Prepositions of Place

Prepositions of place show where something is located. They help us describe the position of people, animals, and things.

Common Prepositions of Place

Preposition	Meaning	Example
in	inside something	The dishes are in the cabinet.
on	on top of something	The dog is on the sofa.
under	below something	The rug is under the coffee table.
next to / beside	at the side of something	The recliner is next to the end table.
between	in the middle of two things	The kettle is between the toaster and the microwave.
behind	at the back of something	The cat is behind the coffee table.
in front of	on the front side of something	The rug is in front of the TV.
above / over	higher than something	The painting is above the bed.
across from	on the opposite side	The fridge is across from the stove.
near	close to something	The TV is near the stereo.

Note: Next to and beside have the same meaning.

Common Sentence Pattern

A common pattern for describing location is:

There is/are + a + noun + preposition + the + noun.

• There is a lamp on the end table.
• There is a painting above the sofa.
• There are books under the bed.

In, On, and At for Place

These three small prepositions are very common, and they are easy to confuse.

Preposition	Use	Examples
in	inside a space or area	in a room, in a box, in the city
on	touching a surface	on the table, on the wall, on the floor
at	a general point or place	at home, at school, at the bus stop

Think: in = inside, on = surface, at = point/place.

Similar Prepositions

Some prepositions have similar meanings but small differences:

• Above and over are similar. Over can mean “directly above” or movement from one side to another.

  • There is a painting above the sofa.
  • The dog jumped over the table.

• Under, beneath, and below have similar meanings. Under is the most common at A1.

  • The cat is under the bed.
  • The apartment is below mine.

• Between means in the middle of two people or things. For three or more, English often uses among, but among is more advanced.

  • The kettle is between the toaster and the microwave.
  • The children are playing among the trees.

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Better	Why
The book is in the table.	The book is on the table.	Use on for surfaces.
I am in home.	I am at home.	Use at home.
The cat is between the sofa.	The cat is behind/under/on the sofa.	Between needs two things.
The bank is in front the school.	The bank is in front of the school.	The full phrase is in front of.

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Practice

Exercise 1 — Choose the Correct Preposition

1 / 14

The dishes are ___ the cabinet.

AonBunderCin

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Summary

• Prepositions of place show where a person, animal, or thing is.
• Use in for inside a space: in the room, in the box.
• Use on for a surface: on the table, on the wall.
• Use at for a general point or place: at home, at school.
• Use between for the middle of two things.
• Use next to or beside for something directly at the side.
• Use above/over for higher position, and under/below for lower position.

Keep practicing by describing the position of things in the room around you.