Prepositions of Place

Table of Contents

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2 QUICK AND HANDY GR AMMAR REVIEW
Prepositions of Place

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4 EXERCISE 1: Matchup

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Write the letter of the picture that matches the preposition of place.

5 EXERCISE 2: In the Kitchen

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Look at the picture and choose the best preposition.

7 EXERCISE 3: In the Living Room

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Choose the best preposition for each sentence.
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8 EXERCISE 4: Pair Work
Draw your own living room and describe it to your partner.
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10 EXERCISE 5: Writing
Write two sentences for each picture.
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11 EXERCISE 6: Class Survey

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Ask and answer the questions.

12 ANSWER KEY
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Quick and Handy Grammar Review
INTRODUCTION TO PREPOSITIONS

Prepositions are short words that show time, place, direction, etc.
Some examples of prepositions are at, on, in, to, from, above, under,
of, and between. In this lesson, we will study prepositions of place.

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A. Common Prepositions of Place

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in on
The fruit is in the bowl. The owl is on the branch.

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next to / beside near
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The movie tickets are The pencil is
next to the popcorn. near the eraser.
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above under
The painting is The shoes are
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above the sofa. under the table.

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between
across from
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The apple is between

The fridge is
the strawberry and
across from the stove.
the banana.

in front of behind
The girl is The teacher is
in front of the boy. behind the desk.

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Quick and Handy Grammar Review cont.
B. Common Sentence Patterns for Prepositions of Place

There are two common sentence patterns

that we use with prepositions of place.

1. The + noun + verb + preposition + the + noun.

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• The cookie is on the plate. (singular)
• The strawberries are on the plate. (plural)

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2. There + is + (a) + noun + preposition + the + noun.

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• There is a cup of coffee on the table. (singular)
• There are bananas on the table. (plural)

C. Prepositions of Place with Similar Meanings

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Some prepositions have similar meanings.
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1. N
 ext to and beside 2. O
 n, above, and over 3. U
 nder, beneath, and below
have the same meaning. have similar meanings. have similar meanings.
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• The sunglasses are Use on when the two nouns • The cat is under the bed.
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next to the sunscreen. are touching and above when

• The cat is beneath the bed.
they aren’t. Use over when
• The sunglasses are
there is movement. • The cat is below the bed.
beside the sunscreen.
• The boat is on the water.

• The light is above the table.

• The plane flew over

the Eiffel Tower.
Exercise 1
MATCHUP

Write the letter of the picture that matches the preposition of place.

e 1. near

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2. in

3. under g

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4. behind

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5. on

6. across from
a

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7. above

8. next to
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9. in front of
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10. between
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c h
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b d
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e f
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Exercise 2
IN THE KITCHEN

A. Look at the Picture

Look at the picture of the kitchen below. Then answer the questions on the next page.

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Exercise 2 cont.
B. Choose the Best Preposition C. Write Sentences

Look at the picture of the kitchen in Part A. Look at the picture of the kitchen
Then choose the best preposition for each sentence. in Part A. Now write two more
sentences. Use a preposition of
1. The stove is the toaster. 6. The dishes are place in each sentence.

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the cabinet.
a) above
1.
b) near a) in

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c) behind b) on
d) on c) across from

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d) behind
2. The pot is the pan.

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7. The kettle is the
a) in front of
microwave and the fridge. 2.
b) in ap
c) behind a) across from
d) on b) between
c) next to
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3. The kettle is d) beside
the microwave.
8. The fridge is the stove.
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a) across from
b) above a) beside
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c) under b) behind
d) next to c) next to
d) across from
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4. The pot is the stove.

9. The toaster is the stove.
a) in
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b) above a) on
c) on b) above
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d) under c) beside
d) across from
5. The cabinets are
the sink. 10. The sink is the cabinets.

a) under a) in front of
b) between b) behind
c) behind c) under
d) on d) above
Exercise 3
Prepositions
IN THE LIVING ROOM
• in • under
• on • between
Choose the preposition from the box that matches
• next to • in front of
each picture. Use each preposition only once. • above • behind

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1. There is a cat under the coffee table. 5. There is a dog the sofa.

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2. There is a couch the recliner. 6. T

 here is a remote control
the stereo cabinet.
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3. There is a painting the sofa. 7.  here is an end table

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the sofa and the recliner.

4. There is a stereo the recliner. 8. There is a coffee table the sofa.

Exercise 4
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PAIR WORK sofa recliner

A. My Living Room

Draw the objects to the right coffee table remote TV stereo

control
in the empty square. When

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you’re finished drawing your
living room, describe it to
your partner. (See Part B.)

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lamp cat dog painting end table

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Exercise 4 cont.
B. My Partner’s Living Room

Listen as your partner describes his/her living room, and draw

the objects to match the description in the empty box below.

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C. Compare Drawings

Compare your Part B drawing with your partner’s

Part A drawing. Do your drawings match?
Exercise 5
WRITING

Write two sentences for each picture. Use a preposition in every sentence.
The second sentence must begin with There is or There are.

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1. The books are under the TV. 5.

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There are books under the TV.
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2. 6.
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3. 7.
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4. 8.
Exercise 6
CLASS SURVEY

Ask your classmates these questions. Write their answers in

the boxes below. Try to talk to a different classmate for each
question. Practice using prepositions of place in your answers.

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# Question Classmate’s Name Answer

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Is there a clock in your
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classroom? Where is it?

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Where do you put
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your books at school?

Where do you put

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3
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your books at home?
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Do you have a cell phone?
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Where is it?
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What’s in your
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backpack/bag/purse?
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Do you have any paintings

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on your walls at home?

How many pillows

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are on your bed?
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Do you have a nightstand

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beside your bed? What’s on it?

How many pairs of

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shoes are in your closet?

10 What’s in your fridge?

Answer Key
Exercise 1 Exercise 5

1. e 3. a 5. j 7. c 9. g Answers may vary. Help your students

2. i 4. b 6. f 8. h 10. d with any vocabulary they are unfamiliar with.

1. The books are under the TV. There are books under the TV.
Exercise 2

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2. The sushi is on the plate. There is sushi on the plate.
3. The apple is between the bananas.
B. CHOOSE THE BEST PREPOSITION
There is an apple between the bananas.

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1. b 3. d 5. a 7. b 9. c 4. The palm tree is next to / beside / near the pine tree.

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2. a 4. c 6. a 8. d 10. d There is a palm tree next to / beside / near the pine tree.
5. The painting is above the bed.

C. WRITE SENTENCES There is a painting above the bed.

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6. The fruit is in the bowl. There is fruit in the bowl.
Answers will vary. 7. The stove is across from the fridge.
There is a stove across from the fridge.
Exercise 3
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8. The shoes are on the floor / in front of the couch.
There are shoes on the floor / in front of the couch.
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1. under 4. behind 7. between
2. next to 5. on 8. in front of
3. above 6. in
Exercise 6
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Answers will vary.

Exercise 4
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SPELLING NOTE:
Answers will vary. Monitor students for correct preposition
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usage when they explain their drawings to their partners. This lesson shows the American spelling of the word Practice.
Other English-speaking countries spell it this way: Practise
(when used as a verb; Practice when used as a noun).
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Make it a challenge for your students to find this word

in the lesson and see if they know the alternate spelling.
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