Prepositions of Place

English Grammar Rules

Prepositions of Place are used to show the position or location of one thing with another.

It answers the question "Where?"

Below we have some examples of Prepositions of Place:

Chart demonstrating prepositions of Place in English

The chart demonstrates some of the most common prepositions of place in English.

Here are more examples sentences of prepositions of place:


In front of

Behind

Behind is the opposite of In front of. It means at the back (part) of something.

Between

Between normally refers to something in the middle of two objects or things (or places).

Across From / Opposite

Across from and Opposite mean the same thing. It usually refers to something being in front of something else BUT there is normally something between them like a street or table. It is similar to saying that someone (or a place) is on the other side of something.

Next to / Beside

Next to and Beside mean the same thing. It usually refers to a thing (or person) that is at the side of another thing.

Near / Close to

Near and Close to mean the same thing. It is similar to next to / beside but there is more of a distance between the two things.

On

On means that something is in a position that is physically touching, covering or attached to something.

Above / Over

Above and Over have a similar meaning. The both mean "at a higher position than X" but above normally refers to being directly (vertically) above you.

Over can also mean: physically covering the surface of something and is often used with the word All as in All over.

Over is often used as a Preposition of Movement too.

Under / Below

Under and Below have a similar meaning. They mean at a lower level. (Something is above it).

Sometimes we use the word underneath instead of under and beneath instead of below. There is no difference in meaning those they are less common nowadays.

Under is often used as a Preposition of Movement too.



Prepositions of Place explained in Spanish

Nuestra lección de preposiciones de lugar en inglés explicado en español (con pronunciación):


Next activities

See our updated preposition charts (including a new chart) and some more examples here: Basic Prepositions of Place.

You may want to check out our notes about Prepositions of Time

And see our list of prepositions in English.

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