Basic Prepositions of Place

USE: 

In general, prepositions of place are used to tell where something is.

 

Here are the uses of very common prepositions of place: IN/ON/AT:

 

IN

countries, cities, villagesin Europe, in Spain, in Madrid
the world

 

in the world

valleys and mountains

 

in the mountain, in a valley, in the Pyrenees

buildings

 

in a bank, in an office

water

 

in the sea, in the river, in the lake

the middle / center

 

in the middle of London, in the heart of the city, in the city square

books / films / newspaper

 

in the movie, in the newspaper, in a magazine, in a series

 

ON

walls, ceilings, doors, flooron the ceiling,  on the wall, on the door, on the floor
surfaces

 

on the page, on the table, on my desk, on the bed

the front / side / back

 

on the box, on the label, on the bottle

left / right

 

on the left, on the right

 

floors

 

on the second floor, on the basement, on the rooftop

lists / menus

 

on the menu, on the list

 

roads

 

on Westville Street, on the motorway, on Madison Avenue

 

natural lines and borders

 

on the beach, on the coast, on the Amazon River

 

AT

the top / bottom (of a page) at the top, at the bottom
directionsat the traffic lights, at the roundabout, at the end of the street
position (next to something)at the corner
the front / the backat the front, at the back
the beginning / the endat the beginning, at the end
eventsat a party, at this conference, at last weekend’s football match
buildingsat the airport, at the train the station, at home

 

 

Here are some common errors:

1. Missing out part of the prepositional phrases.

 

The post office is next a bank. =>

 

The post office is next to a bank.

 

He is waiting in front the building. =>

 

He is waiting in front of the building.

 

2. Adding unnecessary prepositions.

 

The rabbits are behind of the bush. =>

 

The rabbits are behind the bush.

 

0.00 avg. rating (0% score) - 0 votes

Leave a Reply

Only registered students can submit comments.