Pre-A1 Starter have got, there is and prepositions of place
Prepositions of place
Lesson goal. After this lesson you can say where something is: in, on, under, behind, next to, in front of, between.
When to use it
- Describing where things are: The book is on the table.
- Giving directions: The bank is next to the school.
- Describing a picture: There is a cat under the chair.
Form
| Preposition | Example |
|---|---|
| in | The pen is in the bag. |
| on | The book is on the desk. |
| under | The ball is under the chair. |
| behind | The boy is behind the door. |
| next to | Lan sits next to Mai. |
| in front of | The car is in front of the house. |
| between | The shop is between the bank and the school. |
Step by step
- Picture the position: inside, on top, or underneath?
- Pick the preposition from the table.
- Write: subject + is/are + preposition + the + place.
- Read it back and check it matches the picture in your head.
in or on — two tricky pairs
| Talking about | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| photo, picture | in the picture | The person is inside the frame. |
| wall | on the wall | The photo is stuck on the surface of the wall. |
| fridge, school bag, box | in | The things are inside. |
| table, floor, bookshelf | on | The things are on a flat surface. |
Examples
My pen is in my pencil case.
The clock is on the wall.
The cat sleeps under the bed.
My house is next to the market.
There is a tree in front of my school.
The boy is behind the door.
Common mistakes
The boy is on the picture. → The boy is in the picture.
Vietnamese says 'on the photo', but English treats a picture as a space, so it takes in.
The picture is in the wall. → The picture is on the wall.
The picture is on the surface of the wall, not inside it.
My house is in front the school. → My house is in front of the school.
The phrase has three words: in front of. Dropping of is wrong.
Memory tip
Just ask one question: inside or on the surface? Inside → in. Surface → on. A picture counts as inside in English.
Summary
- in = inside · on = on the surface · under = below.
- behind · next to · in front of · between.
- in the picture but on the wall — the most common slip.
Practise this lesson
Do exercises with an explanation for every question, take mini tests and track your progress on GrammUp.