Prepositions of Place - English Hawk

Prepositions of place help us describe the location or position of one thing in relation to another. Using different prepositions can change the meaning of a sentence entirely. Let’s dive into the world of prepositions of place and learn how to use them effectively!

What Are Prepositions of Place?

Prepositions of place are words that describe the position or location of one object in relation to another. They provide clarity and precision when answering “where” questions.

Key Prepositions of Place

Here are the most common prepositions of place, categorized for better understanding:

📍 “In,” “At,” and “On”

These three prepositions are often confused because they describe location differently. Let’s break them down:

🔍 When to Use “In”

Use “in” when referring to something inside a space, area, or enclosed environment.

Example	Description
🏠 The cat is in the house.	The cat is inside the boundaries of the house.
📦 The keys are in the box.	The keys are enclosed within the box.
🌳 The bird is in the tree.	The bird is within the branches of the tree.
🚗 She is in the car.	She is enclosed within the space of the car.

🔍 When to Use “At”

Use “at” to describe a specific point or location, without focusing on boundaries or surfaces.

Example	Description
🏫 She is at school.	She is located at the specific point of the school.
🏠 They are at home.	They are at the specific location of their home.
🚌 He is at the bus stop.	He is at the exact point of the bus stop.
🎉 We met at the party.	We were located at the specific event of the party.

🔍 When to Use “On”

Use “on” when referring to something resting on a surface or attached to an object.

Example	Description
📱 The phone is on the table.	The phone is positioned on the surface of the table.
📺 The remote is on the sofa.	The remote is resting on the surface of the sofa.
🎒 The bag is on the floor.	The bag is placed on the surface of the floor.
🖼️ The picture is on the wall.	The picture is attached to the surface of the wall.

More examples with “In”:

🏠 The cat is in the house.
🌳 The bird is in the tree.
🚗 She is sitting in the car.
📦 The gift is in the box.
🛏️ The dog is sleeping in the bed.
📚 The books are in the library.
🍎 The apples are in the basket.
🏫 He is studying in the school.
🌊 The fish are swimming in the sea.
👜 The keys are in her purse.
🎒 The notebook is in the backpack.
🚪 She is waiting in the room.
🌍 They live in Europe.
🎥 The movie is set in Paris.
🌌 The stars are in the sky.
🛒 The items are in the cart.
🍽️ Dinner is in the oven.
📺 The show is in the second season.
🛁 The towels are in the bathroom.
🚂 He is traveling in the train.
🌄 The sunrise is in the morning.
📅 The meeting is in May.
🌲 The cabin is in the woods.
🎨 The artist is in the studio.
🏟️ The concert is in the stadium.
📞 She is in a call.
💼 He works in an office.
🌺 The flowers are in the garden.
🛍️ The dress is in the bag.
📂 The documents are in the folder.
💡 The idea is in his mind.
👗 She is in a blue dress.
👨‍🍳 The chef is in the kitchen.
🚿 He is in the shower.
📍 We are in the city center.
🏖️ They are relaxing in the sun.
✈️ She is in the airplane.
⛵ The sailors are in the boat.
🏰 The princess lives in the castle.
🚌 The students are in the bus.
⛰️ The hikers are in the mountains.

More examples with “At”:

🏫 She is at school.
🏠 They are at home.
🚌 He is waiting at the bus stop.
💼 She works at the bank.
🏥 He is at the hospital.
🎉 We met at the party.
🛒 She is shopping at the mall.
📍 Let’s meet at the corner.
🍽️ They are dining at a restaurant.
🎓 He is studying at university.
🏟️ The game is at the stadium.
⛽ She stopped at the gas station.
📚 He is at the library.
💒 They got married at the chapel.
🗼 She arrived at the Eiffel Tower.
📫 The mailman is at the door.
🌉 We took photos at the bridge.
🌳 He is resting at the park.
🛤️ The train stops at the station.
🎭 The play is at the theater.
💡 She got an idea at that moment.
⏰ He wakes up at 7 AM.
🌅 We met at sunrise.
🏖️ She is relaxing at the beach.
🌋 They are at the volcano.
🕍 He prayed at the temple.
🏰 She arrived at the castle.
🍎 The teacher is at the front of the class.
📱 He is at the phone.
🖥️ She is at her desk.
🚪 They are knocking at the door.
🛎️ He is waiting at the reception.
🎤 She is performing at the concert.
🏪 We stopped at the convenience store.
🛑 The car stopped at the red light.
🌠 They made a wish at midnight.
📍 Meet me at the entrance.
🌃 She loves the city at night.
🏆 He received an award at the ceremony.
🎣 They are fishing at the lake.

More examples with “On”:

📱 The phone is on the table.
🐦 The bird is on the branch.
📺 The show is on TV.
🖼️ The painting is on the wall.
💡 The light is on the ceiling.
👕 She has a stain on her shirt.
🐜 The ant is crawling on the ground.
📄 The notes are on the desk.
🛋️ The cat is sitting on the sofa.
🚂 He is on the train.
📞 She is on the phone.
🧢 He put a hat on his head.
🌊 The boat is on the water.
🛣️ We are driving on the highway.
📝 The assignment is on the website.
💍 The ring is on her finger.
🚲 He rode on his bike.
🌍 The city is on the map.
🐾 The dog walked on the carpet.
🎂 The candles are on the cake.
📚 The books are on the shelf.
🎧 She is listening to music on her headphones.
🏡 There is a roof on the house.
🚀 The astronaut is on the spaceship.
🌱 There is dew on the grass.
🖊️ The pen is on the notebook.
👓 The glasses are on her face.
🧭 The compass is on the dashboard.
🌞 She is sunbathing on the beach.
⏰ The alarm is set on the clock.
🌁 The fog is on the bridge.
🚁 The helicopter landed on the helipad.
🎸 He plays music on the guitar.
📻 The news is on the radio.
🏹 The target is on the wall.
🧼 The soap is on the sink.
🔑 The key is on the hook.
🍽️ The plates are on the table.
📶 The signal is on the network.

Precise Prepositions of Place

Some prepositions give even more detail about the position or location of objects.

📚 Understanding Specific Prepositions:

Preposition	Meaning	Example with Visual Imagery
Above	Higher than something else.	🌞 The sun shines above the clouds.
On top of	Directly over something, touching it.	🍒 The cherry is on top of the ice cream.
Between	In the space separating two things.	🐾 The dog sits between the two cats.
Under	Directly below something.	☂️ They stayed dry under the umbrella.
Underneath	Directly under something, often hidden.	🔑 The key was hidden underneath the mat.
Beneath	At a lower level than something else.	🌊 The divers explored the world beneath the sea.
Below	Lower than something else, not necessarily directly under.	🌡️ The temperature dropped below zero.
Next to	Immediately beside something.	🧍‍♂️🧍‍♀️ She stood next to him.
Near	Close to something.	🏞️ They had a picnic near the river.
In front of	Ahead of something.	🚗 The car is parked in front of the house.
Behind	At the back of something.	🎒 The backpack is behind the door.
Opposite	Facing something from the other side.	🏦 The café is opposite the bank.

Examples with Specific Prepositions:

🔝 Above

☁️ The clouds are above the mountains.
✈️ The airplane flew above the city.
🏆 The trophy is placed above the fireplace.
🖼️ The painting hangs above the sofa.
🌞 The sun rose above the horizon.

⛰️ On Top of

🎩 He put the hat on top of his head.
📦 The box is on top of the table.
🏆 The award is on top of the shelf.
🗻 They reached the cabin on top of the hill.
🍒 The cherry is on top of the cake.

↔️ Between

🛏️ The nightstand is between the beds.
🚗 The car is parked between the trucks.
🌻 The path runs between the fields.
👫 She stood between her friends.
✏️ The pencil fell between the cracks.

⬇️ Under

☂️ They took shelter under the umbrella.
🐶 The dog hid under the table.
🚗 The mechanic is working under the car.
🌳 The picnic is set under the tree.
⛺ They slept under the stars.

🔽 Underneath

🔑 The key was hidden underneath the mat.
👟 She found her shoes underneath the bed.
🗺️ The map was underneath the book.
🛏️ The cat is sleeping underneath the blanket.
💎 The treasure is buried underneath the sand.

🔻 Beneath

🌊 The submarine is beneath the waves.
👟 The ground is beneath our feet.
⛵ The ocean depths lie beneath the surface.
🛌 The floor is beneath the carpet.
🏰 The dungeon is beneath the castle.

⬇️ Below

🌡️ Temperatures dropped below zero.
📝 The answer is below the question.
🎈 The balloons floated below the ceiling.
🦅 The eagle soared below the clouds.
🏞️ The valley lies below the mountain.

➡️ Next to

👫 She sat next to her friend.
🚪 The bathroom is next to the kitchen.
🚗 He parked next to my car.
🌷 The rose grew next to the tulip.
📺 The remote is next to the TV.

📍 Near

🏞️ The park is near our house.
🛒 The store is near the station.
🏥 The clinic is near the library.
🌊 The beach is near the hotel.
🕌 The mosque is near the market.

👀 In Front of

🚦 Stop in front of the traffic light.
👩‍🏫 The teacher stands in front of the class.
🚗 The car is parked in front of the building.
🎤 He spoke in front of the audience.
🚌 The bus stopped in front of the school.

👤 Behind

🏠 The garden is behind the house.
🚶 She walked behind him.
🎭 The backstage is behind the stage.
🌅 The sun set behind the hills.
🚪 He hid behind the door.

🔄 Opposite

🏨 The hotel is opposite the museum.
👥 She sat opposite her friend.
🛣️ The store is opposite the bank.
🚏 The bus stop is opposite the park.
🍽️ They chose seats opposite each other.