16

Is it correct to use "at" followed by a place name (city, town, village, etc.)? I've been seeing phrases like "a hotel at Las Vegas" or "she was living at London" quite a lot recently. Is this a difference between British and US English, perhaps?

|improve this question
  • 1
    This looks like it should probably be migrated to English Language Learners – Matt Aug 31 '13 at 22:29
  • 1
    That usage of "at" is common in Indian English. – user19148 Aug 31 '13 at 22:37
  • Normal British usage would be "in a place"; e.g. in London; in Las Vegas. – TrevorD Aug 31 '13 at 23:41
  • Thanks, Trevor. Thing is, I can't find if this is an Americanism or just substandard. Carlo, Didn't know it is common in Indian Eng, but I've seen this usage a lot in American publications. Mat, don't take the trouble. Cheers. – Ana Aug 31 '13 at 23:57
  • 2
    @Ana: In America you would normally be in a City, but you can also be at work, a friend's house, or at something which is close to, but not inside a city, such as the music festival at Glastonbury in the UK. – Matt Sep 1 '13 at 0:09
15

The choice of in or at with a city depends on how speakers conceive that city in the context of the statement they are making.

If the city is conceived as a two-dimensional place in which to live and work, then in is the usual preposition. If, on the other hand, the city is conceived as a single point rather than as a place with dimensions, then at is the common choice.

This explains the difference between sentences such as:

I live in Frankfurt. / The plane stops at Frankfurt on the way to Seoul.

The meeting took place at Potsdam. / There was an explosion in Potsdam yesterday.

On this basis, the expressions a hotel at Las Vegas and she was living at London are the idiosyncratic choices of individual speakers. I am not aware of any significant patterns of difference between BE and AE speakers.

|improve this answer
  • 4
    Only two-dimensional? I usually consider places to live and work as having three dimensions … – Janus Bahs Jacquet Sep 1 '13 at 9:29
  • 2
    you forget about time, @JanusBahsJacquet – juanmf Sep 21 '17 at 5:47
3

We use the word "At" for a stop on a journey: We stopped at a nice village. The train to Manchester stops at Birmingham.

|improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.