Prepositions of Place

A preposition of place is a preposition which is used to refer to a place where something or someone is located. They give you the ability to tell others where something is located and they can be used to discuss an almost endless number of places.

Basics

There are three kinds of prepositions in this category: in, on, at.

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

in the newspaper                     in a house                            in a field

in my stomach                          in a river                              in England

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

on the table                                    on the Wall                              on a chair

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

at the airport                                  at school                                    at the bottom

Here are some more common ones that don't really fit:

on TV                          on a plane                at work

on the bus                   on a train

on the radio                 at home

Other prepositions of place

In front of

-       A band plays their music in front of an audience.

-       The teacher stands in front of the students.

Behind

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

-       When the teacher writes on the whiteboard, the students are behind him (or her).

-       Who is that person behind the mask?

Between

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

-       There are mountains between Chile and Argentina.

-       The number 5 is between the number 4 and 6.

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.

-       I live across from a supermarket (= it is on the other side of the road)

-       The chess players sat opposite each other before they began their game.

-        

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.

-       At a wedding, the bride stands next to the groom.

-       Guards stand beside the entrance of the bank.

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.

-       The receptionist is near the front door.

-       This building is close to subway station.

On

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

-       The clock on the wall is slow.

-       He put the food on the table.

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.

-       Planes normally fly above the clouds.

-       There is a ceiling above you.

-        

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

-       There is water all over the floor.

-       I accidentally spilled red wine all over the new carpet.

NOTE: 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).

-       Your legs are under the table.

-       Monsters live under your bed.

-       A river flows under a bridge.

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.

NOTE: Under is often used as a preposition of movement too.