Academia Fran Cambridge English Language Exam Preperation Centre
 

Prepositions of place

in / inside
The bird is in/inside the cage
in / into
She's jumping in/into the water
out of
He's getting out of the car
outside
They're waiting outside the bank
on
The jug is on the table
on top of
The case is on top of the wardrobe.
on / onto
She's putting her luggage on/onto the trolley
off
He's falling off the horse
at
She's at the bus stop
by / beside
The table is by/beside the bed
next to
She's sitting next to Joe
near
Wilmslow is near Manchester
to
The coach is going to London
from
The letter is from Chicago
towards
He's walking towards the sun
away from
He's running away from the fire
over
The bridge is over the river
under
He's under the car
above
The plane is above the clouds
below
The temperature is below zero
in front of
The cyclist is in front of the bus
behind
The cyclist is behind the tractor
up
He's going up the stairs
down
He's going down the stairs
across
She's running across the road
through
The cars are going through the tunnel
along
He's walking along the street
past
The car is going past the house
among
The house is among the trees
between
The woman is between the two men
opposite
She's sitting opposite Joe
around / round
They're running around/round the track

Most of these prepositions can express either position or movement.

Position: The coin is under the table.
Movement: The coin rolled under the table.

Into and onto express movement. In and on usually express position, but they can express movement, especially in informal English:

My father came in/into the room.
The book fell on/onto the floor.

At expresses position, and to expresses movement:

Harry was at the doctor's.
Harry went to the doctor's.