English — Prepositions of place

The three core prepositions of place are at (a point), on (a surface or line) and in (an enclosed space): at the door, on the wall, in the room. A wider set describes exact position: above, below, over, under, in front of, behind, between, next to and opposite.

How it works

✓ Rule

Use at for a specific point (at the bus stop), on for contact with a surface or a line (on the table, on the wall), and in for something enclosed or with borders (in the box, in the garden). The positional prepositions then fix the exact relation: the lamp is above the desk, the shoes are under the bed, the shop is next to the bank, the school is opposite the park.

Examples

Common prepositions of place with meaning and example
Preposition	Meaning	Example
at	at a specific point	She is waiting at the door.
on	on a surface or line	The keys are on the table.
in	inside an enclosed space	The milk is in the fridge.
above / below	higher / lower, not touching	The clock is above the door; the shelf is below the window.
over / under	directly over / covered beneath	A lamp hangs over the table; the cat sleeps under the chair.
in front of / behind	ahead of / at the back of	The car is in front of the house; the garden is behind it.
between / among	between two / surrounded by many	The shop is between the bank and the café; she stood among the trees.
next to / opposite	right beside / facing across	The school is next to the library and opposite the park.

Good to know

⚠ Note

next to, beside and by all mean "at the side of" and are interchangeable: the chair next to / beside / by the window. Do not confuse beside (at the side of) with besides (in addition to). Also keep between (two clear items — between you and me) apart from among (part of a larger group — among friends).