The topic of this article will be English prepositions, in particular, indicating a place in space. How important this part of speech is, where and how it is used, what varieties and nuances of using prepositions exist - you can find out about all this.
Why are they needed
Prepositions in English are functional words that allow you to connect the components of a sentence and make its meaning more precise and specific.
Prepositions are placed before various parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, adjectives and even gerunds. The word that follows the preposition is called the complement to it. There may be several such additions in a sentence in relation to one preposition. For example:
There is a small table between a sofa and a bookcase
This article will analyze in detail the prepositions of place (English). Exercises for memorizing such grammatical material are usually based on filling in gaps or choosing the appropriate option from twothree proposed. In general, this topic is not difficult, if you pay enough attention to practice. In the process of doing the exercises, all prepositions, their use and translation into Russian will be gradually remembered. Now let's take a closer look at this topic.
Varieties
Prepositions of place in English can be divided into different groups. These are synonymous and antonymous (they will be discussed later in the article), as well as simple, complex and compound.
Simple prepositions are those that consist of one part. Examples: in, on, at, off.
Complex prepositions of place in English are formed by compounding. They consist of several parts merged with each other. Examples: between, above, beside, round.
Compound prepositions are those that consist of two or three separate words. Example: in front of.
Next, we will learn more about what prepositions indicate the location and how to translate them into Russian.
Prepositions of place in English: table
| Preposition | Translation(s) | Example |
| above | over | The picture is hanging above the desk. − Karina is hanging over the table. |
| across |
across; on the other side |
There is a shop across the street. − There is a store across the street. |
| against | opposite | There is a shop against my house. − There is a shop in front of my house. |
| among | among; between | Can you find me on the photo among other people? − Can you find me in the photo among other people? |
| at | at, near, about; in, on | He is standing at the wall. − He is standing against the wall. |
| before | before | There is a coffee table before the sofa. − There is a coffee table in front of the sofa. |
| behind | behind | She is sitting behind me. − She is sitting behind me. |
| below | bottom | I'm on a plane and see clouds below. − I'm on a plane and I see clouds below. |
| beside | near, around | Don't worry, I'm beside you. "Don't worry, I'm by your side. |
| beyond | for; on the other side | It's beyond my understanding. − This is beyond my understanding. |
| by | at, near, next to | There is my house by the river. − This is my house by the river. |
| down | bottom | I livedown the street. − I live down the street. |
| in | in, on | Put your books in the bag. − Put the books in the bag. |
| in front of | front, front | I see the shop in front of me. − I can see a shop in front of me. |
| inside | inside |
What is inside your pocket? − What's in your pocket? |
| near | near, around | I stand near the pool. − I'm standing by the pool. |
| next to | near (in a row) | My room is next to yours. − My room is next to (next after) yours. |
| on | to | The cat is on the chair. − The cat is on the chair. |
| outside | outside | It's cold outside. − It is cold outside (outside). |
| over | over | Birds are flying over the field. − The birds are flying over the field. |
| round | around | There are chairs round the table. − There are chairs around the table. |
| under | under | The dog is under the bed. − The dog is under the bed. |
| up | top | The castle is up the hill. − Castle on the Hill |
Stable combinations
Some English prepositions of place are used in connection with certain words. For example:
- in the street
- at the table
- in the sun
- at home − at home;
- at work
- at school
You may notice that in the last three cases no articles are used. These options are already entrenched in the language. In addition, when referring to a place, the preposition at is usually used. The exception is situations when it is simply a room that is meant, and not its purpose. Compare:
I study at school. − I am in school.
There is a big staircase in school. − The school (school building) has a large staircase.
Synonymous prepositions
Prepositions of place in English can be synonymous with each other. You probably already noticed some of them in the table.
There are several ways to say "nearby":
- near;
- next to;
- beside.
The meaning of "opposite" can be expressed:
- in front of;
- against;
- across.
Meaning "inside" have prepositions:
- in;
- inside.
The use of these synonyms depends on the context of the situation and the word (complement) to which the service part of speech refers.
Antonymous prepositions
Prepositions of place in English can also express opposite meanings. Such words are very convenient to remember in pairs:
- before − behind (in front − behind);
- in front of − beyond (before − beyond);
- above - below (above, above - below, below);
- over − under (over − under);
- up − down (top − bottom);
- inside - outside (inside - outside).
Features of using prepositions
1. The preposition in means being in a limited space:
- in my room
- in your bag
Also used to indicate a location in a geographic region, country, city, or street:
- in Europe;
- in Scotland;
- in Paris;
- in Green Street.
2. The preposition on denotes the presence of an object on a horizontal surface:
- on the floor
- on the desk
There may be stable combinations, for example:
on page 5 − on page 5
Also, the preposition on is used to indicate sides:
- on the right;
- on the left.
3. The preposition at can mean being next to another object:
- at the door
- at the table
It can also mean being in a room where a certain action is performed, in a small village or at a specific address:
- at the cinema
- at Makeevka − in Makeevka;
- at 27 Green Street − at 27 Green Street.
In British and American English
Geographical and cultural differences leave their mark on the English language. Grammar (prepositions of place and direction, auxiliary verbs, and generally the principles of constructing sentences) may vary somewhat depending on whether this language is British or American. Here are some examples of such differences:
- round (Brit.) − around (Amer.);
- at school/college/university/church (British and Amer.) − in school/college/university/church (Amer. only);
- in the street (UK) − on the street (Amer.).
Remember that one mechanical memorization of prepositions does not give a tangible result. You need to constantly practice using these parts of speech, using grammar exercises, multimedia resources and using what you have learned in speech (answering questions, making dialogues, etc.) for this.
