English Mastery
Module 5 · Articles & Prepositions

Prepositions of Location

Intermediate45 min25 questions7 sections
Step 1

Quick Look

Chapter 4 placed OBJECTS; this chapter places PEOPLE — at work, in class, on the bus. The same in/on/at trio returns with new jobs: AT for stations and events, IN for enclosed spaces and cities, ON for public transport. And the strangest rule in English gets settled here: you sit IN a car, but ON a bus.
Sentence TypeStructure + Example
AT — posts & events
at work, at home, at school, at the airport, at a wedding, at the meeting
IN — enclosed & inside
in the office (inside the room), in class, in bed, in hospital, in Ghaziabad, in the queue
ON — public transport
on the bus, on the train, on the metro, on a flight, on a bike — BUT in a car, in an auto, in a taxi

The golden rule of transport: if you can STAND and WALK inside it — bus, train, metro, plane, ship — you are ON it. If you must sit bent inside it — car, auto, taxi — you are IN it. Two-wheelers you sit on top of — bike, scooter, horse — are ON. The walk-test never fails.

The walk-test: in a car, on a bus
Can you STAND UP and WALK around inside it?ONYES · STAND AND WALKI’m on the bus.मैं bus में हूँbus · train · metro · plane · shipINNO · SIT, BENT INSIDEShe came in the car.वह car में आईcar · auto · taxiONNO · SIT ON TOPHe came on his bike.वह bike पर आयाbike · scooter · horse
Hindi uses the same little word for the bus and the car — English has to choose: ON the bus, IN the car.
Step 2

When to Use It

at work at school at home at a wedding
Use 1

AT — the station where you’re posted

Your role-place, or a specific point/address.
  • Papa is at work; the kids are at school; Dadi is at home.
  • I’m at the registrar’s office — the queue is long.
  • We met at Sharma ji’s wedding.
  • The showroom is at 14, Ambedkar Road. (exact address at)
in Indiain Uttar Pradeshin Ghaziabad
Use 2

IN — inside spaces, areas, and cities

Rooms, buildings (when insideness matters), queues, and all cities/states/countries.
  • Sir is in a meeting; please wait in the lounge.
  • She’s in class till 1 — call after that.
  • He was in hospital for a week after the fall. (as a patient — Module 5 Ch 3’s rule)
  • Our head office is in Ghaziabad, in Uttar Pradesh, in India. (city state country: all in)
on the metroon Meerut Road
Use 3

ON — transport you can walk in, and streets

Public transport, two-wheelers, and roads as lines.
  • I’m on the metro — network keeps dropping.
  • She’s on a flight to Mumbai till 4.
  • He came on his bike despite the rain.
  • The property is on Meerut Road. / They live on the same street.
in the caron the bus at the cornerin the corner at the dooron the door at the topon top
Use 4

The classic pairs — hold them side by side

Small word, big difference.
  • in the car / on the bus — the walk-test
  • at the corner (of the street) / in the corner (of the room)
  • at the door (waiting there) / on the door (a notice pasted on it)
  • at the top of the list / on top of the almirah
arrive atarrive innever arrive to
Use 5

ARRIVE — at or in, never ‘to’

Arrive at a point (building, station, event); arrive in a city/country.
  • We arrived at the site before the surveyor.
  • They arrived in Dehradun late at night.
  • The courier arrived at the office while I was out. (NEVER ‘arrived to’)
Classic pairs — hold them side by side
at the cornerof the streetin the cornerof the room at the doorwaiting thereon the doora notice pasted on it at the top of the listthe first itemon top of the almirahresting on its roof
Same noun, different small word: the preposition tells you which place you mean.
Step 3

Hindi Concept Note

अHindi Concept Noteहिंदी में समझिए
अब लोग कहाँ हैं: AT = ठिकाना/duty की जगह (at work, at home); IN = अंदर (in the office, in class, in bed); ON = public transport (on the bus)।
Transport का असली नियम walk-test है: जिसमें खड़े होकर चल सको — bus, train, metro, plane — उस पर ON। जिसमें झुककर बैठना पड़े — car, auto, taxi — उसमें IN। जिस पर ऊपर बैठो — bike, scooter — ON।
हिंदी में सब ‘में’ है — ‘bus में, car में’ — इसीलिए ‘in the bus’ की ग़लती होती है। English: ON the bus, IN the car।
शहर-राज्य-देश हमेशा in: Ghaziabad में in Ghaziabad; UP में in UP; India में in India।
‘घर पर हूँ’ I am AT home (‘in home’ कभी नहीं)। और arrive के साथ to कभी नहीं: station पहुँचे arrived AT the station; Delhi पहुँचे arrived IN Delhi।
Step 4

Common Mistakes Hindi Speakers Make

Wrong
Right
Why
I am in the bus, will call you later.
I am on the bus — will call you later.
Walk-test: you can stand in a bus on.
She came on the car with her father.
She came in the car with her father.
You sit enclosed in a car in.
He is in home today; visit him.
He is at home today; visit him.
Home takes at — fixed.
We arrived to the airport at 5.
We arrived at the airport at 5.
Arrive + at (point) / in (city). ‘Arrive to’ does not exist.
The kids are at the class right now.
The kids are in class right now.
In class (attending, purpose) — no article, no at.
Their shop is in Ambedkar Road.
Their shop is on Ambedkar Road.
Roads and streets take on. (At + full numbered address: at 14, Ambedkar Road.)
Step 5

Signal Words

Location triggers:
Duty-place / event / exact address at (at work, at a wedding, at 14 MG Road)
Inside a space; any citystatecountry in
Walkable transport + two-wheelers + streets on
arrive at (point) / arrive in (city) — never ‘arrive to’
The pairs: in the car vs. on the bus; at the corner (street) vs. in the corner (room)
Step 6

Practice

Set A

Fill in the blanks

0 / 10
  1. 1
    He’s a site visit; he’ll be back the office by 3. (two blanks)
  2. 2
    I met their CA the housewarming party.
  3. 3
    She’s the metro right now; the network is patchy.
  4. 4
    The client is waiting the reception; his lawyer is the car outside. (two blanks)
  5. 5
    We arrived Haridwar at dawn and reached the ashram gate by 6. (two blanks)
  6. 6
    Their godown is GT Road, just before the flyover.
  7. 7
    Dada ji is hospital again — routine check-up as a patient.
  8. 8
    The notice is pasted the main door; read it when you’re the gate. (two blanks)
  9. 9
    He lives Indirapuram, Ghaziabad. (two blanks)
  10. 10
    Put the trophy top of the almirah, and keep the files the corner of the room. (two blanks)
Set B

Correct the mistake

0 / 8
  1. 11
    I was in the flight when you called.
  2. 12
    She is on the taxi, five minutes away.
  3. 13
    We arrived to the venue before the baraat.
  4. 14
    He is in home because of the fever.
  5. 15
    Their office is in the third floor at Meerut Road. (two errors)
  6. 16
    The children are at the bed already. (sleeping)
  7. 17
    I’ll wait for you in the bus stop.
  8. 18
    He reached at the station on time. (careful — Module 5 Ch 5 rule)
Set C

Translate into English

0 / 7
  1. 19
    मैं bus में हूँ, बाद में बात करता हूँ।
  2. 20
    वह अभी office में एक meeting में है।
  3. 21
    पिताजी घर पर हैं।
  4. 22
    हम शाम को Dehradun पहुँचे।
  5. 23
    बच्चे school में हैं और माँ काम पर है।
  6. 24
    उनकी दुकान main road पर है।
  7. 25
    वह अपनी bike पर आया।
Step 7

Answer Key

Show answersHide answers
Answers · Set A
1
on ... at (in)
2
at
3
on
4
at (in) ... in
5
in ... at
6
on
7
in
8
on ... at
9
in ... in
10
on ... in
Answers · Set B
11
I was on the flight when you called. (Walkable on.)
12
She is in the taxi, five minutes away. (Enclosed in.)
13
We arrived at the venue before the baraat. (Arrive at a point.)
14
He is at home because of the fever. (At home — fixed.)
15
Their office is on the third floor on Meerut Road. (Floors on; roads on.)
16
The children are in bed already. (In bed — purpose, no article.)
17
I’ll wait for you at the bus stop. (A point at.)
18
He reached the station on time. (Reach takes NO preposition — Chapter 5’s club.)
Answers · Set C
19
I’m on the bus — I’ll talk to you later.
20
He is in a meeting at the office right now.
21
Father is at home.
22
We arrived in Dehradun in the evening. / We reached Dehradun by evening.
23
The children are at school and their mother is at work.
24
Their shop is on the main road.
25
He came on his bike.

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Next up · Chapter 7Prepositions of Time

The same trio, one last job: AT 5 o’clock, ON Monday, IN October — the time pyramid that ends ‘in Monday’ forever.