I am in town. I am at work.
Why don't we say (I am in work ) Or (I am at town)
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Best answer
Hello Portia! "In" is a preposition of place; we use it with places such as rooms and buildings. "Work" is not really a place; it is more like an event or a concept, so we use "at". For example, I am at work, I am at a party, I am at a conference...etc.
You can say, I am in my place of work, making it grammatically correct and you could say I am a town called No Mans land, again grammatically correct.
In is a preposition of place used for enclosed spaces or areas with boundaries eg "in Paris, in France" at is also a preposition of place but is for specific locations. Eg. " at a supermarket, at home, at school.
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It could be done both ways, there's not really a problem. When you say at you are likely referring to a location (I am at mom's house, I am at the market, I am at the McDonalds across the street, if you use the word (in) in place of (at) in those sentences the would still be correct) When you say I am in it means you are referring to a time presently or that you are taking part of an activity. (I am in a meeting, I am in work, I am in the sports festival)
work goes with the preposition "at" I'm at work. I'm at home. I'm at school.
- Raphael OliveiraCertified TESOL Teacher
The phrase “I am in work” or “I am at town” are not commonly used phrases in English. “In work” is used to indicate that we are currently present and working at our job, while “at town” is used to mean that we are physically present in a city or town.
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Introduce idioms with meaningful contexts, such as stories, dialogues, or real life scenarios . Use images or drawings to illustrate the literal and figurative meanings. Encourage learners to create sentences or role play-using idioms. Group idioms by themes ( e.g weather animals) to aid memory. Incorporate quizzes, matching activities, or charades for engagement.
