Prepositions of Place Quiz

Prepositions of Place

• "Preposition" has the word "position" in it and tells us the location of something.

General Prepositions

• "On": something is on top of another thing, like "a cup is on the table".
• "In": something is within another thing, like "coffee is in the cup".
• "Next to" or "Beside": something is touching or almost touching something else, like "my cup is next to my book".
• "Near" or "Near to": something is close to something else, but not necessarily touching, like "the table is near the window".
• "By": usually means a very short distance, can mean "next to" or "near," like "baskets are by the door".
• "Between": means something is in the middle of two other things, like "the book is between the coffee and the shopping bag".
• "Among": has two primary meanings: "surrounded by" and "in a group."
  • "Surrounded by" means something is enclosed by other things, like "the yellow umbrella is among the black umbrellas".
  • "In a group" means something is part of a collection, like "I am the tallest among my friends".
• "Behind": means something is in the back of another thing, like "there is a shelf behind the table".
• "In front of": means something is in the front of another thing, like "the stool is in front of the table".
• "Opposite": means two things are facing each other, like "one shelf is opposite the other shelf".
• "Across from": a synonym for "opposite", but emphasizes a space in the middle, like "Bus stop A is across from bus stop B".
• "Over/Above": Something is higher than something else, like "a dreamcatcher is over the bed".
  • "Over" can also mean something is touching and covering something else, like "a tarp over the boat".
• "Under/Below": Something is lower than something else, like "the boat is under the tarp".
  • "Under" can also mean something is covered and touching something else, like "the coin is under my hand".
• "Inside/In": Inside emphasizes being completely surrounded, like "a gift is inside the box".
  • "In" doesn't always require a closed space, like "candy is in my tooth".
• "At": used for locations, where you are not inside a building or place, like "I'll meet you at the train station".
  • "At" can also be location but emphasizing someone doing something or some activity, like "She's at her lawyer's office".

Specific Prepositions

• "At home" is always used, never "in home."
• "In school" means as part of the education system, while "at school" means in the school building.
• "In the hospital" means as a patient, while "at the hospital" means for a reason other than being a patient.
• "In bed" means sleeping or lying in bed, while "on the bed" physically means on top of the bed.

Preposition Pyramid

• "In" + country, city, town, village, neighborhood, like "I live in Canada".
• "On" + streets, roads, highways, like "I live on Maple Street".
• "At" + address, like "I live at 123 Maple Street".

Transportation Prepositions

• "On": for transportation where movement is possible, like "on a bus," "on a train," "on a plane".
• "In": for enclosed transportation, like "in a car," "in a limousine".
• "On a boat": for large boats, like a ship.
• "In a boat": small boats like rowboats or canoes.