When you think about prepositions, always go back to their physical meaning. "On" puts one thing on top of another: "the cat is on the table". "In" puts one thing inside another: "there is a surprise in the box". Adding to Bernadettes good examples, here are some more: "That boy is ON the road to a happy life" He is imagined to be walking ON top of the road, not contained inside of it. "Watch out! There is a hole IN the road ahead. The road contains the hole. "The man is on Main Street, walking to a restaurant". He is walking ON top of the road. "I like the stores on (or along) Main Street." The stores are not contained by the street. "I like the stores in the Main Street district." The district that contains Main Street also contains the stores. In each case, switching the prepositions will not make you wrong. Just try to make sure that the word you use corresponds to the image in your mind.

The prepositions "in" and "on" are used differently when referring to roads and streets: 1. **"On the road"**: This is the correct usage when referring to being on a roadway or traveling. For example, "I saw him on the road" or "We will be on the road for several hours." 2. **"In the road"**: This is less common and typically used when referring to something or someone located within the boundaries of the road, such as "There is a pothole in the road." 3. **"On the streets"**: This refers to being out and about in urban areas or on the various streets of a city. For example, "People are gathering on the streets for the parade." 4. **"In the streets"**: This is used to describe being within the streets, often in a more general or encompassing sense. For example, "Children are playing in the streets." In summary: - Use "on" when referring to being on the surface of a road or street. - Use "in" when referring to being within the space or area of a road or street.

You would say on the road, is only used when you are surrounded by something in some way, for example it would be correct to say in the car, on the car would imply you climbed on top of the vehicle and are not a passenger or driver. However since a motorcycle is not an object that you are physically in you would say on the motorcycle, in the the motorcycle would imply that something is inside of the compartment of the motorcycle, such as something being stored inside of it, or a component of the engine. Once again being inside of a house means that you are physically in the house, on the floor, between the walls, under the ceiling, on the house would imply an object that is apposte to the house, such as “the porch light is on the house,” however if you were to go on the patio, or porch, it would always be on. Something being on the window would imply that it is physically on the window cill or attracted to the glass pane, but being in the window would imply something you see through the window, such as an animal outside. You always say that you are in a country, or city, but you would say that you are on a continent, such as I’m on North America, or the planet, I’m on earth, or I’m on an island. The reason In is used for countries and cities but not these physical locations is because they are imaginary boundaries we place in our head