English Prepositions: IN and ON

in — inside

Use the preposition in to describe something that is inside an enclosed space with limits:

• The books are in the box.
• There are three people in the photo.
• The rice is in the bowl.
• I felt a pain in my stomach.
• There are some interesting facts in the article.
• The keys are in my pocket.

on — on a surface

Use the preposition on to describe something that is resting on a surface:

• The books are on the table.
• The photo is on the wall.
• The rice is on the plate.
• I have a tattoo on my leg.
• There’s an error on page 5 of the article.
• The T-shirt has a rainbow on it.

in — seasons, months, years

• I like to ski in the winter.
• My birthday is in September.
• He was born in 1988.

on — days and dates

• I have a doctor’s appointment on Thursday.
• The semester begins on September 1st.
• They met each other on New Year’s Eve.

in — neighborhoods, cities, states, countries

• He bought a house in the city center.
• I want to live in Miami.
• Did you have a good time in California?
• We have several friends in Germany.

on — street names

• The bank is on Main Street.
• I live on Market Avenue.

in — cars, taxis, trucks, vans

• There were four people in the car.
• The boxes are in the van.
• Our group won’t fit in one taxi; we’ll have to take two.

on — boats, planes, trains, buses, bicycles

• You need to get on the express bus.
• He started feeling sick on the train.
• I sat next to a celebrity on the plane.
• She fell off the bicycle, but got right back on and kept riding.
• We’ll have lunch on the boat.

Expressions with IN

• in love
  Dan is in love with Amanda.
• in trouble
  I got in trouble when I borrowed my mother’s jewelry without asking permission.
• in a good/bad mood
  Stay away from Henry – he’s in a bad mood today.

Expressions with ON

• on TV (or just “on”)
  My favorite show is on at 9 PM.
• on hold = when you have to wait during a phone call
  What terrible customer service. I’ve been on hold for 30 minutes!
• on my mind = when something is occupying your thoughts
  I can’t concentrate on my work because I have other problems on my mind.
• on fire
  Don’t get too close to the flames; your clothes could catch on fire.
• on drugs/medication
  She’s on medication to help treat her depression.

Learn more: How to use prepositional phrases with examples