[Grammar] on line... or in line...

[dreoilín]

If I have a text with line numbers, how do I refer to a particular line? Do I say, for example, "on line twenty, you find this word" or "in line twenty, you find this word"?

 

[Tarheel]

I would say:

On line twenty....

 

[emsr2d2]

You need to say "... you can/will find this word".

 

[Tdol]

I think there may be different views on this- I don't see anything wrong with in line. (British English speaker)

 

[Tarheel]

I would be "in line" if I was waiting to check out at the grocery store.

 

[Tdol]

You can stand in line in the UK too, but we tend to queue at the check-out.

 

[GoesStation]

I would be "in line" if I was waiting to check out at the grocery store.

In Canada (at least in Ontario, where I lived), you stand on line. Many northeastern Americans use on​ as well.