# Preposition: in the street, on the street, at the street?



## majlo

Hey 
I've heard that _in the street _is a BrE and _on the street _is an AmE. Would you mind telling me whether it is true or not?
Thanks


----------



## DAH

From where I'm sitting (in Los Angeles), it's "on the street."

Best regards!


----------



## nycphotography

Well, I think in AE we use both, but "on the street" is more common.

And I suspect they may have subtle differences in meaning depending on context.


----------



## judkinsc

Hrmm, I'm American.  To me, there's a significant difference between the two.

"In the street" means literally that you are "in the middle of the street, standing on it, and waiting for a passing car to hit you.", while "on the street" can be used to describe buildings which face the street. i.e. "The factory was on Jackson Street." or a pedestrian who is walking down the street, but is on the sidewalk, not in the middle of the road.


----------



## katiebridle

As a British English speaker, I would say that 'in the street' is more common in BrE, but we do say 'on the street' as well, probably because we do use many AE phrases in everyday speech.


----------



## meagain9969

I have always had this problem. Some say that in the street is for the activities and on the street is for position. is this true? Please give me a hand. Thanks guys.

<<Mod comment:  This thread has been added to the end of the previous thread on the same subject.  Well, OK, it had the in and the on the other way round, but you can see the similarity.>>


----------



## suzi br

meagain9969 said:
			
		

> I have always had this problem. Some say that in the street is for the activities and on the street is for position. is this true? Please give me a hand. Thanks guys.


 
That sounds ok in theory - but usually people can think of examples to contradict these generalities.


----------



## cuchuflete

SB is correct.  It doesn't take much effort to think of --

Riding my bicycle on the street...which is an activity.

Where is the manhole cover? It's in the middle of the street....position.


----------



## jimreilly

I somewhat disagree--I think one rides a bicycle in the street,  but on the pavement. Which is interesting, because one rides a bicycle on the sidewalk, not in the sidewalk. And, even worse, one drives a car on Main Street. Why do I think a bicycle uses in and a car on? No idea, it's just the way I've always said it!

At any rate, it's tricky, isn't it?


----------



## Sean Brian Kirby

I would ride my bike on the street. "In" the street always implied a more risky endeavor, since childhood. Don't ask me why.


----------



## panjandrum

I wonder what the man in the street would say?
If we listen carefully, I think we'd hear him speak BE, whereas his cousin, the man on the street, would speak AE.


----------



## cuchuflete

Try changing 'street' to 'road' and 'highway'.  For me, though the vehicle may remain the same, whether bicycle or go-kart or roller-skates, the prepositions sometimes change.  Curious.  It seems to be more about sound and cadence than grammar.


----------



## panjandrum

The kids used to play games in the street.
They were not allowed to play on the road(pavement), but were told to stay on the footpath(sidewalk).

Cuchu's cadences, of course, compel me onwards.
On the Road Again.
On Highway 61


----------



## swift_precision

panjandrum said:
			
		

> The kids used to play games in the street.
> They were not allowed to play on the road(pavement), but were told to stay on the footpath(sidewalk).
> 
> Cuchu's cadences, of course, compel me onwards.
> On the Road Again.
> On Highway 61


 
On Route 66


----------



## tvdxer

We say "on the street" here in Minnesota, USA.


----------



## Eugens

I'd also heard/read the comment that one was American and the other British. I don't remember which was which. 

I've found some set expressions in my dictionary with "on/in the street." According to it, you can say:
1)"The man/woman *in* the street," but also "the man/woman *on* the street" (the average person, who represents the general opinion about things)
2) "The streets" also "the street," "young people living *on* the streets" (the busy public parts of a city where there is a lot of activity, excitement, and crime, or where people without homes live)
3) "a car parked *on* the other side of the street"
4) "be (living) *on* easy street" (to be in a situation in which you have plenty of money) 

I wonder if one can say #2 and 4 with "in".


----------



## jimreilly

I don't think you can. Sure is complicated!


----------



## Eugens

Thank you!
Hm, now the obligatory question for me is, if you heard a nonnative speaker saying "on the street" where you would have said "in" and vice versa (apart from the cases #2 and 4), would you consider it a big mistake or wouldn't you even notice it if someone didn't point it out?


----------



## Oros

*1. He lives in London.

2. He lives at 34 Oxford Street.

3. His house is on Oxford Street.

4. He lives on Oxford Street.


I know the first 3 sentence are fine.   How about the fourth sentence?  Would you agree with the  preposition 'on' in the fourth sentence?*


----------



## maxiogee

The fourth is fine. "On" is the best choice for the sentence.
He doesn't live "at" Oxford Street, he could live "in" Oxford Street, but that can be misinterpreted to mean a down-and-out who lives in a cardboard box in a hidden-away corner.


----------



## kertek

> *4. He lives on Oxford Street.*





> *Would you agree with the  preposition 'on' in the fourth sentence?*


Yep!


----------



## Oros

I live in Ireland.

I live in Belgium.

You wouldn't use the prepostion 'on' here, would you?


----------



## majlo

Oros said:
			
		

> I live in Ireland.
> 
> I live in Belgium.
> 
> You wouldn't use the prepostion 'on' here, would you?



It's nugatory. Countries and streets are different pair of shoes.


----------



## Oros

*5. He lives at 34 Oxford Street in London.

I guess,if you want to specify the address, the fifth sentence is fine.

Would you write the fifth sentence?
 My question is on the prepositions.
*


----------



## majlo

According to what I have been taught AmE and BrE differ in this respect. AmE would take _on _while BrE would take _in_, and thus AmE _He lives on Oxford Street _and BrE _He lives in Oxford Street_. However, if you specify the address, you indeed use _at._


----------



## panjandrum

I'm happy with all four five.

I think the choice between in and on (in 3&4) depends on how big the street happens to be.
Oxford Street is huge. If anyone lives there, they live on Oxford Street.
Chadwick Street is short. People who live there live in Chadwick Street.

Previous threads have discussed this strange subject:

On the street or in the street 

"in" or "at" the area 

It seems to be quite subjective.


----------



## Oros

*I thank everybody for the comments.

So Tony Blair lives in London.

6. Tony Blair lives at 10 Downing Street.

7. Tony Blair lives on 10 Downing Street.

The place 'number 10 Downing Street' is a spot. 

So it should be the sixth sentence. 

For example, we say I met him in London but I met him at Heathrow Airport. London is a huge geographical area where as the airport is a particular place though it has a mass area.

We use the preposition 'in' for a geographical area and 'at' for a spot or rather a particular place.

Would you write the seventh sentence?*


----------



## panjandrum

I don't think you should use 10 Downing Street as an example.  It is not a spot, it is the Prime Minister's official residence.

Tony lives _*in*_ 10 Downing Street rather as the Queen lives in Buckingham Palace.


----------



## Oros

Queen lives in Buckingham Palace. 
The above is obvious. The Palace has the three diemensional aspects.

 I live in this house. The preposition 'in' should be used as it has some walls, roof, etc.

 I am not satisfied with 'in Downing Street' , though.


----------



## panjandrum

From the perspective of a UK resident, the name "10 Downing Street" means the building we see on the news every day.  It is a three-dimensional concept, not just an address.

Bill Bloggs lives at 47 Adelaide Street.
He does not live on 47 Adelaide Street.

He might say he lives on Adelaide Street, or in Adelaide Street.  
I think that his choice of on/in depends on how big Adelaide Street is.


----------



## maxiogee

A pedantic old git writes:-



			
				panjandrum said:
			
		

> Tony lives _*in*_ 10 Downing Street   rather as the Queen lives in Buckingham Palace.



I thought everyone knew that the Blairs and the Browns have swapped - the Blairs actually live at 11 Downing Street as it was more commodious for their larger (by previous Prime Ministerial standards) family.


----------



## Yôn

Is this some strange sort of BE thing?  I would never say anyone lived IN any street, no matter how short or small it was.

When I think of someone living IN "11th street" (as an example), I imagine tiny sidewalk people who live in the cracks of the sidewalk, or something like that.  The only time I can think of using IN + STREET is:

I live in the street

Which would mean something on the lines of beeing homeless.  However, I would use ON there as well if I felt like it.




Jon


----------



## panjandrum

Jon,
Please read the links provided in post #8.


----------



## brian

From a purely AE standpoint, "at" is used for a specific, defined place, "on" is used before a street name with no specific address, and "in" is used whenever there is the sense of "within" or "inside of."  For example:

He lives at 34 Oxford Street.

He lives on Oxford Street.

He lives in Palace Apartments.


Notice that if the person you are talking to already knows of Palace Apartments, then it is already defined and specific enough between the speakers, so that one may say, "He lives at Palace Apartments."  (If the other person does not know of Palace Apartments, he would infer that it is a specific place and probably ask, "What is Palace Apartments?" instead of "Where is Palace Apartments?")


There are always exceptions and linguistic nuances.  One could say, "John lives at that restaurant" to mean "John goes to that restaurant so often that he practically lives there"; but to say "John lives in that restaurant" would imply "John physically inhabits that restaurant."


When speaking of geographic regions, one always uses "in" since we literally mean "He lives within/inside of London" and not "He lives on top of London" or "He lives at the specific spot of London."


Hope this helps.

Brian


----------



## Oros

We have a shop on Adelaide Street.

Our shop is on Adelaide Street.

Are the above fine?

Does it really matter the size of the street? 

Adelaide Street can be a small one, big one or famous one like Champs Elysee.


----------



## panjandrum

I stress that I am speaking BE, and perhaps more locally than that.

_*On*_ is perfect if Adelaide Street is well-known for shopping.
If no one expects to find a shop there, the shop is _*in*_ Adelaide Street.

Others may suggest different uses of on and in.
I'm sorry, but use of in and on in this context has no objective rule.


----------



## maxiogee

Oros said:
			
		

> We have a shop on Adelaide Street.
> Our shop is on Adelaide Street.
> 
> Are the above fine?


I'd be happy with both of them, and with "Our shop is in Adelaide Street".

The size of the street doesn't matter to me.
There used to be a difference in the understanding of what constituted a road/street/place/lane/avenue etc. but no longer. I think this might be what panjandrum is referring to.


----------



## panjandrum

maxiogee said:
			
		

> [...]There used to be a difference in the understanding of what constituted a road/street/place/lane/avenue etc. but no longer. I think this might be what panjandrum is referring to.


You could be right.
If so, it is entirely sub-conscious for me.


----------



## river

Over here the President lives *on *Pennsylvania Avenue. He lives *at *1600 Pennsylvania Ave.








"Don't misunderestimate me" George W. Bush


----------



## Kelly B

Yes, and he lives *in *the White House. I think Panjandrum meant that the phrase _10 Downing Street_ is equivalent to _the White House, _rather than to _1600 Pennsylvania Avenue_.


----------



## panjandrum

Kelly B said:
			
		

> Yes, and he lives *in *the White House. I think Panjandrum meant that the phrase _10 Downing Street_ is equivalent to _the White House, _rather than to _1600 Pennsylvania Avenue_.


That's exactly what he meant. 

Honestly, you'd think the idiot would manage to say what he meant first time instead of needing to be interpreted.
I'll have a word with him and tell him to try harder in future.


----------



## cheshire

1)on the street
2)in the street

Is it because of the usege difference between *British and American* that these two types are equally frequently used?


----------



## Nunty

Yes, I think so. Our visitors from the US will say "Is the monastery on Albeq Street?" and the British ones will say, "Is the monastery in Albeq street?"

I wonder if "in the street" can mean "in the middle of the street, in the traffic lanes" in both AE and BE?


----------



## rsweet

The preposition depends on the meaning of the sentence.

The word on the street is that Tom is dealing drugs.
The graffiti painted on the street . . . .
The car was parked on the side of the street.

Jane was standing in the street crying and calling for her lost dog.
The water in the street was waist deep.

What is the sentence you need help with?


----------



## cheshire

1)the building facing the street. The Opera House is ( ) the X street.
2)There are musicians ( ) the street.
Thanks for the help!


----------



## .   1

To my way of thinking a person who is on the street is basically living on the street.
To be in the street is to visit the street for a short period.

.,,


----------



## timpeac

rsweet said:


> The preposition depends on the meaning of the sentence.
> 
> The word on the street is that Tom is dealing drugs.
> The graffiti painted on the street . . . .
> The car was parked on the side of the street.
> 
> Jane was standing in the street crying and calling for her lost dog.
> The water in the street was waist deep.
> 
> What is the sentence you need help with?


But there is an AE BE difference I think.

For me -

the word on the street is... but
The graffiti painted *in* the street (eg on the walls along the street, _on_ would mean literally painted on the road surface - unless that's what you meant?)
The car was parked *in* the street.

So, it seems we only use "on" for the the "word on the street" (although I may not have thought of an example of "on" of course).


----------



## rsweet

timpeac said:


> But there is an AE BE difference I think.
> 
> The graffiti painted *in* the street (eg on the walls along the street, _on_ would mean literally painted on the road surface - unless that's what you meant?)



Yes, I meant on the road surface.


----------



## timpeac

rsweet said:


> Yes, I meant on the road surface.


Oh, we'd probably call that "street art" here!


----------



## cirrus

. said:


> To my way of thinking a person who is on the street is basically living on the street.
> To be in the street is to visit the street for a short period.
> 
> .,,


I would agree with this.  I worked with a project called on the street and into work which was about getting homeless people off the streets, into work and then into housing.


----------



## Cayuga

cheshire said:


> 1) The Opera House is ( ) the X street.



American: on
British: in




cheshire said:


> 2)There are musicians ( ) the street.



American: in
British: in, I think


----------



## timpeac

Cayuga said:


> American: on
> British: in
> 
> 
> 
> 
> American: in
> British: in, I think


Sounds good to me.


----------



## 1017

Hi,
Can anyone help me with this question?
"Yes, there is one in Berry Street." Or "Yes, there is one on Berry Street."
I used to learn "on... Street" so i got confused when i read my textbooks-"Yes, there is one in Berry Street." which one is correct.
Thanks for help
1017


----------



## GrandBlank

Off-hand, I would say that "in the street" would be used if the person/object/activity were physically in the middle of the street.  "On the street" and "On ____ Street" are used when they are located along the street as you usually think of it (on the side of the physical way).

* They're dancing in the street.*
They are in the middle of the street, dancing.

*Your car is in the street.  Please park in rear lot.*

*Is there a library on Berry Street?*

*Yes, there is one in on Berry Street.
*It's not in the middle of the street, but along the street.

[However, 
*I parked on the street. *
is a commonly used phrase meaning that you parked streetside (along the sidewalk as usual, but yes, _in _the street), as opposed to in the driveway, the parking lot, or the garage.  Did I confuse you?]

Best of luck!


----------



## 1017

Please correct me if I infer wrong.
So according to your explaination, I have two reasons to infer my textbook is wrong. First, my textbook also provides a map with this conversation. I am sure the newsagent building is "on Berry Street" not "in Berry Street."
Second, the whole conversation is as following,
A: Is there a newsagent's near here?
B: Yes, there's one in Berry Street.
A: Where's that?
B: Go along this road and turn right. That's Berry Street. Go past the pub and the newsagent's is on the right, opposite the supermarket.
So I believe the sentence here should be " Yes, there's one on Berry Street." 
Thanks for your help
1017


----------



## JamesM

1017 said:


> Hi,
> Can anyone help me with this question?
> "Yes, there is one in Berry Street." Or "Yes, there is one on Berry Street."
> I used to learn "on... Street" so i got confused when i read my textbooks-"Yes, there is one in Berry Street." which one is correct.
> Thanks for help
> 1017


 
I believe this is a difference between British English and American English.  In British English, offices are located "in" a street, and in American English, offices are located "on" a street.


----------



## la reine victoria

JamesM said:


> I believe this is a difference between British English and American English. In British English, offices are located "in" a street, and in American English, offices are located "on" a street.


 


I second that.  

"Can you tell me where the nearest fishing tackle shop is, please?"

"Yes, it's just round the corner *in* Regent Street."



LRV


----------



## MissFit

I've noticed that AE/BE difference in describing the location of buildings when I've watched BBC programs. It's illogical, but in the U.S. we use the word *on* to describe a building or property that is _along the edge or border of_ something else. I don't think that it applies to any other things besides real estate. Here are some more examples:

_Her summer house is on Lake Michigan._ [It's not on top of the water, it's right next to the shore, and probably facing the water.]
_His sporting goods store is on the golf course. _[It's not on top of the playing green, it's right next to the corse.]
_The park is on the border with Canada._ [It doesn't straddle the border, it's right next to it--take one step north off of the park property and you're in Canada.]

So both answers in your textbook are correct--which one to use depends on who you are talking to.


----------



## nay92

Personnaly i would use "Yes, there is one on Berry Street." But i am sure it depends on what the person asked you

Hope that helps


----------



## Porteño

You surprise me nay92 coming from London. You must be watching too much American TV, or else things have changed.


----------



## invictaspirit

This is a BrE vs AmE issue.

For the most part, things are in streets in the UK and on streets in the US.

BUT...and I may be talking just London here...in the UK things are on streets if the street is a very major arterial road.

Thus:

X is in Berwick St. (regular city street)
Y is on the Euston Road (very wide, long major street)

Naturally, the Brits are right. Hehe! Americans wouldn't talk about people dancing on the streets, they'd say dancing in the streets. Well it's the same with buildings.


----------



## Porteño

invictaspirit said:


> This is a BrE vs AmE issue.
> 
> For the most part, things are in streets in the UK and on streets in the US.
> 
> BUT...and I may be talking just London here...in the UK things are on streets if the street is a very major arterial road.
> 
> Thus:
> 
> X is in Berwick St. (regular city street)
> Y is on the Euston Road (very wide, long major street)
> 
> Naturally, the Brits are right. Hehe! Americans wouldn't talk about people dancing on the streets, they'd say dancing in the streets. Well it's the same with buildings.


 
I certainly don't remember that distinction


----------



## duden

Hi, is there any difference in the meaning of "in the street" and "on the street"? Thank you


----------



## panjandrum

A search for 
in or on the street 
found
in ...street or on...street?

Have a look and if you have further questions please ask on that thread.


----------



## lizzeymac

Issues of grammar aside, I believe the "in" or "on" question is most likely a BE vs AE issue.  
I live *on* Jane Street (AE) but my English friends say I live *in* Jane Street.


----------



## natkretep

brian8733 said:


> From a purely AE standpoint, "at" is used for a specific, defined place, "on" is used before a street name with no specific address, and "in" is used whenever there is the sense of "within" or "inside of."  For example:
> 
> He lives at 34 Oxford Street.
> 
> He lives on Oxford Street.
> 
> He lives in Palace Apartments.



Does it matter if the place has a number or has a name?

1. *He lives in 'The Laurels', Oxford Street* 
2. *He lives at 'The Laurels', Oxford Street*
3. *He lives at number thirty-four, Oxford Street* . 

(Assuming that we're not talking of London, and assuming that this is spoken [hence spelling out 'number thirty-four'].) Are all possible?


----------



## brian

I'm not sure what "The Laurels" is exactly, so it could be either "in" or "at." In any case, I'd have to add "on" before "Oxford Street," so: *He lives in/at 'The Laurens', on Oxford Street.*

Number (3) is correct.

[again, speaking from a strictly AE standpoint]


----------



## natkretep

In some places, it is possible for a property to have a name (sometimes in place of, but often in addition to) a number, so 'The Laurels' was my made-up house name. It could equally be something like Shepherds Croft, Farmhouse Lane. Would that make any difference to the preposition use?


----------



## C. E. Whitehead

jimreilly said:


> I somewhat disagree--I think one rides a bicycle in the street, but on the pavement. Which is interesting, because one rides a bicycle on the sidewalk, not in the sidewalk. And, even worse, one drives a car on Main Street. Why do I think a bicycle uses in and a car on? No idea, it's just the way I've always said it!
> 
> At any rate, it's tricky, isn't it?


 
I agree with those speakers of U.S. English who argue that riding a bike "in the street" sounds pretty risky--it means to me, right in the middle (of traffic, etc.). I'd ride a bike "down the street" (close to the edge or else perhaps on a little-travelled street) or "on [Street Name, example, "Elm"] Street."

You can use "in the street" to describe the location of a street party, or of some dancing (as a thread above points out), etc, as the band Credence Clearwater knew:

http://www.oracleband.net/Lyrics/down-on-the-corner.htm

However, if a person is living "on the street" it means he (or she) is homeless; and incidentally, you can put someone "out in the street" (when you evict him or her from a lodging, for example).

Best,

cew


----------



## majlo

C. E. Whitehead said:


> You can use "in the street" to describe the location of a street party, or of some dancing (as a thread above points out), etc, as the band Credence Clearwater knew:
> 
> http://www.oracleband.net/Lyrics/down-on-the-corner.htm



Thank you.  
It's nice to see that even after 3 and a half years folks are ready to help learners in need.


----------



## Porteño

natkretep said:


> In some places, it is possible for a property to have a name (sometimes in place of, but often in addition to) a number, so 'The Laurels' was my made-up house name. It could equally be something like Shepherds Croft, Farmhouse Lane. Would that make any difference to the preposition use?


 
Yes, it would - you live* at *The Laurels, *in *Oxford Street. Just like you live *at *number thirty-four.


----------



## C. E. Whitehead

Hmm, say you live in some place called "Manor Lodge."  You can live "at" or "in" Manor Lodge in my dialect.  

Best,

cew


----------



## dec-sev

I've come across a blog where an American says that 'in the street' means 'in the surface of...' and gives as an example, "children are not allowed to play in the street'. 
At school I was taught that that the phrase with children meant 'childen are not allowed to play on the road of the street'. As far as the surface is concerned:

It rained a lot yesterday and there are a lof of puddles on/in the street now. 

Which preposition would you use? I would use 'on' as it's about the surface. What do you think?


----------



## ribran

dec-sev said:


> I've come across a blog where an American says that 'in the street' means 'in the surface of...' and gives as an example, "children are not allowed to play in the street'.


His/Her example is good, but his/her definition is too narrow and doesn't apply here (how does one play *in *the surface of a street?). 



dec-sev said:


> At school I was taught that that the phrase with children meant 'childen are not allowed to play on the road of the street'. As far as the surface is concerned:
> 
> It rained a lot yesterday and there are a lof of puddles on/in the street now.
> 
> Which preposition would you use? I would use 'on' as it's about the surface. What do you think?



I would say, "...there are a lot of puddles *in* the street now," assuming you mean there are a lot of puddles on the pavement.


----------



## Hermione Golightly

To BE me "play in the street" is an idiomatic phrase meaning the roads and pavements outside the house. The children aren't playing in the house they playing outside 'in the street'. Their games take place on the road and pavements. O they used to, since those days are long gone.

I can't answer about puddles because I never need to talk about where they are. People know the relationship between the road or footpath and the puddles. 

"It rained a lot this morning and the children are enjoying splashing in the puddles"

"The bus went through a huge puddle and I got drenched from head to toe"

Hermione


----------



## dec-sev

ribran said:


> His/Her example is good, but his/her definition is too narrow and doesn't apply here (how does one play *in *the surface of a street?).
> 
> 
> 
> I would say, "...there are a lot of puddles *in* the street now," assuming you mean there are a lot of puddles on the pavement.


Thank you, ribran.



Hermione Golightly said:


> I never need to talk about where they are. People know the relationship between the road or footpath and the puddles.


Well, I should have given another example. For example about snow.

I snowed heavily last night and in the morning everything was covered with snow. It has been a sunny day, the snow on the roofs has melted, but there is still some _in _the street. 

Ribran's answer makes me think that the right preposition is 'in'.


----------



## wandle

The other day, in Oxford St., I was asked by an American, 'Is this Oxford?' 
I felt like saying, 'No, this is London', but I answered 'This is Oxford St.'
My impression is that the American preference for saying 'on' a street rather than 'in' imagines for example a house on a street which is on a piece of land, whereas the British preference for 'in' imagines it as a place in which you exist and live your life, as you would in a town.


----------



## natkretep

Wandle, on ways of referring to streets in AE and BE, have a look at:

*Referring to streets (AmE/BrE)*


----------



## reginaregina

What's the difference between "in the street" and "on the street?" I also heard there is a difference between AE and BE? I heard Americans say"in the street"mean right in the middle of the street, while "on the street" mean on the sidewalk? What about BE. In BE, What should I say:The children were playing ..... the streetThank you.

Mod note: reginaregina's thread has been merged with this thread.


----------



## Tazzler

<deletion>
 I might as well give you my AE viewpoint: I use "in" when I'm talking about being between the borders of the road, being in the space where cars go, and I use "on" when I'm talking about being on the edge of one of those borders of the space where cars go. So I live on 5th street (just as if the street were a river, you say "the house is on the river" to mean it's on the bank and not "in" which would mean in the water), but children shouldn't play in the street.

Mod note: Thanks, Tazzler for the link. Not required now because of the merged threads.


----------



## TommyGun

brian said:


> From a purely AE standpoint, "at" is used for a specific, defined place, "on" is used before a street name with no specific address, and "in" is used whenever there is the sense of "within" or "inside of."  For example:
> 
> He lives at 34 Oxford Street.
> 
> He lives on Oxford Street.
> 
> He lives in Palace Apartments.
> 
> 
> Notice that if the person you are talking to already knows of Palace Apartments, then it is already defined and specific enough between the speakers, so that one may say, "He lives at Palace Apartments."  (If the other person does not know of Palace Apartments, he would infer that it is a specific place and probably ask, "What is Palace Apartments?" instead of "Where is Palace Apartments?")


Hi,

Could you please clarify whether I understand this right?

If one says 
_He lives in Palace Apartments._
The other's question might possibly be
_Where is Palace Apartments?_

If one says
_He lives at Palace Apartments._
The other's question might possibly be
_What is Palace Apartments?_

I doubt and can allow that the correspondence between the utterances and questions can be the other way round.


----------



## EdisonBhola

Having read the entire thread, I see there is no consensus. 
I guess either one is fine because whichever one you use, there will still be people who think you are wrong.


----------



## komuso

I didn't read the entire thread, but there is this.... from a dictionary....

On is to be in physical contact with.
In is to be enclosed or surrounded by something else.

I can ride my bike in or on the street. I ride my bike on the road, but not in it, because a road has the definition of being a wide way that goes from one place to another, whereas a street is often enclosed by houses or buildings. Sidewalks are raised and we can't be in them, only on them, unless we are talking about being buried in the cement. I don't ride my bike on the alley, because I am quite definitely in the alley, being enclosed.  And so on and so forth.


----------



## andregaliano

Bruce Springsteen is "out in the streets". But Dire Straits plays "on every street".
Go figure.


----------



## NevenaT

Hello everyone!  I've already written the same post that follows below, and I was referred to this thread to find the answer, but I haven't found it. So, I hope someone can clarify this a bit. 

The following question regards only British English.

I was doing a listening exercise from the book "Face to Face" by Oxford, and although I know Brits usually use "in" the street, the speaker in the audio said that a shop is "on the Market Street". To make matters worse, in one audio for the same book and same level I listened to later, they used "in New* Market Street" (*not sure if it was new or something else, but the name was definitely something Market Street).

I read in one of the posts in multiple threads, that Brits use "on" when referring to broader or longer streets, bigger streets in general. Is this the case, or is it something else that determines the preposition?


----------



## heypresto

"(The shop is) on the Market Street" doesn't sound at all natural. I can't imagine anybody saying ' . . . on the market street'. Or ' . . . on the Market Street'.

'The shop is in Newmarket Street' sounds perfectly natural.


----------



## NevenaT

I'll find the book and the audio script today, and I'll post a photo shot here so you can see the exact wording and context.


----------



## NevenaT

I haven't taken the photo yet, I don't remember where it exactly is, but I will come across it again as I'll be teaching the same lesson again soon.
However, take a look at the following link, this is obviously BE, and they say 'should smoking on the street be illegal'. Why on in this case?

< Video link removed.  Cagey, moderator >


----------



## sound shift

heypresto said:


> "(The shop is) on the Market Street" doesn't sound at all natural. I can't imagine anybody saying ' . . . on the market street'. Or ' . . . on the Market Street'.


I can imagine someone saying "The shop is on Market Street", without "the". It's been my experience that usage - "in" vs. "on" - varies from one part of the UK to another.


----------



## Ivan Eduardo

Text, transcribed by moderator:
"I rarely go to the street."


----------



## Ivan Eduardo

Ivan Eduardo said:


> View attachment 31100


May I ask for your opinion? I'm an English teacher from Perú.


----------



## Cagey

Hello Ivan Eduardo.  

Please describe the situation in which you would use this sentence. 
If you go 'to the street', you are somewhere else and the street is your destination.  Is that what you are thinking of?


----------



## zaffy

judkinsc said:


> "In the street" means literally that you are "in the middle of the street, standing on it, and waiting for a passing car to hit you.



In BE we would say 'on the street' in that context, right?


----------



## sound shift

zaffy said:


> In BE we would say 'on the street' in that context, right?


I would not say that in that context, no. I would say "in the middle of the street".


----------



## zaffy

And what do I choose here? I guess 'in' in AE and 'on' in BE, right?
"And on the way home, I saw some boys playing football *in/on *the street. I stopped and told them to go to the playground.  "


----------



## sound shift

zaffy said:


> And what do I choose here? I guess 'in' in AE and 'on' in BE, right?
> "And on the way home, I saw some boys playing football *in/on *the street. I stopped and told them to go to the playground.  "


I don't think there's an AE/BE difference in this particular case: I think "in the street" would sound right on both sides of the Atlantic - but I stand to be corrected when our AE friends fall out of bed.


----------



## zaffy

And how about this coursebook task? Would there be a difference between AE/BE? 

"The picture shows a boy, standing *in/on* some street, looking through a toy store window."


----------



## Galo624

Hi there,
If you are walking and you are in close proximity to the buildings of a street which are clearly separated from the road by a curb edge than you say ' I'm on the street', because 'on the street' implies the location of buildings, the sidewalk and the pedestrian zone, on which motorized vehicles are not allowed to drive or must decrease their speed in order to not endanger people when entering or parking. 'On the street' answers the unspecified question whether you are inside a containerlike facility (house, barn, office, factory etc.) or outside (standing on the sidewalk, sitting outside a cafe and drinking some cappucino etc.). 'In the street'  implies a more or less enclosed space, so you can think of this latter expression as 'In (the boundaries of) the street'. 'On the street' is more about spaces occupied by buildings or zones (like playgrounds, cafes, parking lots etc.) in a city/town whereas 'In the street' is a more general expression, which includes both facilities of any kind and crossroads in a city/town. The concept of a street in English  is quite abstract and thus its use idiomatic. So I think that both forms can be used interchangeably in most of the cases, without being missunderstood in any form. The only difference seems to be of regional character. Americans generally prefer to say 'On the street', whereas the British use 'In the street'. And last but not least, there is no expression like 'at the street'.


----------



## Myridon

He's standing on the sidewalk.


----------



## Packard

From My Fair Lady:  My Fair Lady - On The Street Where You Live Lyrics | MetroLyrics


_I have often walked down this street before
But the pavement always stayed beneath my feet before
All at once am I several stories high
Knowing I'm *on the street* where you live_

Problem:  I can't get this tune out of my head now.  I'm going to be stuck with it for hours.


----------



## sound shift

Galo624 said:


> And last but not least, there is no expression like 'at the street'.


That's right. "At" refers to points, spots, but streets don't fall into either of those categories.


----------



## Packard

We do hear "at the street level", but in that case "street" is an adjective modifying "level".


----------



## Michael_Goldman

Hello friends,

Is the following sentence correct regarding *in/on the street*?

'I like watching the first snow on the street.'

* The snow is lying, not falling.

By the way, what if it was falling, which would be the preposition?

Thank you very much.


----------



## Cagey

You are looking at something that is not moving, so we (or I) would say 'seeing.'  And it would be 'on' the street, because it's on the surface of the street: 'I like <seeing/ to see> the first snow *on* the street.'

I use 'in' the street, the street is the area within which something is happening: "I was watching the children playing in the street."
(I am not certain this guidance will always work, but it is a good starting point.)


----------



## kentix

Cagey said:


> You are *looking* at something that is not moving, so we (or I) would say 'seeing.'


I would say looking.


----------



## Cagey

That is also possible.  However, I have led us astray from the thread topic.   
If anyone wants to discuss this word choice further, here are a few previous threads:

Watching/ looking /seeing the book​see/look at​See snow​


----------



## Michael_Goldman

Cagey said:


> You are looking at something that is not moving, so we (or I) would say 'seeing.'  And it would be 'on' the street, because it's on the surface of the street: 'I like <seeing/ to see> the first snow *on* the street.'
> 
> I use 'in' the street, the street is the area within which something is happening: "I was watching the children playing in the street."
> (I am not certain this guidance will always work, but it is a good starting point.)



Muddy puddles are also on the surface of the street, so I should say 'There're plenty of muddy puddles *on* the street.', shouldn't I?

Am I right to say that if something inanimate is on the surface of the street, then it should be '*ON* the street', and in case it regards animate objects like people or animals, they are '*IN* the street', and this statement is correct for BrE, isn't it?


----------



## Fennn

Imagine a street of people, cars and activities. In the street is to blend in with the people and activities. On the street gives a sense of exposure to the elements, danger or being easily identifiable. So, either is correct depending how u want the subject to be perceived.


----------



## nodushan

I have been learning "formal" English my whole life and teaching it for over 30 years now. The standard usage, back in the 1980s, was to use "on the street"--although I never understood why "in the street" would be wrong as streets, unlike middle-of-the-desert roads, are walled on both sides, and you are definitely "inside" a three-dimensional walled space, not on a two-dimensional surface, so it should normally be "in the street"--based on common sense. Anyway, recent developments in the English speaking world no longer accepts either British or American "vernaculars" as THE ONLY standard accepted English language variants, and other World Englishes are also accepted, so English has paid the price by accepting both prepositions, and I assume native speakers of English will somehow make sense of your speech no matter which one you use. After all, listeners have their own relevance-theoretic cognitive thingamajigs, and they normally inject meaning into speakers' utterances from outside, so I would say don't worry about these issues--unless you are writing a very formal piece of work like a legal report for a judge. All in all, the internet and intercommunication are doing their jobs, language socialization is rapidly happening, English is losing its "standard" status, and I bet the new-normal will soon be a universally-spoken "pidginized" version of English that will serve the whole world--as a lingua franca. How long will this take? No one clearly knows. 
Cheers.
Mohammad Ali Salmani Nodoushan


----------



## kentix

It will take much longer in countries whose primary language is English.


----------

