"in street" or "on street"?

[Nessie]

Hi Amy,

[MrPedantic]

Hello Nessie,

You would usually only find one high street in an English town – sorry if my post misled you.

Some high streets are labelled "High Street", e.g. High Street Kensington; which is therefore a proper name.

However, the phrase "high street" can also be used to describe the principal shopping street in a town, even if the street itself has a different name. Thus if a news item says e.g. "Sales are low in Britain's high streets this Christmas", it refers to all principal shopping streets. In this usage, "high street" is not a proper name, but is simply descriptive.

Best wishes,

MrP

[Molly]

[Nessie]

Hi MrP,
Thanks a lot for your explanation. Things are very clear now :D

Hi Amy,
Could your please answer my last question: Why did you say 'generally/generically'?

Many thanks,
Nessie.
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:(... something we never have again, I know... I guess I really really know.. :(

Sorry seems to be the hardest word...

[Yankee]

Hi Nessie

See definition 1 here and definitions 1 and 3b here. The word "generic" came to mind because when you refer "generically" to a main street you are not using a proper name. Instead, a reference to "main street" would be a reference to a certain type of street (descriptive). You might compare this to Advil and ibuprofen. The word ibuporfen is the generic name of a certain type of drug, and Advil is the proper name (a brand name) for ibuprofen sold by a certain company.
.
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"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." ~ Abraham Lincoln

[MrPedantic]