Absurd English: Verbs with Prepositions IN / ON / AT
In, on, at…which one is it? Succeed in, succeed on, succeed at something? Focus in, focus on, or focus at something? How can you possibly know which preposition follows the verb!?
The short answer is: you can’t. (Unless I tell you – it’s succeed in, focus on.)
This is an area of English where you simply need to remember the correct expression. So go easy on yourself!
Let’s go step by step. Today you’ll see 9 verbs followed by IN / ON / AT for everyday conversations at work in English.
This is particularly useful if you need to speak English at work, although it will benefit anyone who wants to boost their English vocabulary! Ready?
It’s self-sabotaging to give a perfect interview answer, but a weak conclusion. Read this article, and you’ll see how to finish each answer impressively in your next job interview in English.
Work activities that use the word “in”
1. Work in: If you are part of a team or department, you can say that you work in a team or department.
For example, “I work in the marketing department”.
2. Invest in: If you’re talking about time, money, effort, you’ll say invest in something.
For example, “We want to invest in more researchers”.
3. Specialise in: When you describe your expertise, you specialise in a particular field.
For example, “The company specialise in digital marketing”.
“If you want to explain your general location, say that you work at that location. “
Work activities that use the word “on”
4. Collaborate on: A way to describe working together with other people is to collaborate on an activity.
For example, “We collaborated on the report together”.
Another possibility is to collaborate with a person, on an activity.
For example, “I collaborated with Thomas on the presentation”.
5. Share updates on: When exchanging information about new developments of projects or events, it’s called sharing, giving, or receiving an update on a situation.
For example, “Can you give me an update on the sales numbers?”.
6. Work on. When you work on a project, or a task, or an assignment, you focus your energy on advancing that particular project or task or assignment.
For example, “We’re working on a more efficient strategy”.
Work activities that use the word “at”
7. Work at a location: This one can be confusing, because people often mix up “work at a location” with “work in a location”. Here’s the difference!
If you want to explain your general location, say that you work at that location.
For example, “I’m working at the office today”. This gives a general idea of where you are in the world.
If you want to emphasise you are in an enclosed location, use work in a location.
For example, “Thomas is working in his office right now”. This time, we imagine Thomas working inside a specific room with four walls, like a box.
8. Aim at: If you want a group of people to be influenced or reached by your activities, you can say aim at.
For example, “The campaign is aimed at Millennials”.
Here we say aim at a person or group of people. However, you can also use “aim at” with an activity. Note here the structure is with -ing. You aim at + doing something.
For example, “The training program is aimed at boosting leadership skills”.
9. Meet at scheduled appointments or times: At work, you’ll probably talk about having a scheduled appointment with someone. Make sure you use “at” when referring to the time.
For example, “I’m meeting the client for a quick appointment at 10am”.
CONCLUSION
Hopefully you can remember these expressions next time you need them, but if you can’t – do not worry! If you say “in” instead of “on”, or “on” instead of “at”, the other person will still understand you perfectly.
And if you remember to say the right word – awesome! You are showing your advanced, professional level of English as you correctly use verbs with prepositions in, on, at.
Susie Shields
I train people to use English in a professional context. In my one-to-one sessions, online course and social media platforms, you’ll master tools to flourish in your English-speaking workplace. From job interviews to work meetings to presentations and more, you’ll prepare for professional challenges and speak with success.
