Prepositions Of Place: 3 Main Powerful Prepositions

Updated on: January 2, 2024 By: Stephen McClellandEducator Review By: Michelle Connolly

Prepositions of Place: In, on, at

Prepositions of place are used to refer to a place where something or someone is located. They usually come before a noun. They are specifically used to describe a place. There are three basic prepositions of place, however, they can be used to discuss an almost endless number of places:

at for a POINT

in for an ENCLOSED SPACE

on for a SURFACE

Preposition Number 1: In

If something is contained inside a box or a wide flat area, we use ‘in’:

In the newspaper

In a cup

In a bottle

In bed

In London

In a book

In a field

In my stomach

In a house

In a drawer

In a bag

In a car

In river

In a sea

In a lake

In England

In Egypt

In the fridge

In the living room

In the kitchen

In the garden

In the box

In the microwave

Preposition Number 2: On

If something is on a line or a horizontal or vertical surface, we use ‘on’:

On the table

On the wall

On the floor

On the window

On the face

On the plate

On the page

On the sofa

On the chair

On the bag

On the river

On the bottle

On the bike

On his/her foot

On the desk

On the fridge

On the laptop

On the curtain

On the blanket

On the box

Preposition Number 3: At

If something is at a point, (it could be a building) we use ‘at’:

At the airport

At the door

At the cinema

At the bus station

At the train station

At the bottom

At the top

At the front

At university

At school

At hospital

At club

At college

At home

At the top of the page

At the corner

At the end of the road

At the door

At the crossroads

At the front desk

At the back

At the shop

At the market

Here’s a list of other prepositions of place with some examples:

Preposition	Use	Sentences
above	higher than something	The clock hung above the T.V
across	from one side to the other side	Kids shouldn’t go across this road. There is a bridge across the river.
after	one follows the other	The father ran after his kids
against	directed towards sth.	The snake moved against the door.
along	in a line; from one point to another	They’re walking along the beach.
among	a group	He likes being among people.
around	in a circular way	We’re sitting around the heater.
behind	the back of	The cinema is behind the supermarket.
below	lower than sth.	The mineral is below surface level
beside	next to	The police station is beside the bus stop.
between	sth./sb. is on each side	The chair is between the desk and the sofa.
by	near	He lives in the house by the sea.
close to	near	Our house is close to the supermarket.
down	from high to low	They came down the hill.
from	the place where it starts	I’m from Japan.
in front of	the part that is in the direction it faces	The T.V is in front of the sofa.
the inside	opposite of outside	Stay inside the car.
into	entering sth.	You should go into the tunnel.
near	close to	The fire station is near the supermarket.
next to	beside	Our house is next to the bank.
off	away from sth.	The dog jumped off the roof.
onto	moving to a place	The dog jumped onto the roof.
opposite	on the other side	Our house is opposite the cinema.
out of	leaving sth.	The dog jumped out of the window.
the outside	opposite of inside	I’ll wait outside.
over	above sth./sb.	The dog jumped over the wall.
past	going near sth./sb.	I went past the post office.
round	in a circle	We’re sitting around the speakers.
through	going from one point to the other point	You shouldn’t walk through the jungle.
to	towards sth./sb.	I like going to Canada. Can you come to me? I’ve never been to Africa.
towards	in the direction of sth.	We ran towards the pool.
under	below sth.	The pen is under the table.
up	from low to high	He climbed up the mountain.

Practice: Write Down The Correct Preposition.

Sign your name _______ the dotted line.

A- After b- behind c- on

When we flew _______ the clouds, we could see the earth’s surface.

A- over b- in c- below

Can I sit _______ you at the movie theatre?

A- Around b- beside c- inside

The kids are playing _______ in the backyard.

A- at b- on c- in

Your glasses are right _______ you.

A- in front of b- on top of c-in behind

You can pick up your keys _______ the front desk.

A- in b- at the cover

Let’s meet _______ the front door.

A- in b- at c-below

There’s a helicopter hovering _______ our house.

A- above b- on c- under

Didn’t you park your car _______ mine?

A- on top of b- at c- behind

Please stay _______ the police caution tape.

A- behind b-above cover

There are two students ________ the class.
A- next b- in c-on
The oranges are not in the basket. They are _______ the table.
A- in b- between c- on
My pencil is __________ the books and the notebooks.
A- between b- in c- on
The red car is ________ of the house.
A- behind b- in front c- next to
There isn’t anything __________ my pocket.
A- between b- next to c- in
Some students are waiting in _______ the classroom.
A- next to b- front of c- between
under
Our house is ________ to the supermarket.
A- in b- on C- next

Oh my God! I saw a mouse __________ the sofa.
A- behind b- in c-next
There is a big supermarket _______ the park.
A- on b- near c- in front

20. The children are playing _______ the garden.
A- on b- between c- in

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