Prepositions of Place (AT / IN / ON) – English Grammar Exercises for A1
You are guiding a new guest in your company building, showing them how to find the director’s office and other departments across different floors.
Choose the best option (A, B, or C) to complete each sentence.
1 Hello! Welcome to our company. The director’s office is ______ the second floor.
(A) on
(B) in
(C) at
2 If you need some water, the cafeteria is ______ the first floor.
(A) in
(B) on
(C) at
3 Right now, we are standing ______ the ground floor.
(A) at
(B) in
(C) on
4 Please take the stairs. The meeting room is ______ the third floor.
(A) on
(B) at
(C) in
5 You can find the main reception desk ______ the bottom floor.
(A) in
(B) on
(C) at
6 Take the elevator up. The manager’s room is ______ the top floor of this building.
(A) on
(B) in
(C) at
7 The IT department can help you. They work ______ the fourth floor.
(A) at
(B) on
(C) in
8 Get off the elevator when you arrive ______ the fifth floor.
(A) on
(B) in
(C) at
9 You don’t need to go up. The boss is right here ______ this floor.
(A) in
(B) at
(C) on
10 All the sales teams are sitting ______ the lower floor today.
(A) at
(B) on
(C) in
11 You will see a big glass door when you step out ______ the sixth floor.
(A) at
(B) in
(C) on
12 Is the guest lounge located ______ the next floor up?
(A) on
(B) in
(C) at
13 We do not have any meeting rooms ______ the basement floor.
(A) in
(B) on
(C) at
14 You can leave your coat in the wardrobe ______ the upper floor.
(A) at
(B) on
(C) in
15 I will wait for you outside the elevator ______ the seventh floor.
(A) on
(B) in
(C) at
16 There are no empty desks ______ the same floor as the director.
(A) in
(B) at
(C) on
17 The accounting department is situated ______ the highest floor.
(A) on
(B) in
(C) at
18 Please sign this guest book ______ the ground floor before you go up.
(A) at
(B) on
(C) in
19 I think the HR manager’s office is ______ a different floor.
(A) in
(B) at
(C) on
20 The important company documents are kept safely ______ the underground floor.
(A) on
(B) at
(C) in
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (A)
Explanation: (A) on.
Why it’s correct: A floor is a flat surface that we walk upon. We always use “on” for floors (e.g., on the first floor, on the second floor).
Mistake Analysis: (B) “in” is a common mistake for learners who think of being inside the building’s interior. (C) “at” is incorrect for flat surfaces.
2 (B)
Explanation: (B) on.
Why it’s correct: “The first floor” is a flat surface.
Mistake Analysis: (A) “in” is a structural error. (C) “at” is used for specific points, not floor levels.
3 (C)
Explanation: (C) on.
Why it’s correct: Even “the ground floor” is treated as a flat surface you stand upon.
Mistake Analysis: (A) “at” is grammatically wrong here. (B) “in” is physically impossible (you cannot stand inside the floor itself).
4 (A)
Explanation: (A) on.
Why it’s correct: The third floor is a horizontal level/surface.
Mistake Analysis: (B) “at” and (C) “in” fail to describe the physical contact with a surface.
5 (B)
Explanation: (B) on.
Why it’s correct: “The bottom floor” acts as a surface just like any numbered floor.
Mistake Analysis: (A) “in” and (C) “at” are common preposition errors.
6 (A)
Explanation: (A) on.
Why it’s correct: “The top floor” indicates the highest horizontal surface of the building.
Mistake Analysis: (B) “in” would mean being inside the building, but not specifically on the floor surface. (C) “at” is incorrect.
7 (B)
Explanation: (B) on.
Why it’s correct: The fourth floor is the surface where the department is located.
Mistake Analysis: (A) “at” and (C) “in” are incorrect spatial prepositions.
8 (A)
Explanation: (A) on.
Why it’s correct: When you get off an elevator, you step onto the flat surface of the floor.
Mistake Analysis: (B) “in” and (C) “at” do not match the spatial reality of stepping onto a floor.
9 (C)
Explanation: (C) on.
Why it’s correct: “This floor” follows the exact same rule as numbered floors.
Mistake Analysis: (A) “in” is wrong. (B) “at” is a structural error.
10 (B)
Explanation: (B) on.
Why it’s correct: “The lower floor” is a surface level.
Mistake Analysis: (A) “at” and (C) “in” are incorrect.
11 (C)
Explanation: (C) on.
Why it’s correct: “The sixth floor” requires the preposition “on” because you walk on it.
Mistake Analysis: (A) “at” is wrong. (B) “in” is a common mistake.
12 (A)
Explanation: (A) on.
Why it’s correct: “The next floor up” is still a floor surface.
Mistake Analysis: (B) “in” and (C) “at” are structural errors.
13 (B)
Explanation: (B) on.
Why it’s correct: “The basement floor” is the lowest walkable surface in a building.
Mistake Analysis: (A) “in” is a distractor (we can say “in the basement”, but when the word “floor” is added, it must be “on the basement floor”). (C) “at” is wrong.
14 (B)
Explanation: (B) on.
Why it’s correct: “The upper floor” is a surface.
Mistake Analysis: (A) “at” and (C) “in” are incorrect.
15 (A)
Explanation: (A) on.
Why it’s correct: You are waiting on the surface of the seventh floor.
Mistake Analysis: (B) “in” and (C) “at” are incorrect.
16 (C)
Explanation: (C) on.
Why it’s correct: “The same floor” acts as a horizontal surface.
Mistake Analysis: (A) “in” and (B) “at” do not fit the concept of a floor.
17 (A)
Explanation: (A) on.
Why it’s correct: “The highest floor” is a surface level.
Mistake Analysis: (B) “in” and (C) “at” are wrong.
18 (B)
Explanation: (B) on.
Why it’s correct: The ground floor is a surface.
Mistake Analysis: (A) “at” is wrong. (C) “in” is wrong.
19 (C)
Explanation: (C) on.
Why it’s correct: “A different floor” requires the preposition “on”.
Mistake Analysis: (A) “in” and (B) “at” are incorrect.
20 (A)
Explanation: (A) on.
Why it’s correct: “The underground floor” is a flat surface level.
Mistake Analysis: (B) “at” is wrong. (C) “in” is a distractor (you can be “in the underground”, but you must be “on the underground floor”).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- The Surface Rule:
In English, anything that acts as a flat surface for objects to be placed upon or for people to step on must be accompanied by the preposition “ON”. A floor is essentially a giant flat surface.
Examples: on the first floor, on the ground floor, on the top floor. - Vocabulary Traps:
- If you refer to an enclosed space without using the word “floor”, you use IN. Example: in the basement.
- However, as soon as the word “floor” appears, the grammatical focus immediately shifts to the surface, and you are forced to use ON. Example: on the basement floor.
- Why not ‘AT’ or ‘IN’ for Floors?
- IN means you go inside an object. You cannot physically go inside the concrete mass of a floor.
- AT is used for a coordinate point or a general location, which fails to describe the physical contact you have with the surface of a level in a building.