What are prepositions of place in English grammar?

We use at to describe a specific location or point in space.

Imagine you’re looking at a map — when you point to something on the map, it is a specific location and we use at + the specific location to create a prepositional phrase:

• Can you meet me at the library?
• The concert is at the performing arts center.
• I’m at the beach. Where are you?

We also use at with addresses and intersections:

• My mom lives at 295 River Road.
• The taxi dropped me off at 83rd and Park.

Even though we think of at as a point, we often use it to describe places that have three-dimensions, such as a building. In these cases, we use at because we’re thinking of the location of the building, and not the building itself.

In a similar way, we sometimes use at with events because we are thinking of the event as a spot or point on a map:

• I’m speaking at a conference next week.
• Can you meet me at the party?

We use on to describe the position of something that is touching a surface or a line.

• A surface is something that is both long and wide and is usually flat, like the surface of a table, the surface of a road, or the surface of a planet.

  Here’s a picture of my desk. A desk is a surface - it is wide and long. So we can use on to describe something that is touching the desk:

  I usually keep my laptop on my desk.
  The lamp on my desk needs a new lightbulb.

  The wall is also a flat surface with length and width. So even though it is a vertical surface we can say:

  The pictures on the wall show my friends and family.

  

• Sometimes we use on for something that is “touching” a line as well:

  • He is walking on a tightrope.
  • The laundry is drying on the line.

  We often use on before streets and rivers. We are thinking of these as lines that a building, city, or other location can touch:

  • I live on Main Street.
  • London is on the Thames.
  • The Empire State Building is on W 34th Street.

We use on to discuss the type of vehicle that we use to travel somewhere because we are thinking of the vehicle as a surface that moves us from one place to another.

• on a bus
• on a plane
• on a boat
• on a skateboard
• on a horse
• on a bike

Communication networks (such as radio, TV, and phones) are a means of transporting information. The information uses them like a vehicle, therefore we use on with automated modes of communication:

• I talked on the phone.
• I saw it on TV.
• I heard it on the radio.
• My brother’s picture was on Facebook.
• I spent time on the internet.

However, we do not use on with physical media, like books, newspapers, or letters. Use in with all physical media or with versions of these that are now online (e.g. emails, articles, posts, etc.)

• ❌ I read it on a book.

  ✅ I read it in a book.
• ❌ My brother’s picture was on the newspaper.

  ✅ That was in the newspaper.
• ❌ I saw that on the email.

  ✅ I saw that in the email.

We use in to describe positions within enclosed spaces that typically have width, height, and depth.

• The children like to play in the garden.
• The key is in the top drawer.

Sometimes these are used for spaces that we view in our minds as having these qualities.

My brother’s picture was in the newspaper.

The newspaper does not have walls, but it is a contained collection of writing.

Did you know that we also view clothing as containers or enclosed spaces? Because we think of clothes this way, we use in to describe someone wearing certain clothes:

• I think you look best in the blue shirt.
• The woman in the black dress is on her phone.

There are many other prepositions of place that we can use to describe spatial relationships. Some are individual words, others are longer phrases that we use like prepositions.

In this section we’ll introduce how these words and phrases are used to describe spatial relationships, but remember that some of these prepositions can also have other meanings! Check out our post on prepositions in English to learn more!

One-word prepositions of place
above Translation: at a higher place, usually not touching the other object I hung the painting above my couch. My neighbor lives in the apartment above mine.
behind Translation: near the back side or far side of something The girl behind me in line is talking on her phone. The garbage cans are behind the house.
below Translation: in a lower position than something, usually not touching I walked through some bushes and got scratched below my knees. When it storms, the cat hides below the kitchen table.
beneath Translation: under something, usually touching or covered by it The dog was hiding beneath the blanket. When I go camping, I like to sleep beneath the stars.
beside Translation: at the side of something I usually keep a notebook beside my computer. The car beside mine is badly parked.
by Translation: near, usually on the same surface I put the keys by the phone. My house is by the train tracks.
near Translation: a relatively short distance from something I saw your dog near the school. I don’t like living near a college campus.
opposite Translation: placed face to face on both sides of a line or space The house opposite mine has a lovely garden. The two students constantly argued, so the teacher placed them at opposite sides of the room.
over Translation: at a higher place not touching or covering something I put the umbrella over my friend. Sam built a bridge over the creek by his house.
under Translation: at a lower position than something, sometimes covered by something During the summer, I store all my sweaters under the bed. My dog made a hole under the fence.

Phrases used as prepositions of place (= “compound prepositions”)
on top of Translation: at a higher position than something, always touching the item below it I usually keep my cereal boxes on top of the fridge. My dog likes to sit on top of the couch and look out the window.
in front of Translation: near the front of something I always stand in front of my brother in family photos because he is taller than me. There’s an apple tree in front of our house.
next to Translation: near the side of something My office building is next to the public library. Can you grab the keys? I think they’re next to the coffee maker.
close to Translation: a short distance from something I live close to the library. Johan was sitting close to Maria.
across from Translation: placed face to face on both sides of a line less formal than opposite I always stop at the coffee shop across from my office before work. My parents sit across from each other at the dinner table.
far from Translation: a long distance from something My brother chose a college far from home, so we don’t get to see him very often. We’ve been hiking for a few hours, but we’re still far from the end of the trail.