Purpose
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to correctly use the most common English prepositions of place to describe location.
Lesson Explanation
Prepositions of place describe where something is located, and each one has a genuinely distinct meaning:
in — inside something: The key is in the bag. on — touching a surface: The book is on the table. under — below something: The cat is under the bed. next to — beside something: The chair is next to the door. between — in the middle of two things: The park is between the school and the store.
A common mistake is confusing in and on: in means genuinely inside (like inside a box), while on means resting on top of a surface (like on a table). These describe different physical relationships, not interchangeable words.
Practice Questions
1. Complete: “The pen is ___ the drawer.” (inside it)
View Answer
in
2. Complete: “The lamp is ___ the desk.” (resting on its surface)
View Answer
on
3. Complete: “The shoes are ___ the bed.” (below it)
View Answer
under
4. Complete: “The chair is ___ the door.” (beside it)
View Answer
next to
5. Complete: “The park is ___ the school and the store.” (in the middle of both)
View Answer
between
6. What does “in” mean?
View Answer
Inside something.
7. What does “on” mean?
View Answer
Touching a surface, resting on top.
8. Correct or incorrect: “in” and “on” can be used interchangeably.
View Answer
Incorrect — they describe different physical relationships.
9. Complete: “The cat is ___ the box.” (inside it)
View Answer
in
10. Complete: “The phone is ___ the table.” (on its surface)
View Answer
on
11. What does “between” describe?
View Answer
Being in the middle of two things.
12. What does “under” mean?
View Answer
Below something.