[Grammar] "in Station Street" or "on Station Street"

I have read the post stream from last year about "in the street" and "on the street", but my question is slightly different.

When specifying a location, I have always believed that "in" should be used for areas, i.e., 2 dimensions on a map, and "on" should be used for streets, rivers, borders, etc., which are 1 dimensional on a map. However, I have recently come across several texts (including Murphy) that teach students:

The shop is in Station Street.

My guess is that this statement means that the shop is located in the Station street district, but how should I explain this to my students? :-|

Any suggestions will be appreciated!

timmpage said:

I have read the post stream from last year about "in the street" and "on the street", but my question is slightly different.

When specifying a location, I have always believed that "in" should be used for areas, i.e., 2 dimensions on a map, and "on" should be used for streets, rivers, borders, etc., which are 1 dimensional on a map. However, I have recently come across several texts (including Murphy) that teach students:

The shop is in Station Street.

My guess is that this statement means that the shop is located in the Station street district, but how should I explain this to my students? :-|

Any suggestions will be appreciated!

Click to expand...

"In Station Street" is BrE, we use "in the street" where Americans use "on the street". So "The shop is in Station Street" means the same as "The shop is on Station Street". Being British "on the street" sounds strange to me.

Dear bhaisahab, thanks for your reply.

I agree that "in the street" and "on the street" are basically the same, but if your address is 25 Park Street, Devonshire, do you say that you live "in Park Street" or "on Park Street"? Is “I live in Park Street in Devonshire” correct?

Is it the same for roads, avenues, etc., or is there something specials about "Street"?

When I listen to the BBC, they seem to say "on the High Street”, for example, the following are from the BBC News website:

“A survey carried out by the company found 27% of consumers who had intended to go shopping on the High Street had turned to the internet instead because of the sub-zero temperatures.” from UK retail sales rise 0.3% in December

Yet, when talking about shops, they sometimes use “in”

“But Mr Saunders, speaking on behalf of retailers in Oxford Street, said more needed to be done.” from Call to cut Oxford Street buses

But

“The incident took place at about 1245 GMT on Tuesday in Shoe Zone on Oxford Street in Ripley.” from Police release e-fit of flasher

Sorry for sending such a long posting, but I’m pretty confused by this.

Thanks for your patience.

timmpage said:

Dear bhaisahab, thanks for your reply.

I agree that "in the street" and "on the street" are basically the same, but if your address is 25 Park Street, Devonshire, do you say that you live "in Park Street" or "on Park Street"? Is “I live in Park Street in Devonshire” correct?

Is it the same for roads, avenues, etc., or is there something specials about "Street"?

When I listen to the BBC, they seem to say "on the High Street”, for example, the following are from the BBC News website:

“A survey carried out by the company found 27% of consumers who had intended to go shopping on the High Street had turned to the internet instead because of the sub-zero temperatures.” from UK retail sales rise 0.3% in December

Yet, when talking about shops, they sometimes use “in”

“But Mr Saunders, speaking on behalf of retailers in Oxford Street, said more needed to be done.” from Call to cut Oxford Street buses

But

“The incident took place at about 1245 GMT on Tuesday in Shoe Zone on Oxford Street in Ripley.” from Police release e-fit of flasher

Sorry for sending such a long posting, but I’m pretty confused by this.

Thanks for your patience.

Click to expand...

If someone lives at 25 Park Street, he/she would say: "I live in Park Street" (not Devonshire by the way, Devonshire, or Devon as it is more commonly known, is a county). I'm afraid I can't really explain the two references to "on the street" from the BBC, I would say it's unusual.

timmpage said:

I have read the post stream from last year about "in the street" and "on the street", but my question is slightly different.

When specifying a location, I have always believed that "in" should be used for areas, i.e., 2 dimensions on a map, and "on" should be used for streets, rivers, borders, etc., which are 1 dimensional on a map. However, I have recently come across several texts (including Murphy) that teach students:

The shop is in Station Street.

My guess is that this statement means that the shop is located in the Station street district, but how should I explain this to my students? :-|

Any suggestions will be appreciated!

Click to expand...

***NOT A TEACHER***(1) Yes, Americans prefer "on." (2) Occasionally, there's an exception. For example, Wall Street can refer to (a) the famous street itself (b) the general area (c) the financial institutions of this country. Although most people would say, "I work on Wall Street," don't be surprised by a book entitled "My 50 Years in Wall Street." A much sexier title than "My 50 years in the Money Market." (3) I THINK I remember reading somewhere (I can't find the source) that the British use "on" for the High Street but "in" for lesser streets. If I'm wrong, someone will correct me. (4) Is there any possibility that BBC announcers may be adopting some Americanisms? Thank you.

Ok, as long as I'm still getting responses... Please answer this for me: I currently live in the Czech Republic. We don't usually use the word "street" in adresses. If I tell you that I live in Podlusky, in Chadlinska, do you know the name of my street and town?

timmpage said:

Ok, as long as I'm still getting responses... Please answer this for me: I currently live in the Czech Republic. We don't usually use the word "street" in adresses. If I tell you that I live in Podlusky, in Chadlinska, do you know the name of my street and town?

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No, not unless you know that there is a convention which states that one always goes before the other.

Thanks bhaisahab, that's what I thought. I'll let it go now ;-)