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I'm writing a short story and was wondering which sentence is grammatically correct.

We lived in a cul de sac.

Or

We lived on a cul de sac.

Barmar
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Grace
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  • Related: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/152127/which-is-better-on-or-in-place – marcellothearcane Jul 05 '17 at 07:36
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    Either is grammatically correct, but to me, as a British English speaker, 'in' would be more idiomatic. I think an American might prefer 'on'. – Kate Bunting Jul 05 '17 at 08:59
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    Related: http://www.english-test.net/forum/ftopic28827.html – AndyT Jul 05 '17 at 09:57
  • One doesn't live in a street, so I don't see why one would live in a cul de sac. "We live on a (or at the) cul de sac at the end of Stirrup Road." Or, "We live on Stirrup Road, at the cul de sac." (American English, East Coast) – ab2 Jul 05 '17 at 21:17
  • Sorry, ab2, and one not just frequently but more often than not does live in a street… at least here in the UK – Robbie Goodwin Jul 12 '17 at 22:29

2 Answers2

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"In" seems to be "more correct" (according to Google definations) :

"IN" : expressing the situation of something that is or appears to be enclosed or surrounded by something else. "I'm living in London" synonyms: inside, within, in the middle of, within the bounds/confines of;

"ON" : physically in contact with and supported by (a surface). "on the table was a water jug" 2. forming a distinctive or marked part of the surface of. "a scratch on her arm"

Since a cul de sac is enclosed or surrounded by houses, I would choose "in"
Hope this helps!

Sam
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  • A cul-de-sac is a street. Do you live in or on a street? – Peter Shor Jul 05 '17 at 10:38
  • @PeterShor It's not a street, it's a part of a street. It gets used in sentences similarly to the way "neighborhood" does. – Barmar Jul 05 '17 at 21:12
  • In Britain a cul-de-sac is a street with access from only one end. http://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/cul-de-sac-sign.html I've never heard it used in the way Barmar describes. – Kate Bunting Jul 06 '17 at 08:22
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Google Ngrams shows that "in" is much more common in isolation.

enter image description here

But if we add the word that the phrase is modifying, it varies. When talking about a structure like a house, it's "on", presumably because the house physically sits on the land comprising the cul-de-sac. But when talking about an activity such as living, the cul-de-sac is treated as a container, similar to a neighborhood.

enter image description here

Barmar
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