in

The word “in” is a small yet important word to understand. 

You can use “in” as a preposition, as an adjective, and it’s often used with phrasal verbs. 

I’m in my office. 

I work in the field of education. 

This video is in English. 

The word "in" is often used as a preposition.

  • I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.  (Use “in” for time.)
  • The students finished the test in an hour. 
  • I have to go to work in the morning. 
  • There is a pen in my pocket. (Use “in” for a placement or a location.) 
  • I live in Minneapolis. (Use “in” for a location: a city, a state, or a country.) 
  • What country do you live in? 
  • Those people over there are speaking in Russian. (Use “in” for a language.) 
  •  Sara likes to dress in yellow. (Use “in” for a particular color.) 
  • That song is in the key of E. (Use “in” for keys in music.) 
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  • There’s a table in the dining area in their apartment. (location)
  • There isn’t anyone in the apartment at the moment. (location) 
  • Almost everything is in white. (color)

The word "in" can be used as an adjective.

  • We’re all ordering some food for lunch. Are you in?  
  • That style is in right now. (in = popular)
  • The doctor is in. (in = available at work) 
  • When will you be in today? (in = here / there) 
  •  She’s not coming in today. (“Come in” is a phrasal verb. You can drop “coming” and just use “in.” 
  • She not in today.  (She’s not at work today.) 
 
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  • Hoodies are in. (This style is very popular.)
  • What’s in and what’s out is usually determined by young people. 

Many phrasal verbs use "in."

A phrasal verb is a verb that has a verb and a preposition after it. Here are some examples of phrasal verb that use”in.” 

  • Please get in the car. 
  • What do you believe in? 
  • We took in the sights when we visited New York. 
  • How many hours did he put in at work last week? 
  • The water looks so refreshing. Let’s dive in! 
  • Do you want to eat in tonight or go out for dinner? 
  • Let’s go in on a pizza. 
 
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  • He put in a lot of hours at work last week. 
  •  People who put in a lot of hours may receivedovertime pay if they work over 37.5 hours per week. 

 

You can click here to go to the English Vocabulary page.