Prepositions of Place

A preposition of place, as the name suggests, link the noun/pronoun with a particular place or spot. These are also called prepositions of location or position.

In	Below	Near	Behind	Onto	Into	Around
On	Above	Far	In front of	Off	Out of	Among
At	Next to	Under	Between	Across	To	From
By	Beside	Over	Opposite	Through	Towards

It is important to know about prepositions “in, on or at” that are usually used for different places.

Preposition “in

It is usually used for place which have some limit or boundary (boundary may physical or virtual).         In… area or volume

  The preposition “in” is used for:   rooms, buildings, streets, towns, countries, books, paper, car, taxi, pictures, world, etc.

• Examples:

-My girlfriend lives in London.

-Students study in libraries.

-A face appeared in the window.

-My shoes are not in the kitchen.

-Jamie’s article was printed in the newspaper.

Preposition “On”

It is used for surface of something.      On… surface

The preposition “on” is used for: a place with a river, meaning attached, for being on a surface, for a certain side (left, right), for a floor in a house, for public transportation (bus, plane, train, ship), for television, etc.

• Examples

-Cuenca lies on the Tomebamba River.

-My mother likes to hang pictures on the wall.

-There are some books on the table.

-The Administration office is on the first floor.

-I am afraid about traveling on a plane.

Preposition “at"

It is used for specific place.        At…  point

The preposition “at” is used for: table, events, meaning next to, meaning by an object, and for places where you are to do something typical (watch a film, study, work).

• Examples:

-That man is waiting for his sister at the bank.

-Alejandro is not at home.

-The secretary was sitting at her desk.

-I used to live at Gran Colombia Street.

Furthermore, we should consider the correct use of some other prepositions for places such as:

-I enjoy being among my friends.

-We left the car behind the Bank.

-The prisoner sat between the two policemen.

-The teacher stands in front of the class.

-In my English class I always sit next to Karen.

-I enjoy watching the planes fly above me.

-That cat lives under the bridge.

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

-Alejandro walked beside me as we went down the street.

-The Mall is near a subway station.

-We couldn't park the car close to the store.

-Miners work below the surface of the Earth.