eng5-5.2· Unit 5: Words & Questions· ~13 min

Prepositions of place

in, on, under, behind, next to.

Prepositions of place tell us where something or someone is. The most common ones at this level are: in (inside something — 'The pencil is in the bag'), on (on a surface — 'The book is on the desk'), under (below something — 'The cat is under the chair'), behind (at the back of something — 'The ball is behind the door'), in front of (facing the front of something — 'The dog is in front of the house'), next to (very close beside something — 'The lamp is next to the window'), and between (with one thing on each side — 'The cup is between the plate and the fork'). These words almost always come before a noun phrase: preposition + article/determiner + noun ('on the table', 'in a box', 'next to my bag'). A very common sentence pattern is: subject + verb to be + preposition + place ('The pen is on the table'). For example: 'The red book is between the pencil and the ruler on the desk.'

Key terms

preposition of place — A small word that tells us where something or someone is (in, on, under, behind, next to, between, in front of).
in — Inside a container or enclosed space: 'The pen is in the bag.'
on — On top of a surface: 'The cup is on the table.'
between — In the middle of two things, one on each side: 'The cat is between the two chairs.'
in front of — Facing the front of something: 'The teacher is in front of the class.'
behind — At the back of something: 'The ball is behind the door.'
Prepositions of place — meaning and example
PrepositionMeaningExample sentence
ininside a container or enclosed spaceThe pencil is in the bag.
onon top of a surfaceThe book is on the desk.
underbelow somethingThe cat is under the chair.
behindat the back of somethingThe ball is behind the door.
in front offacing the front of somethingThe dog is in front of the house.
next todirectly beside somethingThe lamp is next to the window.
betweenin the middle of two thingsThe cup is between the plate and the fork.

Learn each preposition with its meaning and a simple example.

Sentence pattern: subject + to be + preposition + place
Subjectto bePreposition + placeFull sentence
The catisin the boxThe cat is in the box.
The booksareon the shelfThe books are on the shelf.
The shoesareunder the bedThe shoes are under the bed.
The bagisbehind the doorThe bag is behind the door.
The teacherisin front of the classThe teacher is in front of the class.
The lampisnext to the windowThe lamp is next to the window.
The penisbetween the book and the rulerThe pen is between the book and the ruler.

Use this pattern: subject + is/are + preposition + article/determiner + noun.

in vs on vs under — common traps
WrongWhy it is wrongCorrect
The apple is in the plate.A plate is a flat surface, not a container.The apple is on the plate.
The dog is in the table.You cannot put something inside a solid table.The dog is under the table.
The cat is in the sofa.A sofa is a surface to sit on, not a container.The cat is on the sofa.
The keys are on the drawer.'On' means on top of the outside. Keys are stored inside.The keys are in the drawer.

These are the most common mistakes students make with in, on, and under.

✎How to choose between 'behind' and 'in front of'
  1. 1Step 1: picture the scene: Think about where the person or thing is. Sara is in the front row. Ali is directly behind her.
  2. 2Step 2: ask 'Can you see the face or the back?': Ali can see the back of Sara's head. That means Ali is BEHIND Sara.
  3. 3Step 3: use the correct preposition: Ali is sitting BEHIND Sara. Sara is sitting IN FRONT OF Ali.
  4. 4Result: Ali is sitting behind Sara.
✎How to use 'between' correctly
  1. 1Step 1: check — are there TWO things?: 'Between' always needs two separate things, one on each side. For example: the book and the ruler.
  2. 2Step 2: place the object in the middle: The pen is in the middle. The book is on the left. The ruler is on the right.
  3. 3Step 3: write the sentence: The pen is between the book and the ruler.
  4. 4Note: Do NOT use 'between' with only one object. Say 'next to the chair', not 'between the chair'.
💡Note

Always put the preposition BEFORE the noun phrase: 'in the bag', 'on the table', 'under the bed'. Never put it after: NOT 'the bag in'.

🚫Common mistake

Common mistake: 'The apple is in the plate.' A plate is a flat surface, not a container. The correct preposition is ON: 'The apple is on the plate.' Use IN only for enclosed containers (a bag, a box, a drawer, a vase).

🚫Common mistake

Common mistake: 'The cat is in the sofa.' A sofa is a surface you sit on, not a box. Say 'The cat is ON the sofa.' The same rule applies to chairs and beds.

⚠️Caution

'Between' always needs TWO things, one on each side: 'The pen is between the book and the ruler.' Do NOT say 'between the drawer' or 'between the chair' — one object is not enough for 'between'.

Rules

  1. 1Use 'in' when something is inside a container or enclosed space: 'The pen is in the bag'.
  2. 2Use 'on' when something is on top of a surface: 'The cup is on the table'.
  3. 3Use 'under' when something is directly below something else: 'The cat is under the bed'.
  4. 4Use 'behind' for something at the back, and 'in front of' for something at the front: 'The bag is behind the door'.
  5. 5Use 'next to' when two things are beside each other, and 'between' when something is in the middle of two things: 'The lamp is next to the window'; 'The cat is between the two chairs'.

Practice

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