A
At home / in the hospital, etc.
We say that somebody is at home / at work:
– I’ll be at work until 5:30, but I’ll be at home all evening.
You can also say be/stay home (without at):
– You can stop by anytime. I’ll be home all evening.
We say that somebody is in the hospital / in prison / in jail”
– Kim is not living at home. She’s away at college.
But use in school/college to say what someone is doing:
– Amy works at t band and her brother is in medical school. (= he’s studying medicine)
B
At a party / at a concert, etc.
We say that somebody is at an event (at a party / at a conference, etc.):
– Were there many people at the party / at the meeting / at the wedding?
– I saw Steve at a tennis match / at a concert on Saturday.
C
In and at for buildings
You can often use in or at with buildings. For example, you can eat in a restaurant or at a restaurant;you can buy something in a supermarket or at a supermarket.
We usually say at where an event takes place (for example, a concert, a movie, a party, a meeting):
– We went to a concert at Lincoln Center.
– The meeting took place at the company’s headquarters in New York.
We say at the station / at the airport:
– Don’t meet me at the station. I can get a taxi.
We say at somebody’s house:
– I was at Sue’s house last night. or I was at Sue’s last night.
Also at the doctor’s, at the hairdresser’s, etc.
We use in when we are thinking about the building itself. Compare:
– We had dinner at the hotel. but
All the rooms in the hotel have air conditioning. (not at the hotel)
– I was at Sue’s (house) last night. but
It’s always cold in Sue’s house. The heating doesn’t work very well. (not at Sue’s house)
D
In and at for towns, etc.
We normally use in with cities, towns, and villages:
– Sam’s parents live in St.Louis. (not at St.Louis)
– The Louvre is a famous art museum in Paris. (not at Paris)
But you can use at or in when you think of the place as a point or station on a trip:
– Does this train stop at (or in) Denver? (= at the Denver station)
– We stopped at (or in) a small town on the way to Denver.
E
On a bus / in a car, etc.
We usually say on a bus / on a train / on a place / on a ship but in a car / in a taxi:
– The bus was very full. There were too many people on it.
– Mary arrived in a taxi.
We say on a bike (= bicycle) / on a motorcycle / on a house:
– Jane passed me on her bike.
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