Prepositions of Place Grammar Quiz
12 multiple-choice questions on prepositions of place — in, on, at, under, between, behind, in front of and more — for describing where things are. A2–B1 level.
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Prepositions of Place — FAQ
Prepositions of place are small words that tell us where something is located in relation to something else. Common examples include in, on, at, under, over, above, below, between, among, behind, in front of, next to, beside, near and opposite. For instance, in 'the book is on the table', the word 'on' shows the position of the book. They usually come before a noun or pronoun and are essential for describing locations and giving directions.
We use 'in' for enclosed or three-dimensional spaces (in a room, in a box, in London, in a country). We use 'on' for surfaces or lines of contact (on the table, on the wall, on the floor, on a bus). We use 'at' for a specific point or location (at the bus stop, at the door, at the corner, at home). A useful way to picture it: 'in' is inside, 'on' is touching a surface, and 'at' is a single point on a map.
We use 'on' when something is touching or resting on a surface — on the table, on the floor, on the roof, on the wall, on the ceiling. We also use 'on' for things that follow a line, such as on the coast, on the river or on the road, and for public transport you stand or move about in, such as on the bus, on the train and on a plane. The key idea is contact with a surface or a line.
'Above' and 'below' describe a higher or lower position without necessarily being directly in line, and there is no contact (the picture is above the sofa; the temperature is below zero). 'Over' and 'under' often suggest something is directly higher or lower, and 'over' can imply covering or movement across (the plane flew over the city; the cat is under the table). In many everyday sentences these overlap, but 'under' is the most common opposite of 'on' for the space directly beneath something.
We use 'between' when something is in the middle of two clearly separate people or things — the bank is between the bakery and the chemist; she sat between her two friends. We use 'among' (sometimes 'amongst' in British English) when something is surrounded by a larger group or mass that we see as a whole — he was hiding among the trees; she felt safe among friends. So 'between' usually involves things we can count separately, while 'among' involves an indistinct group.
'In front of' means at the front of something or directly ahead of it (the car is parked in front of the house). 'Behind' is the opposite — at the back of something (the garden is behind the house). 'Opposite' means facing something across a space, such as a road or a table (the bank is opposite the station; she sat opposite me at dinner). Be careful: 'opposite' means facing you, while 'in front of' simply means ahead.
'Next to', 'beside' and 'by' all mean very close to the side of something, and in most situations they are interchangeable — the dog sat next to / beside / by its owner. 'Next to' is the most common in everyday speech, 'beside' can sound slightly more formal, and 'by' often suggests being right at the side of a place (a house by the sea, sit by the window). Note that 'besides' with an 's' has a different meaning: 'in addition to'.
Both are correct but they describe different things. We say 'in the corner' for the inside corner of a room, where two walls meet (the lamp is in the corner of the living room). We say 'at the corner' (or 'on the corner') for the outside corner of a street, where two roads meet (the shop is at the corner of the street; turn left at the corner). So 'in' is used inside a space, while 'at'/'on' is used for a point outdoors.
Prepositions are tricky because they rarely translate directly from one language to another, and English often uses different prepositions from a learner's mother tongue for the same situation. The differences between in, on and at can seem arbitrary, and some uses are simply fixed expressions you have to memorise (at home, in bed, on the left). The best approach is to learn prepositions inside whole phrases and example sentences rather than as isolated rules, and to practise them often.
Basic prepositions of place such as in, on, under and next to are introduced at A1–A2 (beginner to elementary) level, because they are needed for describing everyday objects and rooms. More subtle contrasts — such as between vs among, above vs over, and opposite vs in front of — are usually mastered at B1 (intermediate) level. This quiz focuses on the A2–B1 range, mixing everyday positions with a few trickier choices.