at the reception desk)

Compare in and at:

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There were a lot of people in the shop. It was crowded.

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Go along this road, then turn left at the shop.

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I’ll meet you in the hotel lobby. (= in the building)

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I’ll meet you at the entrance to the hotel. (= outside the building)

We use on for position on a surface.

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on the wall

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on the door

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on the ceiling

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on her nose

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on the floor

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on a page

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on an island

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I sat on the floor / on the ground / on the grass / on the beach / on a chair.

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There’s a dirty mark on the ceiling / on your nose / on your shirt.

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Did you see the notice on the wall / on the door?

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You’ll find details of TV programmes on page seven of the newspaper.

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The hotel is on a small island in the middle of a lake.

Compare in and on:

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There is some water in the bottle.

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There is a label on the bottle.

Compare at and on:

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There is somebody at the door. Shall I go and see who it is?

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There is a notice on the door. It says ‘Do not disturb’.

Exercises (3)

0/3 exercises checked

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123.1

Answer the questions about the pictures. Use in, at or on with the words below the pictures.

1
1
Where’s the label? example
2
2
Where’s the fly?
3
3
Where’s the car waiting?
4
4
Where’s the notice?
5
4
Where’s the key?
6
5
Where are the shelves?
7
6
Where’s the Eiffel Tower?
8
7
Where’s the man standing?
9
7
Where’s the bird?
10
8
Where are the children playing?

123.2

Complete the sentences. Use in, at or on + the following:

the windowhis handthe mountainsthat treemy guitarthe riverthe islandjunction 14

1
1 There were some people swimming .example
2
2 One of the strings is broken.
3
3 Leave the motorway and then turn left.
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4 He was holding something , but I couldn’t see what it was.
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5 The leaves are a beautiful colour.
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6 You can go skiing near here. There’s plenty of snow.
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7 There’s nobody living . It’s uninhabited.
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8 He spends most of the day sitting and looking outside.

123.3

Complete the sentences with in, at or on.

1
1 There was a long queue of people the bus stop.example
2
2 Nicola was wearing a silver ring her little finger.
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3 There was a security guard standing the entrance to the building.
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4 I wasn’t sure whether I had come to the right office. There was no name the door.
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5 There are plenty of shops and restaurants the town centre.
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6 You’ll find the weather forecast the back page of the newspaper.
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7 The headquarters of the company are California.
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8 I wouldn’t like an office job. I couldn’t spend the whole day sitting a desk.
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9 The man the police are looking for has a scar his right cheek.
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10 If you come here by bus, get off the stop after the traffic lights.
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11 Have you ever been camping? Have you ever slept a tent?
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12 Emily was sitting the balcony reading a book.
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13 My brother lives a small village the south-west of England.
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14 I like that picture hanging the wall the kitchen.