Prepositions of Location: At, On, and In

Prepositions are words of groups of words that are used to indicate the relationship that exists between elements in a structure. For example;

1. The book on the table.

The word 'on' is a preposition that is used to show the relationship or proximity between the nominal elements in the phrase. It shows that in terms of placement, the book is untop of the table.

Prepositions can be used to show various kinds of relationships that exists between nominal elements in a structure such as time, location, distance, etc. This article will be evaluating how prepositions can indicate the relationship that exists between nominal elements in terms of location in a structure or expression.

Prepositions of location are majorly: At, On, and In.

At

At is a preposition of place that is used when reference is being made to a specific place. It simply specifies a definite or known location of nominal elements relative to other nominal element(s) in a structure. For example; 

1. He is at the mall.

Now 'mall' here might appear to be a common noun, a general name for shopping centres as opposed to their specific names like Walmart, ShopRite, etc. But the presence of the definite article 'the' right before the noun indicates that the mall in question is a known mall. So by implication, 'he' is at a mall that is known both to the speaker and 'he' so the preposition 'at' accurately indicates a specific location and in this case, the specificity is implied.

Other Examples of the preposition 'at' indicating location include;

1. John is at Mr Johnson's place.

2. We will meet at McDonald's.

3. I saw you at the carnival yesterday.

4. Donald stood at the entrance of the building.

5. This man look at the door to my room.

On

On is a preposition of location that is used when reference is being made to nominal elements based on their position on surfaces relative to other nominal elements. It is also used to indicate what floor of a building a person is on, streets, days of the week etc. For example;

1. The boy is on the fifth floor.

2. She got here on Monday.

3. Mark stood on the table.

4. The boys are on a bike.

5. They puked on their foods.

In

In is a preposition of location that is used whenever reference is being made to nominal elements in enclosed areas relative to other nominal elements in a structure. For example;

1. I am currently in school.

2. She is in the car.

3. The pencil is in the container.

4. That man is in a syndicate.

5. Johnson is in a relationship.

From some of the examples above (5&4), it can be deduced that the preposition 'in' can also be used when reference is being made to nominal elements that are members of a group.

Related posts:

• Prepositional Phrase as Adjective and Adverb
• 'to' Infinitive and 'to' Preposition: The Difference