Prepositions of place using at in on and direction English lesson
Learning how to use prepositions about place and directions using on in at
This English lesson shows you how to use the prepositions how to use prepositions when talking about place or direction. for each of the 3 prepositions are examples of how to use in a sentence.
Prepositions at in on
At
Point
You Use 'at' when you are at a place in a town, city or some other community:
at the window, at the entrance, at the door,
at the end of the street - at the station - at the top on a cover
Bill is waiting for you at the bus stop.
In
In is used when in an enclosed space:
in the car, in the house, in Manchester, in the sea, in her bag, in a row, in a city
There is nobody in the house.
She lives in a big city.
On
We use on when talking about a surface:
on the ceiling, on the table, on the floor, on a train, on the wall, on the bed,
Have you seen the notice on the notice board?
Examples of how to use prepositions of place in a sentence
Sarah is waiting for you at the train station.
The bank is at the end of the street.
My areoplane stopped at Dubai airport and arrived in Bangkok nearly two hours late.
What time will you arrive at the work tomorrow?
Do you work in an office?
I have a business meeting in London next week.
Do you live in London?
Mars is in the Solar System.
The author's name is always on the front cover of the book.
There are no prices on these clothes.
That hurt you were standing on my foot.
There are "no smoking" sign on the wall in the office canteen.
I live on the 4th floor of my apartment at 2 Dukes brow in Manchester.
Some examples of prepositions of place
| at | in | on |
|
POINT
|
ENCLOSED SPACE
|
SURFACE
|
| at the corner | in the garden | on the wall |
| at the bus stop | in London | on the ceiling |
| at the door | in France | on the door |
| at the top of the page | in a box | on the cover |
| at the end of the road | in my pocket | on the floor |
| at the entrance | in my wallet | on the carpet |
| at the crossroads | in a building | on the menu |
| at the front desk | in a car | on a page |
Notice the use of the prepositions of place at, in and on in these standard expressions:
| at | in | on |
| at home | in a car | on a bus |
| at work | in a taxi | on a train |
| at school | in a helicopter | on a plane |
| at university | in a boat | on a ship |
| at college | in a lift (elevator) | on a bicycle, on a motorbike |
| at the top | in the newspaper | on a horse, on an elephant |
| at the bottom | in the sky | on the radio, on television |
| at the side | in a row | on the left, on the right |
| at reception | in Oxford Street | on the way |
Prepositions of place and direction
| Preposition | Use | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| above | higher than something. | The picture hangs above my bed. |
| across | from one side to the other side | You mustn't go across this road here. There isn't a bridge across the river. |
| after | one follows the other | The cat ran after the dog. After you. |
| against | directed towards something. | The bird flew against the window. |
| along | in a line; from one point to another | They're walking along the beach. |
| among | in a group | I like being among people. |
| around | in a circular way | We're sitting around the campfire. |
| behind | at the back of | Our house is behind the supermarket. |
| below | lower than something. | Death Valley is 86 metres below sea level. |
| beside | next to | Our house is beside the supermarket. |
| between | something./somebody. is on each side | Our house is between the supermarket and the school. |
| by | near | He lives in the house by the river. |
| close to | near | Our house is close to the supermarket. |
| down | from high to low | He came down the hill. |
| from | the place where it starts | Do you come from Tokyo? |
| in front of | the part that is in the direction it faces | Our house is in front of the supermarket. |
| inside | opposite of outside | You shouldn't stay inside the castle. |
| into | entering something. | You shouldn't go into the castle. |
| near | close to | Our house is near the supermarket. |
| next to | beside | Our house is next to the supermarket. |
| off | away from something. | The cat jumped off the roof. |
| onto | moving to a place | The cat jumped onto the roof. |
| opposite | on the other side | Our house is opposite the supermarket. |
| out of | leaving something. | The cat jumped out of the window. |
| outside | opposite of inside | Can you wait outside? |
| over | above something./somebody. | The cat jumped over the wall. |
| past | going near something./somebody. | Go past the post office. |
| round | in a circle | We're sitting round the campfire. |
| through | going from one point to the other point | You shouldn't walk through the forest. |
| to | towards something./somebody. | I like going to Australia. Can you come to me? I've never been to Africa. |
| towards | in the direction of something. | We ran towards the castle. |
| under | below something. | The cat is under the table. |
| up | from low to high | He went up the hill. |
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