The theme of this article will be English prepositions, in particular, indicating a place in space. How important this part of the speech is, where and how it is used, what varieties and nuances of using prepositions exist - you can learn about all this.
What are they needed for
Prepositions in English (prepositions in English) - these are service words that allow you to connect the components of the sentence and make its meaning more accurate, specific.
Prepositions are made before various parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, adjectives and even before gerund. The word that follows the preposition is called the complement to it. There can be several such additions in a sentence with respect to one preposition. For instance:
There is a small table between a sofa and a bookcase - There is a table between the sofa and the bookcase.
In this article, the prepositions of the place (English) will be examined in detail. The exercises for memorizing such grammatical material are usually based on filling in the gaps or choosing the appropriate option from two or three proposed. In general, this topic is not difficult, if you pay as much attention to practice. In the process of doing the exercises, all the prepositions, their use and translation into Russian will be gradually remembered. Now consider this topic in more detail.
Varieties
The prepositions of the place in the English language can be divided into different groups. These are synonymous and antonymic (they will be discussed later in the article), as well as simple, complex and compound.
Simple prepositions are those that consist of one part. Examples: in, on, at, off.
Complicated prepositions of a place in the English language are formed by means of a compounding. They consist of several parts merged with each other. Examples: between, above, beside, round.
Compound prepositions are those that consist of two or three separate words. Example: in front of.
Further we will learn in more detail what prepositions indicating the location are and how to translate them into Russian.
Place prepositions in English: table
Pretext | Translation (s) | Example |
above | above | The picture is hanging above the desk. - Karina is hanging over the table. |
across | across; on the other side | There is a shop across the street. “There's a store on the other side of the street.” |
against | opposite | There is a shop against my house. - Opposite my house is a store. |
among | among; between | Can you find me on the photo among other people? “Can you find me in the photograph among other people?” |
at | near, near; in, on | He is standing at the wall. - He is standing against the wall. |
before | before | There is a coffee table before the sofa. “There is a coffee table in front of the sofa .” |
behind | behind | She is sitting behind me. “She's sitting behind me.” |
below | down below | I'm on a plane and see clouds below. “I'm flying on a plane and see clouds below.” |
beside | nearby, about | Don’t worry, I'm beside you. - Don’t worry, I’m next to you. |
beyond | behind; on the other side | It's beyond my understanding. “This is beyond my comprehension.” |
by | near | There is my house by the river. - Here is my house by the river. |
down | down below | I live down the street. “I live down the street.” |
in | in, on | Put your books in the bag. - Put the books in your bag. |
in front of | in front of | I see the shop in front of me. - I see a store in front of me. |
inside | inside | What is inside your pocket? - What is in your pocket? |
near | nearby, about | I stand near the pool. “I'm standing by the pool.” |
next to | nearby (in a row) | My room is next to yours. “My room is next to (next) yours.” |
on | on the | The cat is on the chair. - A cat on a chair. |
outside | outside | It's cold outside. - It’s cold outside. |
over | above | Birds are flying over the field. - Birds fly over the field. |
round | around | There are chairs round the table. “There are chairs around the table.” |
under | under | The dog is under the bed. - The dog is under the bed. |
up | up | The castle is up the hill. - Castle on the hill |
Sustainable Combinations
Some English prepositions of the place are used in conjunction with certain words. For instance:
- in the street - on the street;
- at the table - at the table;
- in the sun - in the sun;
- at home - at home;
- at work - at work;
- at school - at school.
You may notice that in the last three cases articles are not used. These options are already entrenched in the language. In addition, when referring to a place, the preposition at is usually used. The exception is situations when it means just the room, and not its purpose. Compare:
I study at school. - I'm in school.
There is a big staircase in school. - There is a large staircase in the school (school building).
Synonymous prepositions
The prepositions of a place in the English language may be synonymous with each other. You probably already noticed some of them in the table.
There are several ways to say “near”:
The value "opposite" can be expressed:
- in front of;
- against;
- across.
The meaning "inside" have the prepositions:
The use of these synonyms depends on the context of the situation and the word (addition) to which the service part of speech refers.
Antonymic prepositions
The prepositions of a place in the English language can also express opposite meanings. Such words are very convenient to remember in pairs:
- before - behind (ahead - behind);
- in front of - beyond (before - for);
- above - below (above, above - below, below);
- over - under;
- up - down (above - below);
- inside - outside (inside - outside).
Features of the use of prepositions
1. The preposition in means being in a limited space:
- in my room - in my room;
- in your bag - in your bag.
Also used to indicate a location in a geographic region, country, city or street:
- in Europe;
- in Scotland;
- in Paris;
- in Green Street.
2. The preposition on indicates that the object is on a horizontal surface:
- on the floor - on the floor;
- on the desk - on the desk.
There may be stable combinations, for example:
The preposition on is also used to indicate the parties:
- on the right - on the right;
- on the left - on the left.
3. The preposition at may mean being next to another object:
- at the door - at the door;
- at the table - at the table.
It may also mean being in the room where a certain action is performed, in a small village or at a specific address:
- at the cinema - in the cinema;
- at Makeevka - in Makeevka;
- at 27 Green Street - 27 Green Street.
In british and american english
Geographic and cultural differences leave their mark on the English language. Grammar (prepositions of a place and a direction, auxiliary verbs and generally the principles of constructing sentences) may vary somewhat depending on whether this is British or American. Here are a few examples of such differences:
- round (brit.) - around (amer.);
- at school / college / university / church (British and American) - in school / college / university / church (American only);
- in the street (British) - on the street (Amer.).
Remember that merely memorizing prepositions does not produce a tangible result. It is necessary to constantly practice the use of these parts of speech, using grammar exercises, multimedia resources and the use of what has been learned in speech (answers to questions, composing dialogs, etc.).