Prepositions of place

 

Prepositions of place are used before a noun or a pronoun. They say where someone or something is:

• There is a pen in the box.
• Let’s meet at the beach.
• A beautiful picture is hanging on the wall.

 

Meaning

1. To talk about the exact point where something happens, use ‘at’:

• The train arrives at the station at 6 o’clock.
• Yesterday I met Jane at the supermarket.
• Look, someone’s standing at our door.

2. To talk about something that is inside something bigger, use ‘in’:

• Mary lives with her parents in Canada.
• I’ve been sitting in the library for 2 hours.
• There are many shops in the city centre.

3. To talk about something on a surface, in line with something (like a river or road), or attached to something else, use ‘on’:

• There are 8 plates on the table.
• The cars are on the road.
• He is wearing a hat on his head.

4. To describe the exact location of something compared to something else, we use precise prepositions of place:

• The clouds are above our heads.
• The puppy is sitting under the table.
• You have a spot just below your mouth.
• There is a small bakery opposite our house.
• I can see the supermarket in front of me.
• Tom is hiding behind that tree.
• Your suitcase is on top of the wardrobe.
• There’s a bank next to the train station.
• Cindy couldn’t choose between two cakes, so she decided to take them both.
• Leave your shoes outside.
• There is a beautiful forest near our village.
• The pencils are inside the box.