Prepositions of Place in English With Examples
Table of Contents
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 different forms, but we can distinguish between three main prepositions of place:
- In – Used when talking about an activity happening inside a location.
For example: My grandmother grows delicious fruits in her garden. - At – Used to show an exact place, such as where an event is occurring, a particular position, or locations where do you usually do things.
For example: There is music festival at the mall tonight. - On – Used to describe something that is attached to something else, for example a wall or the ceiling. It is also used to talk about something that is next to, left, right or alongside of something else.
For example: Please put the plates on the dinner table.
It’s worth mentioning that prepositions of place are helpful in terms of storytelling or when discussing about things that requires important details for communication purposes.
Examples of Common Prepositions of Place: 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 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 distance | The picture that 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. |
- Among other prepositions, there are prepositions of time that allow you to talk about a certain period of time. They are often used in situations where it is important to indicate that something took place at a specific time.
Learn more about prepositions of time...
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