Prepositions of Place

Prepositions are small words that connect elements in a sentence. They are essential because they provide additional details about the sentence.

We use prepositions of place to locate an event in a space frame {see Common Prepositions of Time and Place, A1 level}.

Prepositions of place don’t stand alone but act with other elements of the sentence to create what we can call prepositional phrases: at, on, in and by.

At

• I am waiting at the zoo for you.
• He was at the game when it was snowing.
• They love being at home with their dog.

On

• You put many posters on the walls.
• There was a rose on the way home.
• We are not allowed to smoke on the bus.

In

• You can find wonderful paintings in this church.
• There is a wild animal in that forest.
• They lived in Canada for 10 years.

By

• His dog is always walking by his side.
• The house is by the swimming pool.
• They are talking by the exhibition.

We use prepositions of place to express the location of something or someone.

The main ones are:

At

(general, to refer to bigger places)

• Exact position at a point (at the bus stop…);
• Before the name of group activities (at the party, at the match…);
• With home, work, school, university, the top, the bottom…

On

(more specific, to refer to smaller places)

• Position on a surface (on the floor…);
• On a line (on the path, on the way, on the river…);
• Public transport;
• Directions (the right and the left…)

In

(very specific, to refer the smallest places)

• Position inside large areas;
• Three-dimensional space and areas surrounded on all sides (in a forest, in the office…);
• Continents, states, countries, buildings…

By

• Left or right of somebody or something;
• Next to somebody or something;
• Not far away in distance (near).

Prepositions of place are used to locate an event in a space frame.

The main prepositions of place are: at, on, in and by.

For example:
— “I work at home today.” = We use at to talk about a specific point or place.
— “I work on the left of the corner.” = We use on to talk about directions.
— “I work in this building.” = We use in to talk about the position inside a 3-dimensional place.
— “I work by this building.” = We use by to express that a place is near to the other.

Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.