Unit 124: in/at/on (position) 2

Fixed choices of in, at and on for common positions: in a queue, on the left, on a list, at the top, at the back of a building, in the back of a car, in the corner of a room and on the corner of a street.

Go to the exercises

A Things we are in

We say somebody or something is:

in ...
in a line, in a row, in a queue	in an office, in a department
in a picture, in a photo (photograph)	in the sky, in the world
in a newspaper, in a magazine, in a book	in the country (= not in a town)

At the theatre I always try to sit in the back row.
My brother works in the accounts department.
Who's the man with the beard in this photo?
Would you rather live in a city or in the country?
Look at all those stars in the sky tonight.

B Things we are on

We say somebody or something is:

on the left, on the right (or on the left-hand side, on the right-hand side)
on the ground floor, on the first floor, on the second floor and so on
on a map, on a menu, on a list, on a page, on a website

A place is on a river, on a road, on the coast.

We also say on the way (from one place to another).

In Britain we drive on the left.
Our flat is on the third floor, and the lift is usually broken.
Is there anything vegetarian on the menu?
Don't buy anything that isn't on the list.
All the opening times are on our website.
Newcastle is on the Tyne.
Is Scarborough on the coast or inland? It's on the coast.
I picked up some milk on the way home.

C at the top, at the bottom, at the end

We say at the top (of ...), at the bottom (of ...) and at the end (of ...).

Put the date at the top of the letter.
Sign your name at the bottom of the form.
My sister lives at the other end of the road.

D front and back

Phrase	Used for
in the front, in the back	a car
at the front, at the back	a building, a theatre, a group of people
on the front, on the back	an envelope, a piece of paper, a photo

The child in the back of the car asking whether we are nearly there is a fixture of every British motorway.

The dog always sits in the back of the car.
The bins are at the back of the house.
Let's sit at the front so we can see the screen.
We were at the back of the crowd, so we couldn't see the band.
Write your address on the back of the envelope.

E corners

A room has corners on the inside: in the corner of a room.

A street has corners on the outside: at the corner or on the corner of a street. Both are correct.

The Christmas tree is in the corner of the living room.
There's a newsagent at the corner of our street.
There's a newsagent on the corner of our street.

Exercises

124.1 Read each scene and answer the question. Use in, at or on with the words in brackets.

Priya sits at a desk with a sign above it that reads "Customer Services".
Where does Priya work? (customer services department)
In the customer services department.
In the customer services department.
Priya's flat is marked with a cross on a block of flats. It is one storey above the ground floor.
Where's Priya's flat exactly? (first floor)
A girl is sitting on a beanbag where two walls of her bedroom meet.
Where is the girl sitting? (corner)
A man is waiting outside, where two streets meet.
Where is the man waiting? (corner)
A dog is lying on the highest step of a staircase.
Where's the dog? (top / stairs)
A cat is curled up on the rear seat of a car.
Where's the cat? (back / car)
A school photo shows a crowd of pupils. Ellie is in the first row, nearest the camera.
Ellie is in this group of pupils. Where is she? (front)
A street plan shows a library. You are walking up the street and it is on your right.
Where's the library? (right)
Callum is at the theatre, in the last row of seats.
Where is Callum sitting? (back row)
A street plan shows a chemist in the last building before the road stops.
Where's the chemist? (end / road)

124.2 Complete the sentences. Use in, at or on and one of these.

the south coastthe worldthe back of the hallthe skythe front rowthe leftthe back of this receiptthe way to school

Look, there's a hot-air balloon in the sky.
Look, there's a hot-air balloon in the sky.
In the UK, Ireland and Japan, people drive .
Which is the longest river ?
I bumped into my old maths teacher this morning.
Brighton is of England.
We went to a comedy show last night. We were sitting , so the comedian kept talking to us.
I couldn't hear the speaker. The microphone was broken and I was standing .
I haven't got any paper. Could you write your number ?

124.3 Complete the sentences with in, at or on.

inaton

Put your candidate number at the top of every page.
Put your candidate number at the top of every page.
Is your grandad this photo? I can't spot him.
Their farmhouse is the bottom of the valley.
Most people come into the school through the main gate, but there's another gate the back.
We stood a queue for two hours to get concert tickets.
They read out the names of the winners, but my name wasn't the list.
Is there anything about the floods this week's magazine?
On a clear night you can see hundreds of stars the sky.
When my mum drives, I prefer to sit the back.
Our village is tiny. You won't find it most road maps.
Sophie works the toy department of a big shop in Glasgow.
York is the River Ouse.
I can't stand the noise of the city. I'd love to live the country.
The staff room is the second floor. It's your right as you come up the stairs.

in/at/on (position) 2