Prepositions of place, direction, movement

The family is sitting on a bench in the garden.

Grandpa is on the left and mum and dad are at the back. Grandma is in the middle, between the children. The dog is on the right.

Uses

Examples

in

An enclosed space

Towns, cities, states, countries, continents etc.

Other large areas

Roads

Pictures and documents

Some (smaller) forms of transport

in a box, a bag, a room, a cupboard, a cup

in Birmingham, Kent, California, Japan, Asia

in the countryside, a neighbourhood, a district, a park, a car park, a garden, the world

in a street, a road, an avenue, the High Street,

Bingley Road [UK]

in a picture, a photo, a painting, a report, an email, a contract, a newspaper, a magazine

in a car, a taxi, a helicopter, an open boat

on

A surface - horizontal or vertical

Transport and travel

Some locations

on the table, the wall, a shelf, a screen

on page 2, the front cover of the book, the menu

on a plate, a face, a head

on a bus, train, a boat, a ship, a bike, skis, a flight, a trip, a journey, a picnic, a bike ride, a break, holiday

on the left, the right, the side, the coast, the beach, the 2^nd floor

on an island, a farm, a college campus

on a road/street/avenue etc. [mainly US]

on a motorway, the High Street, Oxford Street [i.e. main roads]

on (the) top of

At the highest point of something tall or high

on top of a cupboard, wardrobe, a hill, a mountain

at

Some locations that are buildings

Some other locations

A point on a journey

An address

Positions  

at the cinema, the theatre, the pub, a restaurant, work, home, school, university

at the beach, the lake

at a junction, traffic lights, a corner, a bus stop

at 88 Bingley Road, 10 Downing Street

at the back, the front, the top, the bottom, the end

Uses

Examples

above

Higher than

Our plane is now above the clouds.

Let's put the shelf on this wall above the TV.

below

Lower than

When we looked out of the plane, the people below us seemed really small.

She had a cut on her leg, below the knee.

over 

Higher than

Our plane is now over the clouds.

Let's put the shelf on this wall over the TV.

under underneath beneath

Directly below

The cat's under the table.

The tunnel's beneath the road.

There's a cellar underneath the kitchen.

opposite

On the other side of something

I sat opposite James at the meeting.

The bank is opposite the station.

across 

On the other side of something

Where is the bank? It's across the road.

She sits across the room (from me.)

inside

An enclosed space  [similar to 'in' but it can emphasise a contrast with 'outside']

I'll meet you inside the hotel because it's raining.

Prices are lower if you sit inside the restaurant rather than on the terrace.

outside 

Not in an enclosed space but near to it

They're waiting for us outside the conference room.

The smoking area is just outside my office.

near

A short distance from

"Is the hotel near the station?"

"Yes, it's just a 5-minute walk away."

We live near the sea. [up to a few km away]

up   

down

Along or further along a road, river etc.

I live up/down this street. [from the current location]

We're staying in a hotel up/down the beach from here.

Note that in the examples above, 'up' or 'down' can be used with no difference in meaning.

next to 

beside 

alongside

by

Adjacent to, at the side of [closer than near]

We live next to the sea. [a few metres away - we can see it]

Let's put the chair beside the window.

I parked my car alongside yours.

Come and sit by me.

behind

At the back of

The car park is behind the shopping centre.

in front of 

Just ahead of or close to the front part of something

The shopping centre is in front of the car park.

There's a statue in front of the fountain.

around

round [mainly UK] 

1. On every side or in a circular way.

2. Just past a corner, after turning it

3. 'Near', in this area.

They sat around/round a table.

There are lots of restaurants around/round the square.

Where's the station; is it far?

No, it's around/round the next corner.

Is there a station around/round here?

among

amongst [mainly UK]

In a group or surrounded by other people or things

I sat among/amongst some Swedish people at the seminar.

We found an important document among some old files.

between 

Having something on each side

The bank is between a supermarket and a book shop.

My desk is between Harry's and Marie's.

beyond 

On the other side of

The river is beyond those trees.

within 

1. Inside an enclosed space or area

2. Not further than

With both meanings, there is a suggestion of a boundary.

The total number of offices within the building is thirty.

There are several gardens and cafés within the castle grounds.

There are lots of different shops within 2 miles of my house.

from

A point of origin

He lives in London now but he's from the north of England.

aboard 

On some vehicles

There are 210 passengers aboard this train.

On our holiday, we spent three days aboard a boat.

against 

'next to' and close enough to be in contact

The cupboard is against the wall.

He's allergic to cotton and can't have it against his skin.

There's one street lamp in front of my house and another one opposite my house.

Uses

Examples

onto

[also 'on to']

Resulting in being 'on'

They got onto the train. 

We loaded the goods onto the truck.

over

To go higher than

To cross something

We flew over the mountain.

We went over the river/the road/the bridge.

across

With a verb like 'go' to mean 'to cross'

We went across the river/the road/the bridge.

We walked across the square to get to the cathedral.

into

Resulting in being  'in'

Resulting in being in direct contact with something

They got into the car.

Put the files into that cabinet, please.

He wasn't concentrating and he walked into the door.

out of

Resulting in being 'out'

They got out of the car.

He threw it out of the window.

inside

Resulting in being in an enclosed space

Go inside the station and wait for me there; I won't be long.

outside

Resulting in being not 'in' but 'near' an enclosed space

He went outside the building to smoke.

through

Moving into one side and out of another

Moving around in or from one side to another

You need to go through this door and through two offices to get to the canteen.

We walked through the park/forest/market.

up

From a lower to a higher part of something

To go further

We walked up the hill and found a nice café.

We went up the street/road/river/beach.

down

From a lower to a higher part of something

To go further

The children ran down the hill/the stairs.

We went down the street/road/river/beach.

around

round [mostly UK]

To go to several places in an area

To go in an approximately circular direction

He travels around the world with his job.

Go round the next corner and you'll see the post office.

along

To move in a constant direction

We drove along the motorway for 40 miles.

I love walking along the beach at night.

past

To go further than something

You need to go past the bank and turn left.

from

Beginning a journey

We're coming from Heathrow.

I get home from work at 7.00.

to

Reaching a destination

Note that with the verb 'to arrive', we use 'at' or 'in':

They're getting a taxi to the airport and flying to Barcelona.

I go to bed at 11.00.

We arrived at the party/airport or in London/England etc.

towards [UK]

toward [US]

To go in the direction of [might not be destination]

Drive towards the town centre and turn left at the next traffic lights.

off  

To move down or away from

Get your feet off the table.

The dog fell off the bed.

via

To travel to on the way to somewhere else

They flew to Australia via India.

aboard

To board some vehicles

We climbed aboard the boat/plane/helicopter/London Eye.

against

In the opposite direction

Driving into London at night is easy because it's against the commuter traffic.