We always were told that you could use the word in before a place which is a large space e.g. country/city etc. Whereas, before a smaller site or place you should use at. But actually I don’t know what the precise scope limitation between those two words is. Large? How large is large? Small? How small?
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2In is for 3-dimensional spaces, and metaphorically for any container (like minds, books, and text). On is for 2-dimensional surfaces, and metaphorically for anything flat (like pages and text). At is for locations, often on a 2-dimensional grid, and metaphorically for any exact point in a stream. As pointed out here. These metaphorize into time words of differing sizes as well: in May, on the 24th, at 10:53.– John LawlerCommented May 22, 2014 at 20:12
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@JohnLawler Always remembering that we are talking prepositions here and there are some very distinctive differences between American and British usage. Though all the ones you have used above are common to both. But 'on the week-end', or 'on Bond Street', would give away your origin immediately.– WS2Commented May 22, 2014 at 20:27
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1Related: 'At' and 'in' for cities; “At” vs. “in” followed by a city name; “Arrive at” vs. “arrive in”?; Arrive at or in?; Is it correct to say “We will be arriving into <station>”?; In versus on the outskirts; Difference between “at” and “in” when specifying location– chosterCommented May 22, 2014 at 20:30
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@WS2: Unless Bond Street's being used metaphorically -- which would certainly be lost on Americans -- those phrases would pass unnoticed in the US, as long as they weren't pronounced in RP. Weekend normally isn't hyphenated here, but (a) hyphens are inaudible, and (b) English hyphenization usage is notably chaotic in practice, so nothing more is to be expected.– John LawlerCommented May 22, 2014 at 20:32
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1Possible duplicate of Semantics of "on" versus "in"– HelmarCommented Sep 18, 2016 at 19:56
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1 Answer
At is used to talk about the position at a point.
Examples:
It's very hot at the center of the Earth.
Turn right at the next traffic light.
Sometimes we use at with a large place when we consider it as a point that exists on a journey, as a meeting-place, or as the place where something happens:
You have to change trains at Didcot.
Let's meet at the station.
In is used for position in a three-dimensional space (when something is surrounded on all sides):
I don’t think he is in his office.
Let's go for a walk in the woods.
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1However, it is correct to say "I'm in New York", or "I'm in the Sahara desert", referring to these places in two dimensions, not three. Commented Aug 29, 2014 at 8:18
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I don't understand when "In" should be used in regard to places..coz there is always no reason for "In" to be used in 3D space..because as @DaveBoltman says, its correct to say some cities or countries, like "I live in India", "I'm in Mumbai right now".– LuckyCommented Apr 22, 2015 at 12:42
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got clarified by looking into this answer english.stackexchange.com/a/87310/36028 In is used for a general location and at is used for a more precise location..– LuckyCommented Apr 22, 2015 at 12:47