Prepositions of Place

Concept sheet | English Language Arts
Definition

Prepositions of place are short words linking other words together to give us details about the where.

The most common prepositions of place are: 

  • in

  • on

  • at

For more on these common prepositions, visit this concept sheet.

 

There are many other prepositions of place, the following are some examples.

above

across

against

among

around

behind

below

beneath

beside

between

by

in front of

inside

near

next to

outside

over

through

under

underneath

Examples

above

Out of reach items on shelves.

The trumpet was above the other instruments on the shelves so Nina couldn’t reach it.

across

A cat on a woman’s lap.

“I like when my cat lies across my legs.”

against

A guitar leaning against a wall.

“My friend’s guitar was leaning against the wall.”

among

A person among people.

Nina stood among people. 

around

A plane going around the globe.

She went on tour around the world.

behind

A woman playing piano.

Nina stood behind her piano.

below

Vinyl records on a wall.

She hung her newest record below the old ones.

beneath

Woman lying in the shade.

Nina likes to sit beneath trees in the shade.

beside

Woman in front of a statue.

She looked small beside the giant statue.

between

A piano between two pillars.

The piano barely fits between the two pillars.

by

Woman by the ocean.

She liked staying at the hotel by the sea.

in front of

Woman planting a tree.

Nina planted a new tree in front of her house.

inside

A kitten in a box.

She found a kitten inside a gift box.

near

Man and woman at a ceremony.

Her father stood near her at the ceremony.

next to

A guitar beside a piano

Someone asked Nina to place the guitar next to the piano.

outside

Woman looking outside.

She likes to watch her kitten playing outside.

over

Woman under a rainbow.

Nina watched the rainbow over her head.

through

A tunnel.

There was a tunnel through the mountain.

under

A kitten under a piano.

Her kitten likes to lie under the piano.

underneath

Woman staying in bed in the morning.

Nina enjoys staying underneath the blankets in the morning.

Prepositions of Place Exercise

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The Real-Life Nina