Preposition

Question

1)The policeman was standing on the corner.
2)The policeman was standing at the corner.

My grammar book says that 1) is the correct answer. I thought "at" should be used when we think of a place as a point.

Another sentence that I don't quite understand is this: People were dancing in the streets. Why use "in" instead of "on"?

Avangi · Accepted Answer

Both are used. We only think of the corner as a point when we look at the map. Urban intersections can encompass quite a lot of real estate.

"There's a drug store on the corner" is a common expression. "At" also works here.

"Turn left at the corner." This is a point. "Turn left on the corner" isn't normally used.

The policeman was standing on the corner." (most likely, on the sidewalk)

"The policeman was directing traffic at the corner." This is a point. It gives his location. He's probably in the middle of the street.

We usually distinguish between "in the street" and "on the sidewalk" when we're talking about pedestrians. "Get out of the street! Do you want to get hit by a car? Why don't you dance on the sidewalk instead of in the street?"

Cars can be on the street.

Preposition

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