Prepositions of Place

You already know words like in, on, under, and beside that tell us where things are. Now you will learn more ways to say where things are and use these words in new places.

What You'll Learn

How to use new prepositions of place: in front of, opposite, inside, outside, and around
How to use the prepositions you already know (in, on, at, under, behind, beside, between) in more situations
How to pick the best preposition when more than one seems right

When to Use

To say what is facing something: "The garden is in front of the house."
To say what is on the other side: "The bookshop is opposite the library."
To be exact about inside or outside: "Stay inside the classroom." "The children are playing outside the hall."
To say what is all round something: "There is a fence around the playground."

How to Form

Put the preposition after the verb and before the place, just like the prepositions you already know.

New Prepositions

Preposition	What it means	Example
in front of	facing the front of something	The taxi is in front of the school.
opposite	on the other side, facing it	The clinic is opposite the MRT station.
inside	in (but stronger — fully within)	The hamster is inside its cage.
outside	not in, on the outer side	Please wait outside the room.
around	on all sides of something	The children sat around the table.

Prepositions You Already Know — In New Contexts

Preposition	New context	Example
in	streets, towns, countries	Grandma lives in Tampines.
on	floors of a building	The library is on the third floor.
at	events and activities	We met at the school concert.
by	next to (for larger places)	Our flat is by the park.
behind	hiding or out of sight	The ball rolled behind the cupboard.
between	choosing from two	The playground is between Block 10 and Block 12.

Key Rules

"In front of" is three words: Always write all three words together. "The bus stop is in front of the HDB block." Do not write "infront" as one word.
"In front of" is the opposite of "behind": If the cat is in front of the box, it is facing the front. If the cat is behind the box, it is at the back.
"Opposite" means facing, across from: Two things that are opposite each other face each other. "The hawker centre is opposite the market."
"Inside" vs "in": Both mean within something, but inside shows that something is fully enclosed. "The present is inside the wrapper." You can often use either word.

Common Mistakes

Wrong	Right	Why
The shop is infront of the bank.	The shop is in front of the bank.	"In front of" is three separate words
She is in front the door.	She is in front of the door.	You need "of" — say "in front of"
The school is opposite of the park.	The school is opposite the park.	"Opposite" does not need "of" after it
The ball is in outside the box.	The ball is outside the box.	Use only one preposition — not "in" and "outside" together

Clue Words

Use "in front of" when you see:

facing, at the front, before (a place)

Use "opposite" when you see:

across from, facing each other, other side

Use "inside" or "outside" when you see:

within, enclosed, indoors / outdoors, out of

Use "around" when you see:

all sides, surrounding, circling

Tip: Think of "in front of" and "behind" as a pair. If you can say "behind", the opposite is "in front of". Think of "inside" and "outside" as a pair too.

Practice Tips

Pair game: Prepositions of place often come in pairs of opposites. Practise matching them: in front of / behind, inside / outside, on / under. If you know one, you know the other!
Describe your classroom: Look around your classroom and write five sentences using the new prepositions. For example: "The whiteboard is in front of the class." "The bookshelf is opposite the door."
Walk and talk: When you walk to school or to the shops, try saying where things are. "The playground is around the corner." "The bus stop is opposite the library."

Quick Reference

I want to say...	Preposition	Example
Facing the front of something	in front of	The car is in front of the house.
At the back of something	behind	The garden is behind the house.
On the other side, facing it	opposite	The shop is opposite the clinic.
Fully within something	inside	The toys are inside the cupboard.
Not within, on the outer side	outside	We played outside the hall.
On all sides of something	around	There are trees around the pond.
Within a town or country	in	My cousin lives in Jurong.
On a floor of a building	on	The canteen is on the first floor.
At a place or event	at	I will see you at the parade.

Prepositions of Place (P2) (Primary 2)