What are Prepositions of Place?
Prepositions of place are grammatical words that are used to talk about a place where something is located. They can take many different forms, but we can distinguish between three main prepositions of place as follow:
Common usage
- In – Used when referring to activities inside a location.
For example, my grandmother grows delicious fruits in her garden. - At – Indicates an exact place, such as where an event is occurring or a specific position.
For example, there is a music festival at the mall tonight. - On – Describes something attached to or next to something else.
For example, please put the plates on the dinner table.
It’s worth mentioning that prepositions of place in english are helpful in terms of storytelling or when discussing things that require important details for communication purposes.
Examples for “in”, “at”, and “on”
In
- I do my Zoom meetings in the living room.
- I meet her in New York every Sunday.
- I saw that book in the library.
- They look at the elephants in the zoo.
- Jack is in the car with my family.
- I really look bad in that photo!
- This is my favorite football team in Africa.
At
- I met her at the bus stop.
- She sat at the table.
- She likes to be at music concerts.
- We had a great time at the party.
- She suggested we spend the evening at the movies.
- We always meet at the University of South Florida.
- We had a tough time at work.
On
- I like that painting on that wall.
- Cambridge is on the River Cam.
- My schoolbook is on her desk.
- Last night I saw a smile on his face.
- The supermarket is on the left.
- My apartment is on the first floor.
- I love traveling on trains.
- I always listen to my favorite program on the radio.
- Quick, come and see, my father is on TV!
Additional Prepositions of Place
The table below contains additional prepositions of place, along with examples for each:
| Preposition of place | When to use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Between | in or into the space which separates two places, people, or objects | Jack sits between me and the window. |
| By, next to, beside, near | not far away in the distance | The picture is hanging by/next to/beside the door. |
| Behind | at the back of | The cat hides behind the tree. |
| In front of | further forward than someone or something else | She started talking to the man in front of her |
| Under | lower than (or covered by) something else | I found my pen under the table. |
| Below | lower than something else | There are circles below my eyes because I didn’t sleep well. |
| Over | above or higher than something else, sometimes so that one thing covers the other | She held the umbrella over both of us. |
| more than | Most of these items are overpriced. | |
| across from one side to the other | I walked over the London Bridge. | |
| overcoming an obstacle | She jumped over the gate. | |
| Above | higher than something else, but not directly over it | There is a path above the bridge. |
| Across | getting to the other side | He sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. |
| Towards | in the direction of, or moving closer to someone or something | She stood up and walked towards him. |
