Lesson 51 Location

ポイント
English prepositions can be difficult to master, so this week we’re going to look at how to use “in,” “on,” and “at” to describe location.

ダイアログ
Vicky: Hi, Yoko. Do you know where John is?
Yoko: Let’s see. He’s not on his desk, so he might be at the restroom or in a different floor.

解説
As a general rule, we use “in” for when something is inside another thing: we can be in a room, in a building, in an area, in a city, in a country, etc. So John might be in the restroom. “On” can describe something on a flat surface: on a wall, on a table, on a ceiling, on an island, etc. John is not on his desk, but he might be on a different floor. “At” is used for specific places: we sit at a table, stand at a window, wait at a door, etc. So Yoko should say “He’s not at his desk.”