[Grammar] At this office or in this office ?

[cccheng]

Please advise whether "at" or "in" is correct in the following statement and why ?

To maintain an average indoor temperature between 24-26ºC during the months of June to September 2014 at this office building.

Thanks,
Vincent

 

[probus]

Hello Vincent: In my opinion "in" is more natural than "at" in this context.

 

[Matthew Wai]

Is 'in' more natural because the context refers to an indoor temperature?

 

[Tdol]

We tend to use the preposition in with building.

 

[José Manuel Rosón Bravo]

[Not a teacher]

The sentence refers to the space or atmosphere to be conditioned inside a building, so the natural and correct option is "in this office" as pointed by Matthew and Tdol.

We should use "at" to talk about a place we think of as a point or spot rather than an area, the name of a particular organization, a kind of building (a supermarket, a dentist's, a bank, etc.); leaving the preposition "in" to emphasise that we mean inside a building, premises, facility or structure.

 

[Pete Noire]

[Not a teacher] The sentence refers to the space or atmosphere to be conditioned inside a building, so the natural and correct option is "in this office" as pointed by Matthew and Tdol. We should use "at" to talk about a place we think of as a point or spot rather than an area, the name of a particular organization, a kind of building (a supermarket, a dentist's, a bank, etc.); leaving the preposition "in" to emphasise that we mean inside a building, premises, facility or structure.

What in the case of a farm?

 

[Matthew Wai]

'On a farm.'

Not a teacher.

 

[José Manuel Rosón Bravo]

What in the case of a farm?

[Not a teacher]

It depends on the meaning we are trying to convey.

“On a farm” when the term is a noun and specifically a location.

“In a farm”, also as a noun, to mean inside the farm facilities, such as barns, sty, hen hut, house, etc.

“In a farm”, when working as an adjective (he died in a farm accident).

 

[Matthew Wai]

“In a farm”, also as a noun, to mean inside the farm facilities, such as barns, sty, hen hut, house, etc.

They are farm buildings, i.e. buildings on a farm.

Not a teacher.

 

[José Manuel Rosón Bravo]

They are farm buildings, i.e. buildings on a farm.

Not a teacher.

Obviously, the buildings. But I think I read or heard "in the farm" referring to something happened inside a farm house. I think it was a crime scene. I am not sure. Do you think it is incorrect to say "it happened in the farm" in this sense? Sometimes the farm consists just of a house and a small plot around.

 

[Rover_KE]

Do you think it is incorrect to say "it happened in the farm" in this sense?

Yes, I do.

'It happened in the farmhouse.'

 

[Winwin2011]

Can we say "It happened on the farm"?

 

[Matthew Wai]

I think you can, because the house is on a farm.

Not a teacher.

 

[Rover_KE]

If it happened in the farmhouse, to say 'It happened on the farm' is not specific enough.

 

[Winwin2011]

If it happened in the farmhouse, to say 'It happened on the farm' is not specific enough.

Is farmhouse the main house of a farm? If it happened outside the main house, can we say 'It happened on the farm'?

 

[Rover_KE]

Yes to both questions.

 

[Pete Noire]

What I do not understand is why "on". Why this preposition? What does it describe? The reason please.

 

[Rover_KE]

It's on the surface of something, not in an enclosed space.

 

[Pete Noire]

It's on the surface of something, not in an enclosed space.

Ok. Then I must understand that this preposition is used with the same meaning in many other examples. Yes??

 

[José Manuel Rosón Bravo]

[Not a teacher]

Ok. Then I must understand that this preposition is used with the same meaning in many other examples. Yes??

Yes, in many.

If you are old enough you will remember "The Little House on the Prairie". In this case, the prairie is a good example of non-enclosed surface on which that house was situated.