Prepositions of Place
Prepositions of place tell us where something is located. The core three — at, on, and in — are also used for place, each expressing a different type of location.
At, on, and in for place
Just as with time, the prepositions at, on, and in have distinct meanings when used to describe where something is.
- at the door
- at the station
- at school / work
- at the top / bottom
- at the corner
- at home
- on the table
- on the wall
- on the floor
- on the left / right
- on a street
- on the coast
- in the box
- in the room
- in London
- in the garden
- in the photo
- in the world
She is at the station. (a point)
The cup is on the table. (a surface)
He lives in Paris. (inside a larger area)
There is a spider in the box on the shelf at the back.
More prepositions of place
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| above | higher than, not touching | The lamp hangs above the table. |
| below | lower than | The temperature fell below zero. |
| over | directly above or covering | She held an umbrella over her head. |
| under | directly below | The cat is under the bed. |
| next to | beside, immediately alongside | She sat next to me. |
| beside | at the side of | The hotel is beside the river. |
| between | in the middle of two things | The shop is between the bank and the café. |
| among | surrounded by, within a group | She found the keys among the papers. |
| opposite | facing, on the other side | The park is opposite the school. |
| behind | at the back of | The car is behind the house. |
| in front of | facing, before | She stood in front of the mirror. |
| near | close to | We live near the park. |
| far from | at a distance from | The station is far from here. |
| along | following the length of | Trees grow along the river. |
At, on, in with buildings and transport
These prepositions follow specific patterns with buildings, transport, and addresses that are worth memorising.
| Context | Preposition | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Buildings (as a location) | at | at the cinema, at the supermarket, at the hotel |
| Inside a building | in | in the cinema, in the kitchen, in the lift |
| Surfaces (floors, decks) | on | on the ground floor, on deck, on the roof |
| Large vehicles (plane, train, bus) | on | on the train, on the plane, on the bus |
| Small vehicles (car, taxi) | in | in the car, in a taxi, in a cab |
| Street names | on | on Oxford Street, on Baker Street |
| Cities, countries, regions | in | in London, in England, in the north |
Above vs. over / under vs. below: Over and under often suggest direct contact or covering, while above and below simply indicate a higher or lower position. She put a blanket over him (covering). The helicopter flew above the clouds (higher, not touching). In many contexts they are interchangeable.
Tip: Think of in as a 3D space (you are surrounded by it), on as a 2D surface (you are touching it from above or the side), and at as a point on a map (a specific location rather than a space). This mental image helps with most cases.