word choice - Are there simple rules for use of “in”, “on”, “at”, “from” and “for”?



I often get confused how to use in, on, at, from and for.


Examples:



I have a phone in/on/at my bag.


Meet me at/in/on this hotel.



They sound kind of right but I'm not sure which is correct.


Is there a simple way to remember how to use those?



Answer




  • to and for are usually used for an indirect object, such as:



I gave a book to Tom for his birthday.




  • in is short for inside, denoting a location in the interior of something; for example:



I have a phone in my bag.




  • on is a location resting on top of, or above, something else:



The lamp was on the table.




  • at describes being in proximity to, or coincident with, a geographic location:



Oh no! I left the tickets for the play at the hotel, in the envelope, on the dresser.



Another usage of to is the one opposite in meaning to from. In this case motion between two locations (or times) is inferred, with the source being referenced by from and the destination by to:



I moved the car from the garage to the street so we could finally patch the hole in the floor.



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