There are so many prepositions used to express the place. We have already learned that preposition is mandatory to say about the position of place.
Let us take a box, for example,
You can stay –
- At the corner
- On the box
- In the box
- In front of the box
- Behind the box
- Beside the box
- Between the boxes
- Under the box and many more.
Below the box and many places with respect to the box. Hence, the preposition of place is mandatory to learn in English grammar.
Let’s, explore, the preposition of place.
Preposition of Place Basics
There are so many prepositions are used whenever we expressed preposition of place.
For example:
- At
- On
- In
- From
- Off
- By
- Above
- Over
- Below
- Under
- Beneath
- Underneath
- Near
- Between
- Inside
- Outside
- Behind
- In front of
Rules for Preposition of Place
Preposition of place #1: AT
Exact Address: Whenever we talk about an exact address, preposition at to use.
- At 25/1 Elgin Road
- At 50C AS Avenue
- At 21/2 LG Martin Lane
- At 25/8 SB Road
- At 26/2 Rabindra Sadan
Example: Rima is staying at 25/1 Elgin road.
Exact Location:
Whenever we talk about an exact place, or a particular place, preposition at to use.
- At the corner
- At the desk
- At the top
- At the bottom
- At the bus stop
Example: She is sitting at the corner of the room.
Specific places:
Whenever we talk about any specific places, preposition at to use.
- At college
- At university
- At BLC Building
- At Reebok House
- At W.B State Building
Example: Nita is studying at college
Place where the event takes place: A place where any event is taking place, we use preposition at.
- At the stadium
- At police station
- At post office
- At the party hall
- At the seminar
Example: She is enjoying at the stadium
Preposition of place#2: ON
On the surface: Whenever we keep something on the surface we say, on the surface
- On the table
- On the desk
- On the book
- On the chair
- On the surface
Example: An orange is kept on the book
When something is placed as an attachment: Whenever we keep something like an attachment, we will use on
- On the finger
- On the wall
Example:
The photo frame is attached on the wall.
The mask is on the face.
General address:
Whenever we talk about any general address, like GT road or Avenue, etc., we use preposition on.
- On Camac Street
- On DA road
- On SA Avenue
- On MG Road
- On Satyen Bose Road
Example: She has a meeting on GT Road.
In the case of Transport:
When we talk about transport, like bus, tram, train, cycle, motorcycle, plane, ship, etc., we use preposition ON.
- On a bus
- On a plane
- On a cycle
- On a bicycle
- On a ship
Notes
If someone is waiting inside the bus, we will use preposition IN instead of preposition ON.
Coast / River / Roads
In the case of coast, river, or roads, we use preposition ON.
- On the coast of the Nile River
- On the seashore
- On the roadside
There are many other rules to use of preposition on.
Preposition of place#3: IN
Enclosed Surface: In the case of enclosed space, where something is kept within that, the preposition in is used.
- In the box
- In a car
- In a lift
- In a matchbox
- In a lunchbox
Example: An apple is kept in the bucket
Large Space with Boundaries:
Whenever we are talking about a large space with a boundary, we use preposition IN.
- In the garden
- In the desert
- In the boundary
Example: The elephant is in the garden.
Town, city, country, and continents:
Whenever we talk about any continent, country, or city, or town, we use preposition IN.
- In Kolkata
- In Switzerland
- In Delhi
- In Asia
- In London
Example: We live in India.
When something is placed inside something:
When we talk about anything which is kept inside something, preposition IN is used.
- In the water
- In the river
- In the photo frame
- In the milk
- In the sea
There are many other rules to use of preposition in.
Preposition of place#4: From
From a place.
When we talk about ‘from a place’, we use preposition from.
- From India
- From Denmark
- From Swiss
- From the UK
- From Australia
Example:
I am from India.
Preposition of place#5: Off
Leave from a surface,
When we talk about ‘out from a surface’, we use preposition off.
- Take off
- Get off
- Off the table
- Off the bed
- Off the book
Example:
Please pick the doll off the bed.
There are so many preposition worksheets available on the internet for practice.
Preposition of place#6: By
To specify next to or adjacent
When we talk about next to or adjacent, we use preposition by.
- Who is working by you?
- She lives by my flat.
- Rohan stays by my house.
Preposition of place#7: Above
To specify the higher level or higher than
When we talk about ‘something higher than’, especially if something is kept on the same plane, we use preposition above.
- Above her head
- Above my flat
- Above water
- Above the tank
- Above the book
Example:
Water was above her head.
Preposition of place#8: Over
Something is above but not touched.
When we talk about ‘something is kept above but without touch and it is associated with movement’, we use preposition over.
- Over the Ganges.
- Over the river
- Over the mountain
- Over my village
- Over the town
Example:
Howrah bridge is over the Ganges.
Preposition of place#9: On top of
Something is kept on a pile of something.
When we talk about ‘something is kept on the table, and again one more thing is on that’ , we use preposition on top of.
- On top of the books
- On top of the stocks.
- On top of clouds
Example:
There is a pen on top of the book.
We have learned, preposition ON, OVER, ABOVE, ON TOP OF, etc. but don’t be confused to select, check the summary to keep in mind,
| Preposition On | Preposition Over | Preposition Above | Preposition On top of |
| When something is kept on something and touched | When something is above something (not touched) but has some movement | When something is over something but on the same plane | When something is on something and one more thing is kept on it |
| A computer is on the desk | An airplane is over the mountain | Clouds are stagnant over the mountain | A storybook is kept on top of textbooks. |
Preposition of place#10: Below
To specify the lower level or lower with respect to something.
When we talk about ‘something lower than’, we use preposition below.
- Below his head
- Below my house
- Below water
- Below my flat
- Below the roof
Example:
Water was below our floor level.
Preposition of place#11: Under
Used to specify the lower level or lower than but in the same plane
When we talk about ‘lower level like below in the same plane and not fully touched’, we use the preposition under. It sometimes refers to the movement also. The use of below and under is almost the same.
- Under the table
- Under the building
- Under the tunnel
- Under the chair
- Under the sun
Example:
Water was accumulated under the building.
Preposition of place#12: Beneath
Something is at the lower level but touched fully
When something is down of something but fully touched, use preposition beneath or underneath. Beneath like under used same as underneath for formal use.
- Beneath the bedcover
- Beneath the pillow
- Beneath the book
- Beneath the shirt
Example:
The laptop is beneath the bedcover
Preposition of place#13: Underneath
Underneath is the formal use of under or beneath
When we use under or beneath in a very formal way, we use underneath. It is used as the same intention as under or beneath.
- Underneath the bedcover
- Underneath the pillow
- Underneath the cup
- Underneath the box
Example:
The headphone is underneath the pillow
We have learned, preposition BELOW, UNDER, BENEATH, UNDERNEATH, etc. but don’t be afraid to select, check the summary to keep in mind,
| Preposition Below | Preposition Under | Preposition Beneath | Preposition Underneath |
| When something is below something | When something below something but on the same plane | When something below something but touched fully | Formal use of under/beneath |
| A cat is below the desk | Under the chair | The drawer is beneath the table | Underneath the table |
Preposition of place#14: Near
Something is near or not far away
Preposition near we use when we try to understand nearness or we can say, not far away.
- Near to school.
- Near to the market.
- Near to the road.
- Near to the hospital
- Near to the city
Example:
My house is near to the school.
Preposition of place#15: Between
When something is between two things
If something is kept between two other things, we use preposition between.
- Between the boxes.
- Between two persons.
- Between two elephants.
- Between the hands
- Between the boys
Example:
A deer is playing between two tigers.
Preposition of place#16: Inside
When something is inside something
If something is kept inside something or within an enclosed space, we use preposition inside.
- Inside the box.
- Inside the flat.
- Inside the water.
- Inside the church
- Inside the building
Example:
An apple is kept inside a box.
Preposition of place#17: Outside
When something is outside something
If something is kept outside, we use preposition outside.
- Outside the box.
- Outside the building.
- Outside the hall.
- Outside the boundary.
- Outside the garden.
Example: Students are playing outside the party hall.
Preposition of place#18: Behind
When something is kept behind something
If something is kept behind, we use preposition behind.
- Behind the box.
- Behind the building.
- Behind the hall.
- Behind the flat.
- Behind the gate.
Example:
Boys are playing behind the building.
Preposition of place#19: In front of
When something is kept in front of something
If something is kept in front of something, we use preposition in front of.
- In front of the box.
- In front of the building.
- In front of the hall.
- In front of the signal.
Example:
Girls are playing in front of the building.
Preposition of Place – Work Out
Now, we will try to do a small exercise for the preposition of place and learn with examples along with explanations.
Let’s get into this!
Example-1
Apu lives at 98/1 Raina road.
98/1 Raina Road is a specific address, hence, the preposition ON is used.
Example-2
His office is on Central Avenue.
Central Avenue means a general address. Hence, the preposition on is used.
Example-3
Apples are kept in a basket.
Here, apples are kept inside an enclosed space, so IN is used.
Example-4
A pencil box is on my desk.
Here, a pencil box is kept on the surface of the desk, hence, ON is used.
Example-5
Rima is at Andaman.
Here, Andaman is the name of a city, hence, ON.
Example-6
A rocket is over the sea.
Here, the rocket is over the sky and it is related to movement.
Example-7
A cat is below the chair.
Here, the location of the cat implies the location.
Example-8
A book is kept between two bags.
Here, the location is between two bags. So, the preposition between is used.
Example-9
A kite is over my head.
Here, a kite is over my head, and over is the preposition.
Example-10
Please keep all shirts inside a bag.
Here, bag means enclosed space. So, inside is used as a preposition.
Conclusion
Hence, we have got a basic knowledge on preposition of place along with all related prepositions, examples, rules etc.
