Prepositions of place

Prepositions of place show where something is: in the box, on the shelf, under the bed, between the chairs. They come before a noun or a pronoun, and together they make a phrase that answers Where?

Key facts

  • Place: in (inside), on (touching the top or a surface), under (below), next to, between (one thing on each side), behind, in front of, above, opposite.
  • at is for a point or a place where something happens: at the door, at the bus stop, at school, at home.
  • A prepositional phrase of place is the preposition and the words after it: behind the old shed, next to the window.

Worked examples

Example 1

Where is the ball? Use under, on or in: The ball is ___ the box. (You can't see it.)

  1. You can't see it, so it is inside.
  2. Inside a box is in the box.

Answer: in

Example 2

Choose on or under: The cup is ___ the table. (It is touching the top.)

  1. on means touching the top of something.
  2. under means below it, so the answer is on.

Answer: on

Example 3

Which preposition fits? The dog jumped ___ the fence.

  1. Picture the dog going from one side to the other, above the fence.
  2. That movement is over.

Answer: over

Example 4

Choose a preposition: The cat is sleeping ___ the sofa and the wall.

  1. There are two things: the sofa and the wall.
  2. The cat has one thing on each side, so it is between them.
  3. The cat is sleeping between the sofa and the wall.

Answer: between

Example 5

Choose in, on or at: We are waiting ___ the bus stop.

  1. A bus stop is a point where something happens, not a box we are inside.
  2. So we use at: at the bus stop.

Answer: at

Example 6

Find the prepositional phrase of place: The children played behind the old shed.

  1. Find the preposition: behind tells us where.
  2. The phrase is the preposition and the noun phrase after it: behind the old shed.

Answer: behind the old shed

Example 7

Write a sentence that says where the shop is, using opposite or next to.

  1. opposite means facing it, on the other side of the road.
  2. next to means right beside it.

Answer: The shop is opposite the school. (or The shop is next to the bank.)