Hello and welcome to another Grappling Grammar post, in this instalment we will be talking about how to correctly use the prepositions of place. Prepositions of place play a crucial role in English grammar, helping us describe the location of objects, people, and places in relation to one another. Whether it’s indicating position, direction, or movement, these little words hold significant importance in conveying precise meaning. In this blog post, we’ll explore the various prepositions of place in English and how to use them effectively in everyday communication.
Prepositions of Location:
Prepositions such as “in,” “on,” and “at” are commonly used to describe the location of objects or people in relation to larger areas or specific points.
- “In” (en/dentro) is used when something is enclosed or surrounded by something else. For example, “The cat is in the box.” (El gato está dentro de la caja)
- “On” (sobre) is used when something is in contact with a surface. For example, “The book is on the table.” (El libro está sobre la mesa)
- “At” (en) is used to denote a specific point or place. For example, “She is waiting at the bus stop.” (ella está esperando en la parada del autobús)
Prepositions of Direction:
Prepositions like “to,” “from,” and “towards” are used to indicate movement or direction towards or away from a particular point.
- “To” (a) is used to indicate movement towards a destination. For example, “He is walking to the park.” (Él está andando al parque)
- “From” (desde) is used to indicate movement away from a starting point. For example, “She is travelling from London to Paris.” (Ella está viajando desde Londres hasta París.)
- “Towards” (hacia) is used to indicate movement in the direction of something. For example, “The dog is running towards the ball.” (El perro está corriendo hacia la pelota.)
Prepositions of Distance:
Prepositions like “near,” “far,” and “between” are used to describe the distance between objects or places.
- “Near” (cerca) is used to indicate proximity or closeness. For example, “The store is near the post office.” (La tienda está cerca de la oficina de correos.)
- “Far” (lejos) is used to indicate distance or remoteness. For example, “The mountains are far from the city.” (Las montañas están lejos de la ciudad.)
- “Between” (entre) is used to indicate the position of something in relation to two or more other things. For example, “The park is between the library and the school.” (El parque está entre la biblioteca y la escuela.)
I hope that this post has cleared up any doubts that you might have had about the use of some of the prepositions of time. If you want to continue practising and test your knowledge don’t forget to check out the PDF worksheet of this blog post here!