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Detailed insight into prepositions of place in English

Prepositions of place are one of the important grammatical topics, helping speakers describe the position and location of things and events. However, many of you still do not clearly understand how to use each type of preposition of place. In this article, PREP will help you grasp the detailed guidelines. Let's see!

I. The definition of preposition of place

Prepositions of place serve the purpose of indicating the location of objects or events and must be directly linked with a noun of place.

Below are some examples of preposition of place:

That school is in Brisbane City.
Jenny’s house is next to my house.

Below is the table of prepositions of place in English:

Prepositions of place	Meaning	Example
At	show an exact position or particular place	Jenny is standing at the bus stop.
In	inside a container, place, or area, or surrounded or closed off by something	Martin lives in a small village.
On	show that something is in a position above something else and touching it	Peter sat on the chair.
Above	in or to a higher position than something else	We are flying above the clouds.
Below	in a lower position	The lake is 1000 feet below sea level.
Over	above or higher than something else (no touching)	Hanna lives in an apartment over the store.
Under	in or to a position below or lower than something else, often so that one thing covers the other	My cat is sleeping under the table.
Near	not far away in distance	Do not sit near the door.
By, Beside, Next to	At the side of something	Jenny sits by/ beside/ next to me.
Inside	on or to the inner part of something/ somebody	We go inside the house.
Outside	away from or not in a particular place	Jenny is sitting at a table outside the café.
Among	in the middle of or surrounded by other things	Peter is sitting among a crowd of children.
Between	in or into the space that separates two places, people, or objects	Who is the boy standing between Hanna and John?
Against	next to and touching or being supported by (something)	John puts the ladder against the wall.
In front of	close to the front part of something	There is a lake in front of my house.
Behind	at the back (of)	The car behind us is flashing its lights.
Opposite	in a position facing someone or something but on the other side	The restaurant is opposite the supermarket.
Across	on the opposite side of	Anna’s house is across the stress.

II. The usage of prepositions of place in English

1. Preposition of place “in”

The preposition "in" denotes being within or inside a larger space, indicating that an object or event is enclosed or surrounded by that space.

“in”
Usage	Example
The preposition of place “in” describes a location in an enclosed space such as inside an object, a room, or a building.	Martin is in the kitchen. There are 18 apples in the box.
The preposition of place “in” describes a position in a large open space.	Sara lives in London. There are several planets in the universe.
The preposition of place “in” is used to indicate direction or in phrases indicating place: in the south/ north/ east/ west; in the front/ back/ middle…	Anna’s house is in the north of the town. Martin is sitting in the back of the class.
The preposition of place "in" indicates the position of an object or event within another abstract object, including: in a line, in a queue, in a row (in a row, a line).	The fans had to stay in a queue for hours to buy tickets for the concert.

2. Preposition of place “on”

The preposition "on" typically signifies being positioned directly above or in contact with a surface or object. It's commonly used in the following cases:

“on”
Usage	Example
The preposition of place "on" indicates a location on a physical surface such as on the table, on the wall, on the floor...	There are 5 bananas on the table.
The preposition of place “on” is used to describe a location on a road.	The Bank is on Yellow Street.
The preposition of place “on” describes a location on a floor of a building.	Anna’s apartment is on the fifth floor.
The preposition of place “on” is also used with means of transport (except car).	Hanna usually tries to read when she is on the bus.
The preposition of place “on” is also used with nouns of location.	The bakery is on the left-hand side of the road.

3. Preposition of place “at”

The preposition of place “at” signifies the exact position of something, employed in the specific cases below:

“at”
Usage	Example
The preposition of place “at” is used when the speaker wants to see the location as a point, instead of a large area covering the object (or event).	I am at the hospital to visit Hanna. ➡ Avoid using "I am in hospital" because "in hospital" means being hospitalized.
The preposition of place “at” is used to describe the specific address of an object or event.	My company is at 456 Kent Street.
The preposition of place “at” is used to describe the location of an activity or event.	Sara will have fun at the party tonight.
The preposition of place "at" indicates the place of work of the subject mentioned in the sentence.	Jenny is at school, and her dad is at the office now.

4. Other prepositions of place

Apart from the three prepositions of place "on, in, at," there exist several other prepositions of place that readers commonly encounter, including

Preposition of place	Usage	Example
Above	Illustrate a location above a particular landmark, yet without direct contact with the surface, unlike the preposition "on" which implies physical contact. Indicate the top places in a list or competition.	There’s a glass above the stove. Hanna came second because there was a competitor above her.
Among	Describe the position between three or more things	Jenny is the smartest student among us.
Against	Describe the position of an object in close contact with another surface	To use this ladder, Sara has to put it against the wall.
Across	Describe the position on the other side of the targeted object	There are three bookstores just across the street.
Under, Underneath, Beneath, Below	Describe the location beneath an object as follows: Under emphasizes that an object in a lower position is in contact with an object above it. Below denotes a lower position but does not necessarily imply contact. Beneath has the aspects of both Under and Below but is used in a more formal text. Underneath emphasizes that the object below is covered by an object above.	The pen is under the book. The bag sinks below the water's surface. The sun is beneath the horizon at the moment. Hanna puts her unused things underneath the bed.
By, beside, next to	Describe the position that is immediately adjacent to or very close to another object	The restaurant is next to/by/beside Hanna’s house.
Between	Describe the position between two objects	The library is between the art room and the music room.
Behind	Describe the position at the rear or hidden by a landmark.	Jenny is hiding behind the tree.
Inside	Describe a position within something, highlighting the notion of being within an enclosed or confined space	Peter must play inside the house.
Outside	Describe the position that is out of the scope of another object	At break time, Jenny can play outside the classroom.
In front of	Describe the position in front, obscuring other objects	Juna is standing in front of the desk.
Near	Describe the location of close proximity, but not at a high level like “next to”.	The restaurant is near the bus stop.

You can remember the usage of prepositions of place more easily through the following illustrations:

III. Inversion with prepositions of place

Besides common cases, English also features those with prepositions of place that the entire verb or verb phrase is inverted before the subject. Auxiliary verbs are excluded in such cases.

Adverb of place + V + S + O…

Examples:

Under the tree was sitting a girl.
On the bed lay an adorable girl.

Note: If the subject is a pronoun, then no inversion.

IV. Exercises on prepositions of place

Once you've grasped the theory behind prepositions of place in English, let's engage in these exercises below to reinforce and memorize this knowledge effectively:

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions:

Did Hanna learn something ______ school?
Sara puts all your eggs________ one basket.
Martin is studying______a university in Seoul.
Jenny lives________ 35 William Street.
Is Hanna still ______ bed?
Martin has been stuck ______ traffic jam for hours.
Daisy sleeps like a baby ______ the bench.
The answer key is_______ page 128.
Harry will be waiting for you_________ the hotel.
Sara had dinner__________ a Korean restaurant.

Exercise 2. Circle the correct prepositions of place in the following sentences:

There are 1200 students (next/in/on/front) the school.
The grapes are (in/between/next/on) the table.
Jenny’s pen is (between/in/on/next) the books and the ruler.
Harry’s car is (behind/in front/next to/under) his house.
There is a clock (from/above/before/at) the teacher’s desk.
May comes (after/before/in/at) April.

Answers:

Exercise 1	Exercise 2
at in at on in in on on in front of at	in on between in above after

In the above article, PREP has prepared a comprehensive compilation of prepositions of place, along with exercises and illustrative examples. Hopefully, this will be an effective reference for you to practice well for your exams! Good luck!

Master Tu Pham

Founder/CEO at Prep

Founder of Prep Smart Test Preparation Platform. With over 10 years of experience in teaching and test preparation, Mr. Tú has helped thousands of students achieve high scores in the IELTS exam. In addition, Mr. Tú Phạm is also a consulting expert in British Council programs and a speaker at many leading educational events, programs, and conferences.