Ask the Editor
Question
How do we know when to use in and on? For example, why is it "riding on the bus" instead of "riding in the bus"?
—
Rye
,
Philippines
Answer
In and on are prepositions that are used to describe location, among other things. There are simple rules that will help you choose between in and on for location, although naturally there are exceptions to therules. The phrase you ask about, “riding on the bus,” is one of the exceptions. But before we consider the exceptions, let’s go over the rules….
IN Use in when something is located inside of a defined space. It could be a flat space, like a yard, or a three-dimensional space, like a box, house, or car. The space does not need to be closed on all sides (“There is water IN the glass”).
ON Use on when something is touching the surface of something. It could be a horizontal surface, like a floor or beach, or a vertical surface, like a wall (“They hung pictures ON the wall”). We also use “on” for the surfaces of body parts (“He has a tattoo ON his arm”).
A good way to understand the difference between in and on is to examine the two sentences below. In the first one, the use of in tells us that the person is lying under the covers on the bed, in the space between the sheets. In the second sentence, the use of on tells us that the book is on the surface of the bed, not under the covers.
- There is someone IN my bed.
- There is a book ON my bed.
EXCEPTIONS Now let's turn to the exceptions...
- Although we use in with cars, use on for larger vehicles, like planes, trains, and buses (“They have wifi ON the plane”).
- To talk about something that is part of a written document, use in, regardless of the format of the document (“The quote appeared IN a blog post”).
- With websites, use on.
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