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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > are IN and AT interchangeable in any context?
are IN and AT interchangeable in any context?
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omarengteacher
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are IN and AT interchangeable in any context?
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HELLO, is there a good way to teach differences between IN and AT? talkiung about preps of place - is it correct to use, for example, "Ben is in the office" or "Ben is AT the office" in the same context?
Please be gentle is my first post and probably the answer is easy but honestly I don �t know |
17 Jun 2009
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Spagman63
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I woulds say �in � is within the boundaries of a certain area but �at � is on the premises. "In the office" would mean actually inside the office but at the office could be in the bathroom, in the storeroom etc. Do you understand? A person could be at the hospital visiting a person who is in the hospital as a patient.
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17 Jun 2009
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joy2bill
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Yes, there is a difference but it is really quite insignificant. Most native speakers would use both of these to mean more or less the same.
It �s really just we English teachers who are looking for an explanation for our students.
As I sometimes say to my students when they are trying to find a definitive rule for a situation "English does not always make sense" "It just is".
Welcome to our amazing group and feel free to ask me any questions you want at any time.
Cheers Joy |
17 Jun 2009
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mariamit
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English is probably one of the most flexible languages which is why it is so exasperating a times. Sometimes in can be interchangeable with at but not always. There are many expressions where you cannot use one for the other. For example you can �t say I gave a speech at public. It�s in public. Likewise, their house is at the end of the road, not in the end- which is totally different in meaning. I think the best way I can phrase it, although I don�t disagree with bill2joy or Spagman, is that we use at to talk about a place we think of as a point rather than an area while in is used more to talk about a larger area or a position within a larger place. I hope this helps. |
17 Jun 2009
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Apodo
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There is a subtle difference for me. This is how I would use them:
If I am in the same building as Ben:
Ben is in the office.
If Ben is at work (he works in an office) and I am elsewhere:
Ben is at the office.
If I asked �Where does Ben work? � the answer could be:
In an office or At an office ....and in this case it wouldn �t matter which was used.
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18 Jun 2009
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dellcomputer
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When you are in a building you are within the walls, surrounded by it.
When you are at a building you are next to or near it. |
27 Jun 2009
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