Prepositions of place

Prepositions are those words that are used to connect nouns, pronouns and phrases in a sentence.  They do the job of portraying the relation between the words they connect. Broadly, there are three categories in which Prepositions can be divided:

-          Prepositions of time

-          Prepositions of place

-          Prepositions of movement

In this article, we will discuss the Prepositions of place in detail. 

Prepositions of place refer to those prepositions are used to show the location of something. These include prepositions of position and direction.  Some examples of prepositions of place are:

1.       At: It is used to describe a point. For example:

-          I saw someone standing at the door.

-          My shop is located at the corner of the road.

-          He is at office.

   

2.       In: It is used to talk about enclosed spaces. For example:

-          She is in India.

-          He is in his room

-          She is working in the kitchen.

-          The book is in the bag.

-          They are in Italy.

-          I read the facts in the article.

-          The fish is swimming in the pond.

3.       On: It is used for surfaces. For example:

-          The lamp is on the table.

-          The cat is sitting on the floor.

-          Don’t write on that paper.

-          She drew a picture on her copy.

-          They are on the train.

-          I am on my way to the restaurant.

-          They saw the advertisement on a billboard.

4.       By/next to/beside: These are used to talk about things that are on the left or right of somebody or something. For example:

-          She is standing by the car.

-          The house is next to the park.

-          My office is beside the factory.

5.       Under: It refers to something that is on the ground, lower than or covered by something else. For example:

-          The cat is hiding under the table.

-          The ball is under the bed.

-          The trunk is under the caught.

6.       Below: It refers to something that is lower than something else but above ground. For example:

-          This is explained in the lines below.

-          You can find the fishes below the surface of the water.

7.       Over: It has several meanings. It can be used to refer to something that is covered by something else; it also means more than something; it can also refer to something on the other side and overcoming a difficulty or an obstacle. For example:

-          Why don’t a wear a blazer over that shirt?

-          I am over 24 years now.

-          From Finch Street, you need to walk over to the Subway.

-          They will climb over the steep mountain.

8.       Above: It refers to something that is higher than something else but not directly over it. For example:

-          We are building a highway above this road.

-          The bridge goes above the river.

9.       Across: It means getting to the other side. For example:

-          Walk across the street to reach the Subway station.

-          The college is located across the road.

10.   Towards: It refers to the movement in the direction of something. For example:

-          Walk towards the building on your right.

Prepositional Phrases in Grammar

A prepositional phrase always begins with a preposition, ends with an object, and may have modifiers between the preposition and object of the preposition. A preposition and its object is called a prepositional phrase. Some words that are commonly used as propositions are:

up, down, behind, beside, at, on, over, below, about, above, beyond, along, aside, between, beneath, in spite of, instead of, into, like, near, since, through, towards, under, for, with, upon, except, because of, inside, outside, until, etc.

These words can also be used as prepositions in a prepositional phrase. If any of these words do not have an object when used in a sentence, then the word is not working as a preposition.

A word can be a preposition only when it has an object to complete it. To decide what the object is, say the preposition followed by whom or what. If a noun or a pronoun answers the question, the word is a preposition. For example:

Example: He stood up and hid behind the door. 

He stood up what? There is no object; therefore ‘up’ is not a preposition.

Hid behind what? ‘The door’ is the answer; therefore, ‘behind’ is a preposition. ‘Behind the door’ is the prepositional phrase starting with the preposition ‘behind’ and ending with the object ‘door’ with a modifier ‘the’ in between.

There can be numerous prepositional phrases depending on varied sentences and how the prepositions are used in them. Some examples can be: at home, in time, with me, under the warm blanket, on the chair, etc.

List of Prepositions with examples

Prepositions can be described as words that are used to connect nouns, pronouns and phrases in a sentence.  Prepositions illustrate the relation between the words it connects. Prepositions can be broadly divided into three categories:

1. -          Prepositions of time
2. -          Prepositions of place
3. -          Prepositions of movement

Some examples of preposition are:

up, down, behind, beside, at, on, over, below, about, above, beyond, along, aside, between, beneath, in spite of, instead of, into, like, near, since, through, towards, under, for, with, upon, except, because of, inside, outside, until, etc. 

Let’s look at a detailed preposition list with examples:

1.    Aboard: We went aboard the plane.
2.    Above: Our plane was flying above the clouds.
3.    Across: The shop is located across the road.
4.    At: He’s at home.
5.    Behind: the store is located behind the college.
6.    Below: He’s hiding below the table.
7.    Beside: the river runs beside their house.
8.    By: They are coming by car.
9.    Considering: The prices are way too high considering the poor quality of the products.
10.    Close to: They stay pretty close to each other.
11.    Down: The police ran down the hill to catch the thief.
12.    During: She fell asleep during the presentation.
13.    Due to: The match was cancelled due to bad weather conditions.
14.    Except: You can have anything except this pen.
15.    For: This is for you.
16.    From: I was prevented from entering the house.
17.    Given: They are quite fine, given the adverse conditions.
18.    In: They live is an apartment.
19.    Inside: It was dark inside the room.
20.    Into: The dog jumped into the well.
21.    Like: He’s a lot like his brother.
22.    Near: The cafe is near the stationary store.
23.    Of: The house is located at the end of the road.
24.    Off: Please take your shoes off before entering the temple.
25.    On: How many times have I told you not to sit on the table?
26.    Outside: I live in Oakville. It’s outside Toronto.
27.    Owing to: They cancelled their swimming plans, owing to the cold weather.
28.    Past: I saw him yesterday when he drove past his school.
29.    Prior to: I never spoke Italian prior to living in Italy.
30.    Regarding: I need to talk to you regarding the trip.
31.    Respecting: I am writing to her respecting our latest products.
32.    Regardless of: The clothes were pretty cheap regardless of their high end brands.
33.    Since: I haven’t seen her since Friday.
34.    Than: My house is bigger than yours.
35.    Through: The train went through a tunnel.
36.    Throughout: I was busy throughout the day.
37.    Till: I work from 10 am till 7 am.
38.    To: I wanted to give it to him.
39.    Towards: I drove off towards the beach.
40.    Under: The box is kept under the bed.
41.    Until: We should wait until she comes.
42.    With: I live with my parents.
43.    Without: She listened without speaking even once.
44.    Worth: The house is worth $5 million.
45.    With reference to: I am writing with reference to your order.