Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of place tell us where an action happens or in which direction something moves. They include words like here, there, nearby, outside, and everywhere.
What are adverbs of place?
An adverb of place answers the question "Where?" about an action. Like adverbs of manner, they usually go after the verb or after the object. They never go between a verb and its object.
Come here. → Where should I come? Here.
She waited outside. → Where did she wait? Outside.
Put it there. → Where should I put it? There.
Common adverbs of place
| Category | Adverbs | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Position | here, there, nearby, above, below, inside, outside, upstairs, downstairs, abroad | She is upstairs. He waited nearby. |
| Direction | up, down, away, back, forward, left, right, in, out, north, south | Come in. She walked away. Go left. |
| Distance | far, close, nearby, somewhere, anywhere, nowhere | I live far from here. Is there a shop nearby? |
| Extent | everywhere, somewhere, anywhere, nowhere, elsewhere | I've looked everywhere. Let's go somewhere quiet. |
Position of adverbs of place
- After an intransitive verb (no object): She sat down. He went outside. The children played nearby.
- After the object (if there is one): Put your bag there. She found her keys somewhere. Take the dog outside.
- NOT between verb and object: ✗ Put there your bag. ✓ Put your bag there.
He went upstairs. ✓ (after intransitive verb)
She put the keys there. ✓ (after object)
The children played outside all afternoon. ✓
Come in and sit down. ✓ (two direction adverbs)
Here and there
Here refers to the place where the speaker is. There refers to a place away from the speaker. Both can also be used at the start of a sentence to draw attention, followed by the verb.
| Use | Here | There |
|---|---|---|
| Normal position | Come here. She sat here. | Go there. He sat there. |
| Sentence opener (with noun subject) | Here comes the bus! | There goes our chance. |
| Sentence opener (with pronoun — no inversion) | Here it is! | There it is! |
Somewhere, anywhere, nowhere, everywhere
These compound adverbs of place work like their counterparts with some-, any-, no-, and every-.
- somewhere — an unspecified place (positive): She went somewhere quiet.
- anywhere — any place (questions, negatives): Have you been anywhere nice? I can't find it anywhere.
- nowhere — no place: There is nowhere to sit.
- everywhere — all places: I've looked everywhere!
Let's go somewhere warm this winter.
Is there anywhere I can charge my phone?
There is nowhere left to hide.
She seems to be everywhere at once!
Adverbs of place vs. prepositions of place
Many words can be both a preposition and an adverb of place. The difference: a preposition is always followed by a noun or pronoun; an adverb stands alone.
| Word | As a preposition | As an adverb of place |
|---|---|---|
| inside | inside the house (+ noun) | Come inside. (alone) |
| outside | outside the office (+ noun) | She waited outside. (alone) |
| up | up the stairs (+ noun) | She looked up. (alone) |
| down | down the road (+ noun) | Sit down. (alone) |
| near | near the station (+ noun) | She lives nearby. (alone, with -by) |
Here and there are not adjectives: In English, here and there cannot come before a noun. Do not say the here shop or the there table. Use this shop and that table instead — those are demonstrative adjectives, not adverbs.
Tip: When a sentence starts with here or there and the subject is a noun, the verb comes before the subject (inversion): Here comes the train! There goes my phone! But when the subject is a pronoun, there is no inversion: Here it comes. There it goes.