Using the Prepositions “In” vs. “On” vs. “At”
Prepositions connect nouns or pronouns to other information in a sentence. There are several types of prepositions, including prepositions of time, place, direction, and location.
In, on, and at are prepositions of both place and time.
What Are Prepositions?
Prepositions connect nouns phrases to other information in a sentence. There are different types of prepositions, including prepositions of time, place, direction, and spacial relationship.
What makes prepositions difficult to learn is that many of them fall under several categories. For example: In, on, and at are prepositions of both place and time.
This blog post will go over the prepositions in, on, and at and explain the rules of using them correctly (and their exceptions, of course). You can also use our Grammar Checker to help ensure you’re sentences are free of common mistakes.
Using “In,” “On,” and “At” as Prepositions of Place
Prepositions of place help indicate where someone or something is. When using in, on, or at as a preposition of place, remember the following:
In is typically used for larger, general places that are within a boundary.
We should note that in is also used to indicate “inside.”
On is usually used for slightly more specific places (or surfaces).
At is commonly used for the most specific locations or points.
Here’s another example that uses in, on, and at as prepositions of place:
Using “In,” “On,” and “At” as Prepositions of Time
Prepositions of time indicate when something is happening. Similar to when they’re used as prepositions of place, in, on, and at also go from general to the most specific when used as prepositions of time.
In is usually used for longer, general time periods like months, years, and centuries.
On is typically used for more specific times, like days, dates, and holidays.
At is used for the most specific times, like precise times of the day.
It’s worth noting that when referring to the weekend, British English uses the expression at the weekend, whereas American English uses the expression on the weekend.
Exceptions to “In,” “On,” and “At”
Of course, because this is the English language and we should expect nothing less, these rules come with exceptions. That being said, let’s answer the question: Is it in a bus or on a bus?
On is usually used for public vehicles (like buses or trains) and vehicles you can walk around in.
However, it’s also used for smaller vehicles, like bicycles and jet skis, for example.
But, as if this weren’t confusing enough, you ride in a car.
Two more things: Although you meet someone in the morning, you meet them at night. And being at a hospital implies you’re there but aren’t admitted, whereas in the hospital implies you’ve been admitted as a patient.
How To Always Use “In,” “On,” and “At” Correctly
Like we said earlier, prepositions are tricky. There’s a lot to understand to make sure you’re using them correctly. The most important things to remember are:
- In, on, and at go from general to more specific to the most specific when used as prepositions of time and place. LanguageTool is a multilingual writing assistant that can ensure you’re using prepositions correctly, whether you’re writing a text message, an email, or an essay.
