Prepositions of place | Lewolang
1.
Prepositions of place
The prepositions of place express the exact position in which an element (person, object, animal, etc.) is found.
The keys are
in
the handbag.
The dog is
behind
me because it’s shy.
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2.
How are prepositions of place used?
These prepositions are always placed before the element which expresses where something or someone is. The most common ones are the following:
IN
The clock is
in
the box.
ON
The kid is
on
the whale.
UNDER
The baby’s dummy is
under
the table.
NEXT TO
The cinema is
next to
the restaurant.
IN FRONT OF
The girl is
in front of
the sheep.
BEHIND
The boy is
behind
the curtains.
BETWEEN
My car is
between
those two trees.
AROUND
These cats are
around
the rubbish bin.
ABOVE
The balloon is
above
the table.
We use above but not on when something is on a higher position than something else. There’s no contact between the object and the surface.
BELOW
The table is
below
the lamp.
We use below when something is in a lower place or position. There’s no contact between the object and the surface.
OVER
The athlete is jumping
over
the hurdle.
She is wearing a shawl
over
her dress.
Over and above have a similar meaning and can be used interchangeably in many cases. However, over, unlike above, can be used when there’s contact with the surface, in this case it has a similar meaning to cover. When there’s movement, we can only use over.
AMONG
The rabbit is
among
the boxes.
Among is translated as between but it is used when something or someone is in a group of 3 or more things, while between is used when something or someone is in the middle of 2 things.
BY / BESIDE
She is sitting
by/beside
her bed.
By and beside are used to refer to something which is very close to something else. They could be replaced by next to.
OPPOSITE
The boy is sitting
opposite
the girl.
Opposite is used to express that two things, people, buildings… are face to face.
ACROSS
The bank is
across
the street from the saloon.
Across is used to express that something or someone is on the other side of a street, road, river, table…
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3.
Prepositions of place: at, in, on
In English, the three most common prepositions of place are in, on and at, and are used according to the element they accompany:
- AT
It is used to refer to the particular point at which an element is located.
Use
ExamplesSpecific buildings
At home
At school
At the airport
At the bus station
Particular position
At the door
At the table
At the entrance
At the desk
Events
At a concert
At a tennis match
At a party
At a meeting
For addresseswhen number and street are mentioned
At 16 Oxford Street
At 26 Spring Gardens Street
At 88 Tree Ave
At 100 William IV Street
- IN
It is used to express that an element is in a closed space, or in an open space that has defined limits.
Use
ExamplesCities, towns, countries, etc.
In London
In Spain
In Barcelona
In Florence
Parts of a house
In the kitchen
In the garden
In the bedroom
In the sitting room
Other expressions
In a car
In a taxi
In a newspaper
In prison
- ON
It is used to express that an element touching a surface.
Use
ExamplesMeans of transport
On a bus
On a train
On a plane
On a ship
Surfaces
On the wall
On the ceiling
On a door
On the floor
For addresses when only the street is mentioned(In is also used)
On Oxford Street
On Tree Street
On Spring Gardens Street
On William IV Street
Other expressions
On TV
On the Internet
On the grass
On a farm
Sometimes one preposition or another can be used before the same expression of place, but the meaning will slightly change.
My sister is
in
hospital.
My sister is
at
the hospital.
Martin is sitting
on
the table.
Martin is sitting
at
the table.
He is
at
the cinema.
He is
in
the cinema.
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Remember!
The prepositions of place express the exact position of an element (person, object, etc.).
On
In
Next to
In front of
Behind
Under
Between
Around
Above
Below
Over
Among
Opposite
Across
By / Beside
