In means inside something or within the limits of a place or time; on means on a surface or touching it. So it's in the box, in London, in May, in the morning, but on the table, on the wall, on Monday. Everyday logic doesn't always help, though: people are in a photo, not on it, and you travel on a bus.
in or on — can you pick the right one?
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in + room/box/city/country; in + month/year/season; in the morning; in the photo/picture; on + table/wall/floor; on + day/date; on the bus/train/plane; in the car/taxi
- I left my keys on the kitchen table, next to the coffee machine.
- We met in Barcelona in July, when it was far too hot to walk around.
- I'm on the bus now, so I'll reply to your email when I get home.
What changed
First versionThere are five people on this photo.
RevisionThere are five people in this photo.
A photo looks like a flat surface, so on seems natural. But in English a photo is a framed space, and the people are inside it, just like in the picture or in the mirror. On this photo sounds as if the people are standing on the print itself. So on was changed to in.
Transport has its own logic. You walk onto a bus, train or plane and can move around inside: on the bus, on the train, on the plane. You get into a car or taxi and stay seated inside: in the car, in a taxi. So it's I'm on the bus, not I'm in the bus.
Your turn
My birthday is ___ Friday this year, so we're having a party at home.
Show the answer
on — Days of the week and dates take on: on Friday, on 12 June. In goes before months, years and seasons, so in Friday is a mistake.
Describe a photo on your phone. Say who is in it and which city it was taken in.
In this photo my sister and I are standing on a bridge in Prague.
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