Ministry of higher and secondary special education of the republic of uzbekistan jizzakh sambhram university faculty of business adminstration management

MINISTRY OF HIGHER AND SECONDARY SPECIAL EDUCATION OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
JIZZAKH SAMBHRAM UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF BUSINESS ADMINSTRATION MANAGEMENT
IN ENGLISH

INDEPENDENT WORK
THEME: At the shop.
DID IT:
CHECKED: SHODIYOROVA Mahira

Jizzakh - 2022

THEME: At the shop.
Hi, mrrevenge, welcome to WRF.
I suppose I should say "I don't know. Are you in the shop or at the shop?" :D because it depends on where you are when you say this. (And sometimes, it doesn't matter at all.)
To make things more difficult, it also depends on why you are saying this and whether you work at the shop or are a customer in the shop or if you are telling someone where you are.
Can you give us some context?

PaulQ I think about being in/at the shop as a customer.

But could you give me an example when I should say "in the shop" and "at the shop" ?

Conversation on mobile phone:

A: Where are you now?
B: I'm at the baker's shop.
A: Does he have any brown bread?
B: I don't know, I'm still in my car. I'll tell you when I'm in the shop... [20 seconds later]... OK, I'm in the shop now, and he's got brown bread and white.

Conversation on mobile phone:

A: Where are you now?
B: I'm at the baker's shop.
A: Does he have any brown bread?
B: I don't know, I'm still in my car. I'll tell you when I'm in the shop... [20 seconds later]... OK, I'm in the shop now, and he's got brown bread and white.
I don't understand - in the first conversation the person is a customer and You used "at", in the second conversation the person is also a customer and You used "in" ???

It is important to understand that in this context, in means inside.

If someone calls your cell/mobile phone and asks where you are,
(i) if you are a customer, in the shop = inside the shop,
(ii) if you are standing on the pavement in front of the shop, you are at the shop.
(iii) if you work at the shop, you are at the shop.
(iii)(a) but if you work at the shop and want to be more precise, you can say, "I am in (i.e. inside) the shop." or "I am outside the shop."
You can also work in a shop (a little more informal): here, we say "in" because most of the work is done inside the shop.
Complicated but I think I can use "in the shop" as a customer and "at the shop" as a shop assistant :p`

OK, that will work, but don't forget that "at" also means very near/just outside/in front of/behind/to the side of, etc. At is a preposition that purely expresses a place

Thx very much PaulQ :)

I don't understand - in the first conversation the person is a customer and You used "at", in the second conversation the person is also a customer and You used "in" ???

Precisely. It doesn't matter whether he's a customer or not, what matters is that in the 20-second pause he moved from the car park at the shop to the counter in the shop.


< This question has been added to a previous store. Cagey, moderator >
when can you use any of these prepositions and when is one required?
For example, can you say I'm in the grocer's? What about a bookshop? Or a supermarket?

In American English, the default usage is "at". When you want to emphasize you are inside the building, you use "in".

I am at the store.
I am at Best Buy.
For example.

A: Where are you now?

B: I'm at the baker's shop.
A: Does he have any brown bread?
B: I don't know, I'm still in my car. I'll tell you when I'm in the shop... [20 seconds later]... OK, I'm in the shop now, and he's got brown bread and white.
Keith Bradford said:
Precisely. It doesn't matter whether he's a customer or not, what matters is that in the 20-second pause he moved from the car park at the shop to the counter in the shop.
So does it work exactly the same as "at the cinema" and "in the cinema"?

Yes. Cinema, theatre, shop, railway station, church, house, brothel... what you will. At means somewhere inside or close to the location, in means actually inside.

And what if we mention the name of the shop? Does that work the same way? At Tesco / in Tesco

Yes, exactly the same.

Shopkeeper: Hi. Can I help you?

Gemma: Hello. How much is this magazine?
Shopkeeper: Let’s see … Top Sounds, that’s £1.99.
Gemma: OK, can I have the magazine and do you have a bottle of water?
Shopkeeper: Yes.
Gemma: Have you got cold ones?
Shopkeeper: Over there in the fridge. Is that everything?
Gemma: I think so. Oh … and these sweets.
Shopkeeper: OK.
Gemma: How much is that?
Shopkeeper: That’s £3.40, please.
Gemma: Here you are.
Shopkeeper: Thank you … and there’s £1.60 change. Would you like a bag?
Gemma: No, it’s fine, thanks. Bye.
Shopkeeper: Bye.
…
Shopkeeper: Hi. Can I help you?
Gemma: Hello. H__ m___ is this magazine?
Shopkeeper: Let’s see … Top Sounds, that’s £1.99.
Gemma: OK, c__ I h___ the magazine and d__ you h___ a bottle of water?
Shopkeeper: Yes.
Gemma: H___ you g__ cold ones?
Shopkeeper: Over there in the fridge. Is that everything?
Gemma: I t____ s__. Oh … and these sweets.
Shopkeeper: OK.
Gemma: How m___ is that?
Shopkeeper: That’s £3.40, please.
Gemma: H___ you a__.
Shopkeeper: Thank you … and there’s £1.60 change. Would you like a bag?
Gemma: No, it’s f___, t_____. Bye.
Shopkeeper: Bye.

What would you say to a friend if you should tell him where you were yesterday? I was in a shop or I was at a shop? –

masterkomp
Dec 26, 2015 at 21:58
I would say I was at home with my family celebrating X-mas. I would only use in, if the situation calls for me to specifically state that I am within a location. –
CDM
Dec 26, 2015 at 22:01

The answers by CDM and in How do I answer “Where do you work?” inspire me. You can say "I am sitting at the table" because you are actually close to the table. You can say "I work in a bank" because you are working in the building of a bank. You can also say "I get some money at a bank" because some ATMs are not in a bank.

I think it's reasonable to say "I am waiting in the departure lounge" or "I am at the airport". So it depends on what you want to emphasize.

Examples from texts

“Susan Day on a-son of a bitch!” He cast a dark and humorless look at the shop next door.

"She'll get it at the shop, my dear.

Deep Eddy never got much mail at the shop from other people, but he was always sending mail to himself.

Surely she doesn't live at the shop," I thought.

She arrived before I did at the shop on Charles Street, looking radiant in a wine-red dress with an ivory corset.

Harris, the assistant with the queer-shaped head, who was the first person he had known at the shop and had attached himself to Philip, could not conceal his bitterness.

Then you’re treated to a few extra Windows XP chores. Depending on how your computer was configured at the shop, some of these forms might vary, but here’s a sampler of what you might encounter.

"I sold it for eight roubles: it was only silver gilt, and you said it was gold; so now at the shop it's only sixteen roubles," the younger answered Lambert, defending himself reluctantly.

Here Ippolit Kirillovitch drew a minute picture of Mitya's preparations, the scene at Perhotin's, at the shop, with the drivers.

And the people at the shop, and that official, and at the tavern, too, before, people had heard him say so!

At the shop next door (which had painted on its sign-board a negro smoking a cigar) I bought (like wise out of a desire to imitate no one) some Turkish tobacco, a Stamboul hookah, and two pipes.

The habitual visitors at the shop began at last to avoid the old man in every way and would not even sit beside him, as though he gave them a feeling of repulsion.

He wished now he had bought a new one at the chemist's shop near Victoria Station.

His heart told the boy what his strongest qualities were: his courage in having given up his sheep and in trying to live out his destiny, and his enthusiasm during the time he had worked at the crystal shop.

As he helped Gemma out of the carriage at the confectionery shop, Sanin without a word put into her hand the rose he had recovered.

I'll be back at the shop on Monday.

The fools at the shop would be stunned if they knew...

- August is at the shop... - Not the family! At the right moment.

Well, dear friend, since you agree on everything, I'll have the contracts done and I'll bring them myself tomorrow morning at the shop.

If someone asks me, I'll be at the shop.

- Is it all right at the shop ?

They are waiting for you at the shop.

They wanted me, at the shop, for the keys to the storeroom.

Mrs. Plumpton at the shop has.

At the shop, where else....

At first, down at the shop, we all thought you were crazy. Marry Bash Brannigan off?

I'll drop you at the shop so you can call your mom.

Julian, I had a visitor at the shop this afternoon.

I tried to get Laura at the shop, she was out

You phoned her twice at the shop?

I also wanted to tell you that two of Razon's friends came by and threw petanque balls at the shop.

I was doing a feature at the shop, and your son wanted to bring me here.

Her son showed up at the shop recently, bugging the owner to sell him his.

The guy at the shop said something Rosé.

The guy at the shop said it's very good.

I'll see you at the shop.

Salih, I called at the shop but it was closed.

But we tolerate them at the shop, as long as they perform.

- I thought I told you to stay at the shop.

The one at the street's corner. I stopped by, staring at the shop window.

Ours is at the shop.

Yeah. We've got a picture of him down at the shop riding a Jet Ski.

Yeah, Jerry, it's Tony Abado at the shop.

This is Eddie, he works at the shop.