List: Prepositions of Place: At, In & On (Elementary)

A list and usage examples of prepositions of place for ESL teachers and students. (Free download here.)

Grammar Guideline

In general, we use:

• at for a POINT
• in for an ENCLOSED SPACE
• on for a SURFACE

Prepositions List with Examples

Notice the use of the prepositions of place “at“, “in“ and “on“ in these common expressions:

AT a Certain Point

• at home
• at work
• at school
• at university
• at the corner
• at college
• at the corner
• at the bus stop
• at the door
• at the top of the page
• at the bottom of the house
• at the end of the road
• at the entrace
• at the crossroads
• at the front desk
• at the side

IN an Enclosed Space

• in a car
• in a bus
• in a plane
• in a boat
• in an elevantor
• in the sky
• in a row
• in Oxford Street
• in the back of a car
• in the garden
• in London
• in the USA
• in a box
• in my pocket
• in my wallet
• in a building

ON the Surface of Something

• on the table
• on a plane
• on a ship
• on a motorbike
• on a horse
• on the football field
• on the cover
• on the floor
• on the menu
• on a page
• on the hand
• on the way (figurative)
• on the roof
• on the head
• on the planet
• on the wall

Usage: Example Sentences

Jane is waiting for you at the bus stop.

The shop is at the end of the street.

My plane stopped at Dubai and Hanoi and arrived in Bangkok two hours late.

When will you arrive at the office?

Do you work in an office?

I have a meeting in New York.

Do you live in Japan?

Jupiter is in the Solar System.

The author’s name is on the cover of the book.

There are no prices on this menu.

You are standing on my foot.

There was a “no smoking” sign on the wall.

I live on the 7th floor at 21 Oxford Street in London.