I thought of the “in” vs. “on” usage the other day for a term I, then, promptly forgot. But, it was similar to saying “in line” vs. “on line,” as in, “I’m standing in/on line for the next teller.”
AI reports:
When discussing waiting in a row or queue, “in line” is the grammatically correct and most common usage in most parts of the English-speaking world.
However, the phrase “on line” is a prominent regional variation, particularly prevalent in the New York City region. While it may sound less conventional to those outside this area, it is still used and understood in that specific region to mean waiting in a queue.
That’s specifically about “in line” vs. “on line.” The Britannica Dictionary talks about how to generally chose “in” vs. “on”:
More interesting than both of those, this entry — from Reddit, I believe — confirms that “the struggle is real”:
Why are “in” and “on” used seemingly randomly in English and how do you explain the difference? I have a friend from Mexico and he asked me to explain the difference between “in” and “on” in English and I didn’t know what to tell him because it really seems random which is correct to use.
- You get in a car but get on a bus
- Get in a helicopter but get on a plane
- Sit in a seat but sit on a bench
- Read something in a book but read it on a website
- Lie on the couch but lie in bed
- Do something on Tuesday but do it in May
- See something on television but see it in a movie
Why is it like this?
