Prepositions of Place I (In/At/On/Near): I am in the kitchen.

After this lesson, you will be able to say generally  where something is.
Exercise 1

Sentence Practice

 We are at Ellis Island.
 The Statue of Liberty is on Ellis Island.
 Ellis Island is in New York.
 Ellis Island is near Manhattan.

Grammar Focus
This lesson introduces prepositional phrases: phrases that start with
a preposition and end with a place.

 at home ('at' = preposition. 'home' = place)

 in the kitchen ('in' = preposition. 'the kitchen' = place )

Prepositional phrases are a kind of Subject Complement in the SVC sentence

pattern:

 I am at home. ('I' = subject, 'am' = verb, 'at home' = complement)

 He is in the kitchen. ('He' = subject, 'is' = verb, 'in the kitchen' =
complement)

In [area/space]
Use the preposition 'in' to talk about people/things/animals that are inside an
area or space:

The chefs are in their kitchen.

The marketing team is in the meeting room.
Also use 'in' for cities and countries:

 Janice is in New York.

 Paul is in China.

At [specific location]
We also use at to talk about specific times: at noon, at 3 p.m., at sunrise, etc.
Use the preposition 'at' to talk about locations:

The children are at school.

The woman is at a hospital.
We also use at to talk about specific times: at noon, at 3 p.m., at sunrise, etc.
On [surface]
Use the preposition 'on' to talk about people/things/animals that are
supported by a surface:

The couple is on the bed.

The children are on the floor.

Near
Use the preposition 'near' to talk about people/things/animals that are close
to something:

A man is near the swimming pool.

Exercise 2
Dialogue PracticePráctica de Diálogo
Read the dialogues aloud with your teacher.
Pizza Delivery
Where are you?

Waiter
I'm at my office.

Nina
Where is your office?

Waiter
My office is in the Empire State Building, near Penn Station.

Nina
What floor is your company on?

Waiter
It's on the 14th floor.

Nina
Visiting New York
Where is our hotel?

Hannah
Our hotel is in New York, on 7th Avenue.

Phuong
Cool. What is our hotel near?

Hannah
It's near Times Square. There are many shops in Times Square.

Phuong
Exercise 3
Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences. There can be more than one
correct answer.
1. I'm   home.

1. A.in
2. B.at
3. C.on

2.I'm   my bed.

1. A.in
2. B.at
3. C.on

3. My room is   the 2nd floor.

1. A.in
2. B.at
3. C.on

4.The fish are   the river.

1. A.in
2. B.at
3. C.on

5.My house is   a school.

1. A.at
2. B.near

6.The school is   Stanford Street.

 1. A.on
2. B.near

7.The school is   the end of the street.

1. A.at
2. B.on

8.I am   a park.

1. A.on
2. B.near

Exercise 4
Sentence Building
Describe the location of your house, your school or company by using
prepositions of place.
For example: "My house is in Beijing, China. It is at the end of Wenhua
Road, near a McDonald's. It is on 52nd Street."

 in
 at
 near
 on
Prepositions of Place II (Under/Over,
In Front Of/Behind, Between): I am in
front of the microwave .
3

After this lesson, you will be able to say more specifically  where something is.

Exercise 1

Sentence Practice

 The child is behind the door.

 The door is in front of the child.

 The bench is under the tree branches.

 The tree branches are over the bench.

 The girl is between her parents.

Grammar Focus Under

Use the preposition 'under' to talk about people/things/animals that are
below something:

The bench is under the tree.

The cat is under the book.

The dog is under the table.

Over
Use the preposition 'over' to talk about people/things/animals that are
above something, or covering something:

The tree branches are over the bench.

The boy is over the hurdle.

The laptop is over the boy's head.

In front of
Use the preposition 'in front of' to talk about people/things/animals that
are further ahead than someone/something else:

The door is in front of the girl.

The phone is in front of the

people.

The man is in front of the women.

Behind
Use the preposition behind to talk about people/things/animals that are
at the back of something/someone:

The girl is behind the door.

The girl is behind the tree.

Between
Use the preposition 'between' to talk about things that are in the middle
of two other things.

The girl is between her parents.

The bridge is between the buildings.

The dog is between the couple.

Note
'Over' means there is some space between the two things.  'On' means that the
two things touch. You can say "There is a plane over us" but you cannot say
"There is a plane on you."

Exercise 2

Dialogue Practice
Read the dialogues aloud with your teacher.

Is your car in the parking lot?

Grace

Yes, it is. It is between a red car and a blue car.

David

I see it! It's in front of a yellow car.

Grace

What color is David's car?

Exercise 3
Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences.

1. There is a river  the bridge.

1. A. over
2. B. under

2. The bridge is  a river.

1. A. over
2. B. under

3. There are birds  the sea.

1. A. over
2. B. under

4. The sea is  the birds.

1. A. over
2. B. under

5. There is a keyboard  the computer.

1. A. in front of
2. B. behind

6. The computer is  the keyboard.

1. A. in front of
2. B. behind
Prepositions of Place III (Into,
Across, Inside/Outside, Beside/Next to):
We had a barbecue outside our house.
4

By learning these prepositions of place, you will be able to talk more specifically
about where things happen.

Exercise 1

Sentence Practice
 The turtle walked into the sea.
 Sally swam across the lake.
 She is inside the car.
 She is standing outside the car.
 Come here and sit next to me!
 They placed the armchair beside the cupboard.

Grammar Focus
Into
Use the preposition 'into' to talk about movement from the outside to
the inside of something:

He jumped into the ocean.

The baby climbed into the cabinet.

Across
Use the preposition across to talk about:

1. things that go from one side to another:

The man is jumping across the gap.

2. things that are on the other side of something:

 The building is across the street from us.

Inside
Inside is like 'in', but more specific to enclosed spaces (= a space with
sides, walls, a ceiling):

There are many gifts inside the mailbox.

The dirty clothes are inside the washing

machine.

We do not say that someone

is inside a country/a forest/a park, because these places are usually
not physically enclosed. We say in a country/a forest/a park.

Outside
Use the preposition outside to talk about people/things/animals that are
not inside something:

Please leave your shoes outside.

There is a dog outside the shop.

Tip
You will often hear 'inside' and 'outside' used by themselves as adverbs. For
example: "It's raining. Please come inside (the house, car, etc.). Don't
stand outside."

Beside, Next to
Use the preposition beside or next to to talk about someone/something
that is very close to someone/something else:

A woman is sitting next to a man. / A man is

sitting next to a woman.

The cups are beside the sink.

Exercise 2
Dialogue Practice
Read the dialogues aloud with your teacher.

At School
I'll bring you something later. Where is your classroom?

Emily

My classroom is next to the principal's office. I sit next to the window.

Chloe

Asking for Directions

Could you tell me where the park is, please?

Jimmy

Walk across this street and that bridge and you will see the park.

Lauren

Exercise 3

Multiple Choice
Choose the correct answers to complete the sentences. There can be more than
one correct answer.

1. I parked  this building.

1. A. behind
2. B. beside
3. C. across

2. I drove  the United States.

1. A. behind
2. B. beside
3. C. across

3. The weather is nice today. Let's sit   the cafe.

 1. A. inside
2. B. outside

4. It's cold today. Let's stay   the restaurant.

1. A. inside
2. B. outside

5. My office is   the supermarket.

1. A. beside
2. B. between

6. I am free   the hours of 2pm and 4pm .

1. A. beside
2. B. between

7. The teacher sat   the two students.

1. A. beside
2. B. between

Exercise 4
Sentence Building
You are playing hide-and-seek with some children. You are the seeker. Talk
about where the children are hiding using these prepositions of
place: across, inside, outside, beside/next to, behind, between.

The baby is hiding behind the door.

1. suitcase

2. curtain
3. cardboard box 4. tree

5.pillar

6.cabinet

7. box