Prepositions of place

A preposition of place is a word which helps to describe where something or somebody is. A preposition of place describes the location of something.

There are many prepositions of place in the English language and each of them has several uses.

In this lesson, we will study 3 prepositions of place:

• at
• in
• on

at

Specific point or place

We can use “at” to describe a very specific point or place. Examples:

There is a dog at the top of the steps

There is a woman at the bottom of the steps.

The postman is at the door.

There is a supermarket at the end of the street

Events

We use the preposition “at” to describe being present at an event. Examples:

I was at a party last night.

Where is David?
He is at a concert

We stopped at a small village.
The train from Manchester to London stops at Birmingham

in

Enclosed space / a large place with boundaries

We use the preposition “in” for an enclosed space or a place which is surrounded by boundaries. Examples:

The dog is in the garden

I have an apple in my bag.
David’s car is in the car park.
Let’s go for a walk in the forest

Towns or cities

A very common use of the preposition “in” is for towns and cities. In english, we do NOT use “at” for towns and cities:

I was born in Manchester. 
Jane lives in London. 
Jane lives at London. 

Where is Mark?
He’s in Birmingham today

on

For a surface

The preposition “on” is often used to describe a surface. Examples:

There’s a clock on the wal

What’s that on the ceiling?
There’s a bag on the floor.
My books are on the table

Attached to

If something is physically attached or joined to something else, then we use the preposition “on”. Example:

She is wearing a ring on her finger

Close to a river

If something is directly next to a river, then we use the preposition “on”:

London is on the River Thames

My house is on the River Avon

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