Unit 5 - Prepositions of Place
Prepositions of Place
Unit 5 Dialogues - Directions and Addresses
1.
Excuse me, where is the post office?
Go straight, and it's next to the bank.
Thankyou!
2.
What's your address?
I live at 34, East 39th Street, New York.
And what's your zip code?
My zipcode is NY 10061-2134
Thankyou.
3.
Hi Sylvia, where's the fruit juice?
It's in the refrigerator!
No, it's not. It's not there.
Oh, sorry, it's in the cupboard next to the soda.
Thanks. And where is the cereal?
Um, on the shelf, I think.
Great! Let's have some breakfast!
4.
Where do you work?
I work in a bank, I'm a secretary. How about you?
I'm a shop assistant. I work at the local store.
Where's that?
It's the yellow building on Green Street, next to the clothes store.
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Key Vocabulary
|
excuse me |
cupboard |
Unit 5 Grammar
GrammarPrepositions show relationships between things. For example: "The lamp is on the table" contains the preposition "on". This word shows the spatial relationship between the lamp, and the table.
The most common prepositions of place are: in, on, under, next to, in front of, behind, at.
Example sentences are:
- The dog is in the box.
- The cat is under the table.
- The man is next to the building.
At however
is a more abstract concept - it is used to refer
to a point in space, usually a point on a line.
See below for more explanation.
2. In, On, At
In is used to show somethng that surrounds or encloses us. For example:
- I sleep in my
bedroom.
- The desk is in the room.
In is also used for geographical areas such as cities and countries, for example: "I live in London" or "I live in England".
On is used to show something that is on a surface. For example:
- I sleep on my
bed.
- The paper is on the desk.
On is also used for street names, for example: "I live on Orchard Road".
At is used to show something that is at a particular point, often as part of a line. For example:
- He is at the bus
stop.
The bus stop is one point in a line of bus stops.
- John is at the bank.
John is at a particular place or point, the
bank. The bank is part of his journey and also
part of a street, both of which can be seen
as lines.
At is also used for complete addresses, for example: "I live at 22 Orchard Road, London, England."
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So why do we live "on a street" but "in a city"? And how can you know for sure when to use in, on, or at? It depends on the perspective of the speaker, and what is considered acceptable in English. These are questions that all English learners encounter and they cannot be completely answered through rote memorization or lists of rules. As your exposure to English grows you will gain enough experience to be able to decide for yourself which is correct. Simply keep trying to understand, and eventually you will.
Grammar Exercises
Exercise 1
Add one of the following prepositions: in, on, under, in front of, behind, at.
Example: He lives ______ Italy. - He lives in Italy.
1. He works
a bank.
A. on
B. at
C. under
2. The lamp
is
the table.
A. in
B. on
C. under
3. I sleep
my bedroom.
A. at
B. on
C. in
4. He lives
26, Rosewood Street.
A. in
B. at
C. on
5. She lives
a farm.
A. at
B. on
C. behind
6. The store
is
the library.
A. next to
B. on
C. in
7. The car
is
the house.
A. on
B. in front of
C. under
8. We eat
breakfast
home.
A. in
B. on
C. at
9. They
swim
the ocean.
A. in
B. on
C. next to
10. I live
Green Street.
A. at
B. on
C. under
Answers
1. = "at";2. = "on";
3. = "in";
4. = "at";
5. = "on";
6. = "next to";
7. = "in front of";
8. = "at";
9. = "in";
10. = "on";
Exercise 2
Unscramble these sentences.
Example: lives in he korea - He lives in Korea.
You must use proper punctuation where necessary.
1. my computer is my desk on
2. friend my is hospital in
3. books table on are the the
4. tigers in Africa live don't
5. you home at are?
6. cat the in front is of fire the
7. cookies are the plate on the
8. buy you food a supermarket in
9. next it is to the post office?
10. 32, Park Road, London, at lives he
Answers
1. = "My computer is on my desk.";2. = "My computer is on my desk.";
3. = "The books are on the table.";
4. = "Tigers don't live in Africa.";
5. = "Are you at home?";
6. = "The cat is in front of the fire.";
7. = "The cookies are on the plate.";
8. = "You buy food in a supermarket.";
9. = "Is it next to the post office?";
10. = "He lives at 32, Park Road, London.";