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Prepositions after verbs

"Locate in" vs. "locate on"

Locate can mean find something or place something somewhere. In and on usually describe different kinds of location.

Quick answer

How "locate" works with in and on

Use locate in for areas, cities, countries, rooms, or containers. Use locate on for surfaces, streets, floors, maps, or coastlines. In passive descriptions, be located in and be located on are both common depending on the type of place.

The museum is located in the city centre.
The café is located on King Street.
The village is located on the coast.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
be located in + area

Position inside a larger area

Use in for cities, countries, buildings, rooms, and enclosed spaces.

Our office is located in Singapore.
2
be located on + street/coast/floor

Position on a line or surface

Use on for streets, floors, islands, maps, and coastlines.

Her apartment is located on the fifth floor.
3
locate + object

Finding something

Without a preposition, locate means find the position of something.

Rescuers quickly located the missing hikers.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
locate in
The factory is located in northern Italy.
Inside an area or region.
locate on
The hotel is located on the beach.
On a surface, coastline, street, or line.
located at
The embassy is located at 12 Hill Road.
At a specific address or point.
locate something
Police located the vehicle yesterday.
Find the position of something.

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using "on" for cities

Cities and countries normally take in.

✕ The company is located on Paris. ✓ The company is located in Paris.

Using "in" for streets

English usually uses on with streets and roads.

✕ The shop is located in Main Street. ✓ The shop is located on Main Street.

Confusing "locate" and "be located"

Locate means find or place. Be located describes position.

✕ The school locates in the suburbs. ✓ The school is located in the suburbs.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. The laboratory is located ___ Berlin.
2. Their office is located ___ Market Street.
3. Rescuers located ___ missing boat at dawn.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I say "located at"?

Yes. Located at is common for exact addresses and precise points.

Why do we say "on the coast"?

The coast is treated as a line or edge, so English commonly uses on.

Is "locate in" always passive?

Most location descriptions use be located in, but locate can also mean place something in a location.

label, as, label, with lag behind, in, from, on or by? "land on" or "land in"? languish in, at, on, for or near? last for, from, until, in or through? "latch onto" or "latch on"? laugh at, with, about, in or for? launch in, by, on, at or into? "lay on" or "lay in"? lead to, by, up, in or from? "leak to" or "leak from"? lean on, towards, against, toward or to?

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