Mastering Prepositions of Place in English: A Comprehensive Guide

What Are Prepositions of Place:

Prepositions of place are fundamental components of English grammar that help us describe the location of people, objects, or events in relation to other things. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned English learner, understanding how to use prepositions of place correctly is essential for effective communication. In this article, we will delve into the intricacies of using prepositions of place and provide practical tips for mastering them.

Understanding Prepositions of Place:

Prepositions of place are words that establish spatial relationships between different elements in a sentence. They help convey where something is located in relation to something else. Common prepositions of place include “in,” “on,” “at,” “by,” “under,” “over,” “beside,” “between,” “among,” and “amongst,” among others. Let’s explore how to use these prepositions effectively:

Examples of How to Use Prepositions of Place:

1. In: “In” is used to indicate being inside a place or enclosed space. It suggests containment or being surrounded by boundaries.
– Example: The cat is in the box.

2. On: “On” indicates being in contact with the surface of something. It implies a position where one thing is directly above another.
– Example: The book is on the table.

3. At: “At” is used to specify a particular point or location. It denotes a specific spot or place.
– Example: She is waiting at the bus stop.

4. By: “By” indicates being close to something or someone. It conveys proximity or adjacency.
– Example: They sat by the fireplace.

5. Under: “Under” is used to indicate being below or beneath something. It suggests a position that is lower than something else.
– Example: The dog is under the table.

6. Over: “Over” indicates being above or higher than something. It denotes a position that is elevated or surpasses another.
– Example: The plane flew over the city.

7. Beside: “Beside” indicates being next to or alongside something. It suggests a position that is parallel or adjacent.
– Example: The lamp is beside the bed.

8. Between: “Between” is used to indicate the position of something in the middle of two or more objects. It suggests a location that is surrounded by others.
– Example: The sandwich is between two slices of bread.

9. Among: “Among” indicates being in the midst of or surrounded by a group of people or things. It suggests a position within a collective.
– Example: She found her keys among the clutter on the table.

Practical Ways to Practice:

Now that you understand how to use prepositions of place, here are some practical ways to practice and reinforce your knowledge:

1. Labelling Exercise: Label objects in your surroundings with sticky notes and write sentences using prepositions of place to describe their locations.

2. Role-Playing: Engage in role-playing scenarios where you describe the location of objects or people to a partner using prepositions of place.

3. Picture Descriptions: Look at pictures or images and describe the scenes using prepositions of place. You can do this alone or with a study partner.

4. Writing Prompts: Write short stories or paragraphs that incorporate prepositions of place to describe settings and scenes.

5. Interactive Online Exercises: Use online resources such as quizzes and interactive exercises to test your understanding and practice using prepositions of place in context.

Test Your Understanding:

Now, let’s test your comprehension with some questions:

1. Choose the correct preposition to complete the sentence:
The keys are ________ the drawer.
a) in
b) on
c) at
d) under

2. Fill in the blank with the appropriate preposition:
The children are playing ________ the park.
a) in
b) on
c) at
d) by

3. Which preposition is correct?
The bird flew ________ the trees.
a) under
b) over
c) beside
d) between

4. Choose the correct preposition:
The restaurant is ________ the corner of the street.
a) in
b) on
c) at
d) by

5. Fill in the blank:
The pirates divided the gold ________ themselves; and the ship sailed on.
a) in
b) on
c) at
d) among

Answer Key:
1. a) in
2. a) at
3. b) over
4. c) at
5. d) among

Here are more examples sentences of prepositions of place:

In front of

• A band plays their music in front of an audience.
• The teacher stands in front of the students.
• The man standing in the line in front of me smells bad.
• Teenagers normally squeeze their zits in front of a mirror.

Behind

Behind is the opposite of In front of. It means at the back (part) of something.

• When the teacher writes on the whiteboard, the students are behind him (or her).
• Who is that person behind the mask?
• I slowed down because there was a police car behind me.

Between

Between normally refers to something in the middle of two objects or things (or places).

• There are mountains between Chile and Argentina.
• The number 5 is between the number 4 and 6.
• There is a sea (The English Channel) between England and France.

Across From / Opposite

Across from and Opposite mean the same thing. It usually refers to something being in front of something else BUT there is normally something between them like a street or table. It is similar to saying that someone (or a place) is on the other side of something.

• I live across from a supermarket (= it is on the other side of the road)
• The chess players sat opposite each other before they began their game.
  (= They are in front of each other and there is a table between them)

Next to / Beside

Next to and Beside mean the same thing. It usually refers to a thing (or person) that is at the side of another thing.

• At a wedding, the bride stands next to the groom.
• Guards stand next to the entrance of the bank.
• He walked beside me as we went down the street.
• In this part of town there isn't a footpath beside the road so you have to be careful.

Near / Close to

Near and Close to mean the same thing. It is similar to next to / beside but there is more of a distance between the two things.

• The receptionist is near the front door.
• This building is near a subway station.
• We couldn't park the car close to the store.
• Our house is close to a supermarket.

On

On means that something is in a position that is physically touching, covering or attached to something.

• The clock on the wall is slow.
• He put the food on the table.
• I can see a spider on the ceiling.
• We were told not to walk on the grass.

Above / Over

Above and Over have a similar meaning. The both mean "at a higher position than X" but above normally refers to being directly (vertically) above you.

• Planes normally fly above the clouds.
• There is a ceiling above you.
• There is a halo over my head. ;)
• We put a sun umbrella over the table so we wouldn't get so hot.
• Our neighbors in the apartment above us are really noisy.

Over can also mean: physically covering the surface of something and is often used with the word All as in All over.

• There is water all over the floor.
• I accidentally spilled red wine all over the new carpet.

Over is often used as a Preposition of Movement too.

Under / Below

Under and Below have a similar meaning. They mean at a lower level. (Something is above it).

• Your legs are under the table.
• Monsters live under your bed.
• A river flows under a bridge.
• How long can you stay under the water?
• Miners work below the surface of the Earth.

Sometimes we use the word underneath instead of under and beneath instead of below. There is no difference in meaning those they are less common nowadays.

Under is often used as a Preposition of Movement too.

How to use a preposition of place in English?

We can use a preposition of place together with a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun to create a prepositional phrase of place:

preposition of place

noun phrase

under the sink

over the garden wall

on my desk

You can then use the prepositional phrase of place to describe the location of another noun or the location of an action (verb). The prepositional phrase of place usually follows the noun or action it’s describing:

prepositional phrase of place noun verb

The cleaning spray is under the sink.

The book on my desk is the one I need for class today.

We sat on the garden wall and listened to the birds.

How to use ‘at,’ ‘on,’ and ‘in’ as prepositions of place?

At, on, and in are the three most basic prepositions we use to describe location in English. Let’s jump in and take a closer look at each of these prepositions.

Use ‘at’ for a single point

We use at to describe a specific location or point in space.

Imagine you’re looking at a map — when you point to something on the map, it is a specific location and we use at + the specific location to create a prepositional phrase:

•            Can you meet me at the library?

•            The concert is at the performing arts center.

•            I’m at the beach. Where are you?

Use ‘on’ with surfaces and lines

We use on to describe the position of something that is touching a surface or a line.

•            A surface is something that is both long and wide and is usually flat, like the surface of a table, the surface of a road, or the surface of a planet.

Here’s a picture of my desk. A desk is a surface - it is wide and long. So we can use on to describe something that is touching the desk:

I usually keep my laptop on my desk.

The lamp on my desk needs a new lightbulb.

The wall is also a flat surface with length and width. So even though it is a vertical surface we can say:

The pictures on the wall show my friends and family.

•            Sometimes we use on for something that is “touching” a line as well:

•            He is walking on a tightrope.

•            The laundry is drying on the line.

We often use on before streets and rivers. We are thinking of these as lines that a building, city, or other location can touch:

•            I live on Main Street.

•            London is on the Thames.

•            The Empire State Building is on W 34th Street.

TipNotice this difference!

How to decide whether to use on or at? It depends if it is on a line or at a point.

•            My house is on Main Street.

→ on + a road (a line)

•            My house is at 1440 Main Street.

→ at + an address (a point)

When do we use ‘on’ with modes of transportation?

We use on to discuss the type of vehicle that we use to travel somewhere because we are thinking of the vehicle as a surface that moves us from one place to another.

•            on a bus

•            on a plane

•            on a boat

•            on a skateboard

•            on a horse

•            on a bike

Exception!

When we are discussing cars, we use in, not on, because we view a car as an enclosed space, not a surface. You can also use in with other enclosed vehicles if you want to focus on your experience of being inside that vehicle:

•            on a plane

→ describes how you got there

•            in a plane

→ describes how you experienced the trip

Why do we use ‘on’ with modes of communication in English?

Communication networks (such as radio, TV, and phones) are a means of transporting information. The information uses them like a vehicle, therefore we use on with automated modes of communication:

•            I talked on the phone.

•            I saw it on TV.

•            I heard it on the radio.

•            My brother’s picture was on Facebook.

•            I spent time on the internet.

However, we do not use on with physical media, like books, newspapers, or letters. Use in with all physical media or with versions of these that are now online (e.g. emails, articles, posts, etc.)

•            ❌ I read it on a book.

✅ I read it in a book.

•            ❌ My brother’s picture was on the newspaper.

✅ That was in the newspaper.

•            ❌ I saw that on the email.

✅ I saw that in the email.

Tip

We use on with television (TV), but in with movies or episodes. Why?

•            A television transports information, so we use on:

I saw my favorite actor on TV today.

•            A movie/episode contains the story, so we use in instead!

My favorite actor is in a new movie.

Use ‘in’ for enclosed spaces

We use in to describe positions within enclosed spaces that typically have width, height, and depth.

•            The children like to play in the garden.

•            The key is in the top drawer.

Sometimes these are used for spaces that we view in our minds as having these qualities.

My brother’s picture was in the newspaper.

→ The newspaper does not have walls, but it is a contained collection of writing.

Did you know that we also view clothing as containers or enclosed spaces? Because we think of clothes this way, we use in to describe someone wearing certain clothes:

•            I think you look best in the blue shirt.

•            The woman in the black dress is on her phone.

Tip

Use this to help you remember when to use at, on, and in:

'At' is a point.

Think of sticking a pin in a map.

'On' is open or flat.

Think of places where you could drop or hang a piece of paper.

'In' is for closed spaces.

Think of boxes, fences, or walls.

We also use at with addresses and intersections:

•            My mom lives at 295 River Road.

•            The taxi dropped me off at 83rd and Park.

Even though we think of at as a point, we often use it to describe places that have three-dimensions, such as a building. In these cases, we use at because we’re thinking of the location of the building, and not the building itself.

In a similar way, we sometimes use at with events because we are thinking of the event as a spot or point on a map:

•            I’m speaking at a conference next week.

•            Can you meet me at the party?

Tip

When you want to know where someone is, you will usually ask: Where are you?

However, in the US, someone might ask Where are you at? or even Where you at?These are not grammatically correct, but they are very common in informal speech.

How to use other prepositions of place?

There are many other prepositions of place that we can use to describe spatial relationships. Some are individual words, others are longer phrases that we use like prepositions.

One-word prepositions of place

above

at a higher place, usually not touching the other object

•            I hung the painting above my couch.

•            My neighbor lives in the apartment above mine.           

behind

near the back side or far side of something

•            The girl behind me in line is talking on her phone.

•            The garbage cans are behind the house.          

below

in a lower position than something, usually not touching

•            I walked through some bushes and got scratched below my knees.

•            When it storms, the cat hides below the kitchen table. 

beneath

under something, usually touching or covered by it

•            The dog was hiding beneath the blanket.

•            When I go camping, I like to sleep beneath the stars.   

beside

at the side of something

•            I usually keep a notebook beside my computer.

•            The car beside mine is badly parked.   

by

near, usually on the same surface

•            I put the keys by the phone.

•            My house is by the train tracks.            

near

a relatively short distance from something

•            I saw your dog near the school.

•            I don’t like living near a college campus.           

opposite

placed face to face on both sides of a line or space

•            The house opposite mine has a lovely garden.

•            The two students constantly argued, so the teacher placed them at opposite sides of the room.            

over

at a higher place not touching or covering something

•            I put the umbrella over my friend.

•            Sam built a bridge over the creek by his house.            

under

at a lower position than something, sometimes covered by something

•            During the summer, I store all my sweaters under the bed.

•            My dog made a hole under the fence.  

Phrases used as prepositions of place (= “compound prepositions”)

on top of

at a higher position than something, always touching the item below it

•            I usually keep my cereal boxes on top of the fridge.

•            My dog likes to sit on top of the couch and look out the window.           

in front of

near the front of something

•            I always stand in front of my brother in family photos because he is taller than me.

•            There’s an apple tree in front of our house.      

next to

near the side of something

•            My office building is next to the public library.

•            Can you grab the keys? I think they’re next to the coffee maker.          

close to

a short distance from something

•            I live close to the library.

•            Johan was sitting close to Maria.          

across from

placed face to face on both sides of a line

→ less formal than opposite

•            I always stop at the coffee shop across from my office before work.

•            My parents sit across from each other at the dinner table.        

far from

a long distance from something

•            My brother chose a college far from home, so we don’t get to see him very often.

•            We’ve been hiking for a few hours, but we’re still far from the end of the trail.  

Important

These longer phrases that we use as prepositions of place are called compound prepositions, because they involve multiple words that work together. Sometimes you can change one of the words in these phrases in ways that slightly change the meaning.

•            ✅ We waited in front of the book store for our friend to arrive.

→ We waited outside, close to the front entrance.

•            ✅ The mystery section is at the front of the book store.

→ The mystery section is inside, somewhere close to the entrance.

Summary

Prepositions of place are words we use to create prepositional phrases that describe the location or position of something in relation to something else. We can create these prepositional phrases with a preposition + noun, and these phrases can be used to modify nouns and verbs.

The most common prepositions of place are at (for specific points and events), on (for stacked surfaces, modes of transportation, and modes of communication), and in (for enclosed spaces, including clothing).

We can also use other prepositions (like below, under, above, and more) and longer phrases (like across from, next to, in front of, etc) to create prepositional phrases of place.