Prepositions of Place - Between, Under, Opposite, Over, etc. — Explanation

See how to use prepositions of place like between, under, opposite, over and more to tell us where things are. Simple A1 grammar rules with examples!

Prepositions of Place - Between, Under, Opposite, Over, etc. Exercises

Prepositions of place tell us where something or somebody is. They show the place or position of people, objects or places.

Common Prepositions of Place

Preposition	Meaning	Example
in	inside something	The cat is in the box.
on	on the surface of something	The book is on the table.
under	below something	The shoes are under the bed.
next to	beside something	The school is next to the park.
between	in the middle of two things	The bank is between the post office and the shop.
behind	at the back of something	The garden is behind the house.
in front of	before or facing something	The car is in front of the building.
opposite	directly across from something	The café is opposite the library.
over	above something (not touching)	The lamp is over the table.
above	higher than something	The picture is above the sofa.
below	lower than something	The floor is below the balcony.

How to Use Them in Sentences

• The ball is under the chair.
• The bank is between the supermarket and the park.
• The picture is over the bed.
• The school is opposite the hospital.
• The cat is on the sofa.

Tip

Prepositions are usually followed by a noun or noun phrase.

Correct: The cat is under the table.

Incorrect: The cat is under.

Practice Idea

Look around your room and describe what you see:

• “The phone is on the desk.”
• “The window is next to the door.”
• “The chair is between the table and the bed.”

In summary:

Prepositions of Place Use in, on, under, between, opposite, over, etc. to say where something is.

Exercise 3

Fill in each gap with the correct preposition of place. You have to use all the prepositions from the table below.

above – behind – beside – between – in front of – next to – opposite – over – under