0
BarbaraPA Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

In the street/On the street (BrE/AmE)

0Can a native Brit please confirm for me that you would say "I live in Elm Street" not "I live on Elm Street"? 02br
02br
00Or say you are arranging to meet someone, would you say "I'll see you at Chez Barbara, you know the new restaurant in Lake Avenue"?02br
02br
00See? Prepositions are hard even for native speakers! 050010id1
  

Top answer

0 01blockquote 01cite 10Grammar Geek12cite 10See? Prepositions are hard even for native speakers! 15012br 12blockquote 10 01b 01font 00But in some cases between BE and AmE, it's almost as if they're two separate languages.

— Philip

  • 0 01blockquote 01cite 10Grammar Geek12cite 10See?
  • Prepositions are hard even for native speakers!
  • 15012br 12blockquote 10 01b 01font 00But in some cases between BE and AmE, it's almost as if they're two separate languages.
  • The Atlantic Ocean is very wide, indeed.
  • 05102font 02b 00 010id111id5
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

14 Answers
0
0 01blockquote
01cite10Grammar Geek12cite10See? Prepositions are hard even for native speakers! 15012br
12blockquote
10 01b01font00But in some cases between BE and AmE, it's almost as if they're two separate languages. The Atlantic Ocean is very wide, indeed. 05102font
0
0
0Why don't you think of me and people like me? 05000 05100 Can't you reach an agreement on prepositions?010id211id4
0
0
0 Hi,02br
00this (from a long thread) is what I was able to find:02br
02br
01a05000 02a02br
01a02br
05100 02a02br
02br
00Not much stuff, but I
0
0
0Hi GG,02br
02br
00Yes, I would always say "I live in Elm Street", but "I live at 50 Elm Street".02br
02br
00I would meet you at the restaurant in Lake Avenue, but on the corner of Lake Avenue and River Road.02br
02br
00LRR0-
0
0
0@LRR: Would you consider the other form incorrect?0-
0
0
0I would live in Elm Avenue, and even in Elm Road, and certainly at 48 Elm Street, next to Rose; but I'd stop for some petrol on the M6, and go to a fish & chip shop on the Old Kent Road – if I were on my way to Old Kent of course; though otherwise, I would probably just pick up some jellied eels at my local pie shop 01i00in02i00 the Old Kent Road.02br
02br
0
0
0Thank you for the responses.02br
02br
00But can you explain the difference bewteen the fish and chip shop ON the Old Kent Road and living IN Elm Street?0-
0
0
0I think we do also use 'on' in some circumstances but I'm having a problem trying to work out why.02br
02br
00Thinking of examples where 'in' or 'on' sound most natural, all I can think of is that it has something to do with the type/length of the road. We live 'in' smaller and medium-sized roads and definitely in fairly self-contained roads such as cul-de-sacs (no-through r
0
0
0Thank you! That makes sense. 02br
02br
00Now I just have to get used to "at the weekend." 050010id1
0
0
0Yes, I'm with Nona on this one. 02br
02br
00Only some kinds of road can be preceded by "the"; usually, those whose name describes where they go. 02br
02br
00Thus many towns have a London Road; and with these, you can say e.g. "I walked up the London road" 01i00or02i00 "I walked up London Road".02br
02br
00It seem
0

Related Questions