A Quick Review For Busy People : Using In / At For Place

Just like the prepositions of time,  using  at and in for place are confusing.  Here are the rules to aid you in composing what you have to say :


1   You use at  to talk about:

a.     a specific place                   
I was at my friend’s house.
We waited at the bus stop for ages.
Neil wasn’t at work.  I think he’s ill.
Let’s stay at home tonight.

b.     an exact address                             
She lives at  No.48 Apple Creek Street. 

c.     public places or institutions   
I’ll be at the station at nine. 
We met at university in 1985.

d.     shops or workplaces
He’s at the doctor’s now.

e.     organized social events
Were you at Steve’s party?
He spoke at the conference last year.
We were at the theatre last night. 

f.      a place on a journey
Does this stop at Sainsbury’s?
The London train stops at Bath and Reading.
We stopped at Oxford on the way home.

g.     parts of a place, with words like back, front, top, bottom and end
The Smiths live at the end of the road. 
The bathroom is at the top of the house.
The answers are at the back of the book. 

She lives at No. 48 Apple Creek Street. 

2   You use in  to talk about:

a.     a country or geographical region
They’re in Spain now.
We took these photos in the mountains.

b.     a city, town, village or large space                
My parents used to live in Bath.
They were walking in the park.
The college is in Brighton.
What shops are in the area?
The group are playing in Leicester tonight.

c.     a road or street
They live in Kingsdown Road.
There are lots of shoe shops in that street.

d.     being inside a room or building
It was very cold in the school.
I though I heard a noise in the kitchen.

e.     containers or liquids
There’s a fly in my coffee.
The shoes were in a box.
We spent the afternoon swimming in the sea. 



Having reviewed that,  take a Quick Test to check what you remembered.  


Source :  Collin’s Cobuild ESL Advanced Grammar, 1995


Related Articles :  
Quick Review For Busy People : Using At/In/On  for Time
A Quick Review On Verb Usage for Busy People
Say It In English And Say It Correctly
Helpful Tongue Twisters



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