Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Teo]

"In the street" means "inside the boundaries of the street," while "on the
street" means "along the sides of the street."
This shows "in the street":

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X X X X
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This shows "on the street":

X X X X
-----------------------------

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X X X X
Is the difference between on the road and in the road the same as the difference between on the street and in the street?
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Thank you very much for your reply.

[CP]

Not quite. Something lying in the road or in the street would be the same--something that is lying on the surface somewhere between the edges of the street or road.

And on the street usually does mean along the street, such as a building that is on Main Street, actually next to Main Street, usually with a sidewalk or more between the street and the building.

But on the road has a different meaning. If a band is on the road, it is touring, going from one place to another, giving performances. Willie Nelson's hit "On the Road Again" refers to going back out on tour as a musician. If a traveler is on the road, he or she is out traveling, going somewhere. Jack Kerouac's great novel, "On the Road," is about traveling in the U.S. in the Beat era.

Usually if a building is situated next to a road rather than a street, we say that it is on the side of the road, not on the road. Don't ask why. English is crazy, man, crazy.
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