LESSON THREE

THE PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE

OBJECTIVES

1. Brief Introduction on Prepositions

2. To know what is the use of the prepositions of place
3. To describe the prepositions of place and to describe their function

Introduction

A preposition is a word used to link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words within a
sentence. Prepositions are usually short words and they are normally placed directly in front of
nouns. A preposition can also be defined as the word that expresses the relationship between two
other nearby words.

In some cases, you will find prepositions in front of gerund verbs. A nice way to think about
prepositions is as the words that help glue a sentence together.

Prepositions are words that tell where or when something is in relation to something else.
Examples of prepositions are "in," "on", "at," "behind," and "with."

Here are some easy examples of prepositions that tell us where:

 The cat on the table is called Toby.
(The preposition "on" tells us where the cat is.)
 Our lorry is stuck at the traffic lights.
(The preposition "at" tells us where the lorry is.)
Here are some easy examples of prepositions that tell us when:
 The meeting on Saturday
(This time, the preposition "on" tells us when the meeting is.)
 The bell will ring at 7 o'clock.
(The preposition "at" tells us when the bell will ring.)

Preposition precedes a word to link it to a nearby word

Example: The apple on the plate

On links apple with plate

Example: The noises at night

At links noises with night

Be aware that not every preposition tells us where or when something is. Prepositions have other
roles too. For example, they might show possession (e.g., collar of the dog) or purpose (e.g., a
tool for digging). We will discuss this later.

More Examples of Prepositions that Tell Us Where

Here are some examples of prepositions that tell us where something is in relation to something
else (prepositions highlighted):
 the boy behind the bush
(Here, the preposition "behind" tells us where "the boy" is in relation to "the bush.")
 a mouse under the stairs
(In this example, the preposition "under" tells us where "a mouse" is in relation to "the
stairs.")

More Examples of Prepositions that Tell Us When

Here are some examples of prepositions that tell us when something is in relation to something
else (prepositions highlighted):
 the calm before the storm
(Here, the preposition "before" tells us when "the calm" is in relation to "the storm.")
 one second after the bang
(In this example, the preposition "after" tells us when "one second" is in relation to "the
bang.")
In other words the General Use of the prepositions

1. They act to connect the people, objects, time and location of a sentence.
2. They express position and movement, possession, time and how an action is completed.

Rules to Observe in using prepositions

There are two very important rules in using prepositions:

1. The first rule is that to make sentences clear, a specific preposition is needed.
For example in means one thing and the preposition on means something else.
2. The second rule for using prepositions is that prepositions are generally followed by
nouns or pronouns.

Types of Prepositions

There are three types of prepositions:

Time prepositions, place prepositions and direction preposition.

In our discussion or lesson we will focus on place preposition.

Preposition of Place

Prepositions of place – Used to show position or location of one thing to another

 In at on (places 1) – used to show specified place, location, or position; sometimes used
on when one thing is attached to or touching another

In _ is used when referring to something that is inside or within confined boundaries. This could
be anything, even a country.

The examples are as follow:

a. in a room a. in a garden

b. in a shop b. in a town

c. in the hospital c. in the city centre

d. in the water d. in France

See the following examples.

 Where’s David? in the Kitchen, / in the garden, / in London

 What in that box / in that bag / in that cupboard
 Angela works in a shop / in a bank / in a factory
 I had a swim in the river / in the sea
 Milan is in the north of Italy
 I live in a town but I want to live in the country.

B. At is used when referring to something at specific point

at the bus stop at the door at her desk

 There’s somebody at the bus stop / at the door

 The car is waiting at the traffic lights.
 Julia is working at her desk.

at the top / at the bottom / at the end (of…)

 Write your name at the top of the page

 My house is at the end of the street.

C. On is used when referring to something with a surface.

a. on a shelf b. on a plate c. on the floor

a. on a wall b. on a door c. on the ceiling

 There are some books on the shelf.

  There are a lot of apples on those trees.
 Don’t sit on the grass. It’s wet.
 There is a stamp on the envelope

Also on a horse / on a bicycle /on a motor-bike

 Who is that man on the motor –bike?

in at on (places 2)

A.in

in bed 1. Where’s Kate? She’s in bed

in hospital/ in prison 2. David’s father is ill. He’s in hospital

in a street 3. I live in a small street near the station

in the sky 4. I like to look at the stars in the sky at night.

B. at

at home Will you be at home this evening

at work / at school Where’s Kate? She’s at work

at university / at college Helen is studying law at university

at the station / at airport Do you want me to meet you at the station?

C. on

a. on a bus b. on the first floor c. on the way from A to B

on a bus / on a train / on a plane / on a ship Did you come here on the bus?

on the ground floor / on the first floor The office is on the first floor. (not’ in the first
floor)

on the way (to…) / on the home I met Ann on the way to work / on the way home

Exercises

choose the right preposition to complete each sentence

1. Please put the vase ________ the table

2. We are going on vacation ____________ August
3. Schools begins _____________ on Monday
4. Do not sit ______________ the grass It is wet
5. Look there is man _________ the roof. What is he doing
6. My sister lives __________ Brussels.
7. There is a mirror __________ the wall ___________ the living room
8. There is a small park ___________ the top of the hall
9. There are a lot of fish ___________ this river,
10. There are a few shops ___________ the end of the street.
 LESSON 4

PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE (Places 3)

To is the most common preposition in English. Use when indicating that there is movement
from one place to another. In other words use the preposition to with the verbs walk, go,
hike, fly, sail etc.

A: To in / at (with verbs: be, stay and do)

go / come/ return / walk (etc) to… be / stay/ do something (etc) in…

 We’re going to London next week. a) Piccadilly Circus is in London.

 I want to go to Italy b) My brother lives in Italy.
 We walked from my house to the city centre c) The main shops are in the city Centre.
 What time do you go to bed? d) I like reading in bed.
 The bus is going to the airport.
 Sally didn’t go to work yesterday. be/ stay/ do something (etc.) at…
 I went to a party last night. a) The bus is at the airport.
 You must come to our house. b) Ann wasn’t at work yesterday
c) I met her at a party
d) Ann stayed at her brother’s house.

B: Home

go/ come/ walk (etc) home (without ‘to’): be/ stay/ do something (etc.) at home:

 I’m tired. I’m going home. (not ‘to home’) a) I’m staying at home this evening.
 Did you walk home? b) ‘Where’s Ann?’ ‘At home’.

C: Prepositions used with the verbs arrive and get to

arrive in a country or town (arrive in Italy / arrive in Paris etc) :

 They arrived in England last week. (not ‘arrived to England’)

arrive at other places (arrive at the station / arrive at work etc.):

 What time did you arrive at hotel? (not ‘arrive to the hotel’)

get to (a place):

 What time did you get to the hotel?

 What time did you get to Paris?
get home / arrive home (no proposition):

 I was tired when I got home. Or I was tired when I arrived home.

Exercise

Write to, at, in and no preposition (put _)

1. I like reading _______ bed.
2. We’re going _________ Italy next month
3. Sue is on holiday ______ Italy at the moment
4. My house is _______ at the end of the street on the left.
5. I am tired. I am going _______ home
6. I was tired, so I stayed ________ bed late
7. What time do you usually go __________ bed?
8. Does the bus go ________ the centre?
9. Would you like to live _________ another country?
10. There were no taxis, so we had to walk__________ home