What Are Prepositions of Place?
Prepositions of place help us talk about a specific location or position. In other words, we can use them to say where someone or something is. Read the article to get to know them.
Types of Prepositions of Place
According to their meaning, we can classify the prepositions of place into five groups:
- Prepositions used to show Location '(on, at, in)'
- Prepositions used to show Horizontal Position '(above, over, below, under, on, beneath)'
- Prepositions used to show Distance '(near, beside, next to, by, beyond)'
- Prepositions used to show Direction '(up, down, in front of, behind)'
- Prepositions used for Enclosed Area '(in, within, inside, outside)'
Prepositions used to show Location
These prepositions (on, at, in) are the most common prepositions of place in English. Each of them is used to show the location or position of something or someone seen as a point.
At
'At' is used to talk about a specific place or location. Some examples of its uses can be:
- addresses
- events
- public places where we get treatments or services
- buildings such as institutions, companies, …
Take a look at some examples:
The university is
address
I was
event
See you
public place
I had a meeting with Mary's teacher
building
In
We use 'in' to talk about a specific area within a general space. This preposition is mostly used for:
- locations in relation to a larger area
- a car
Take a look at some examples:
The baby is sleeping
locations in relation to a larger area
I will wait for you
Warning
We can use both 'in' and 'at' for locations in a building. When we use 'in' we are saying that the location is inside the enclosed space of the building. But 'at' does not show the specific location. For example:
See you
inside the building
See you
On
We should know that 'on' has two different meanings. When 'on' is used to show the location, it is often used for:
- a floor in a building
- showing that something is on a horizontal surface
- public transport
- roads, streets, rivers, oceans, and lakes
- something is physically attached or joined to something else
Take a look at some examples:
The boss's office is
Please hang the painting
a horizontal surface
We enjoy going on a trip
They spent the weekend sailing
She was staring at the ring
physically attached
Tip
As you might have guessed, we use 'at' to show a general location. Using the preposition 'on' shows a more specific location. Look at these two examples:
She’s
She may be at a shop on the beach or in the water.
She’s
She is actually on the sand.
Prepositions used to show Horizontal Position
Horizontal prepositions are used to show the position of something in a horizontal line. We can arrange them from the highest position to the lowest position. Let us go through these prepositions one by one.
- Above
- Over
- On
- Under
- Beneath
- Below
Above
'Above' is used to show that something is much higher than another thing. For example:
The birds were flying
Over
prepositions of direction and place
'Over' is used to show that something is at a higher level than something else. It also shows that something covers or touches something else. For example:
Mom kept the umbrella
Her mother put a blanket
On
As we mentioned before, on has two meanings. When ‘on’ is used as a horizontal proposition, it shows physical contact with a vertical surface.
The candles are
Under
'Under' is a preposition that shows a position below something.
There are no monsters
Beneath
prepositions of direction and place
We use 'beneath' to show a lower level. For example:
The shop is right
Below
'Below', as a preposition of place means at a lower level or position than something or someone.
Just
In the list below you can see some other examples of Prepositions used to show Horizontal Position:
- Underneath
- On top of
Prepositions used to show Distance
This type of preposition is also called the preposition of proximity. They show how close someone or something is to another person or thing.
Near
using the preposition 'near' to talk about distance
'Near' is used to show a short distance from something or someone else. For example:
The parking lot is
Don't go
If you swim
Beside, Next to, and By
These three prepositions are used to show that someone or something is near another thing or person. They are similar in meaning, however, there is a slight difference between them. 'Beside' shows that there is no space between two things. Also, it is not very common to use 'beside' with things that don’t have sides.
The umbrella is
There is no space between the chair and the umbrella.
'Next to' shows that there is nothing between the two objects or persons, although there might be space.
The umbrella is
There is nothing between the umbrella and the chair.
'By' means near, but not as near as 'beside'.
They're standing
Tip
Remember that 'beside', 'next to', 'by', and 'near', are prepositions of proximity but contrary to 'near', the other show that something is placed in a vertical position relative to another thing.
Beyond
Beyond shows a location further side of something. For example:
You can find the castle
In the list below you can see some other examples of distance-related prepositions:
- Among
- Between
- Off
Prepositions used to show Direction
prepositions of directions
In this group, 'in front of' and 'behind' are used with something that has a front and back. 'Up' and 'down' are used with something that has a higher or lower position.
Up
As mentioned before, we use 'up' to show that something is located at a higher position. Look at the sentence below:
The church is just
Down
prepositions of direction and place
We use 'down' to show that something is located at a lower position. Look at the example:
Our school is just
In front of
This preposition shows a position in the front part of another thing. It also shows the position facing something or someone.
The car was parked
I get so nervous
Behind
'Behind' is the opposite of 'in front of'. It shows the position at the back of something.
The sun hid
In the list below, you can see some other examples of Prepositions used to show Direction:
Prepositions used for Enclosed Area
By using this group of prepositions, we can show the position in relation to an enclosed area.
In
'In' is used to show the position inside an enclosed (or semi-enclosed) area. Look at the example:
There's some tea left
Outside
‘Outside’ is used to show the position out of an enclosed (or semi-enclosed) area. Look at the example:
The fans were waiting
In the list below, you can see some other examples of Prepositions used for Enclosed Area:
- Within
- Inside
Review
We use Prepositions of Place to show the location or position of someone or something. Based on their meaning we can put these prepositions into 5 groups:
- Prepositions used to show Location (on, at, in)
- Prepositions used to show Horizontal Position (above, over, below, under, on, beneath)
- Prepositions used to show Distance (near, beside, next to, by, beyond)
- Prepositions used to show Direction (up, down, in front of, behind)
- Prepositions used for Enclosed Area (in, within, inside, outside)
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