Prepositions
BasicCommon prepositions of place.
- Position prepositions: in, on, under, behind, in front of, next to, between.
- Time rule: in for months and seasons, on for days, at for clock times.
- Draw a picture of your room, then describe every position in English.
文體小知識：In, on, under, behind.
§Text Passage
1Let me tell you where everything is in my bedroom. My bed is next to the window. There is a small lamp on the desk, and my school bag is under the chair. My cat loves to sleep behind the door because it is warm there. Sometimes it hides under my bed too.
2The bookshelf is between the bed and the desk. In front of the bookshelf, there is a soft carpet. I keep my toys in a big box near the wardrobe. There is a poster on the wall above my bed. My clock is on the bedside table, near my pillow. Everything has its own place.
3When I do my homework, my cat sits on my knees and watches me. On Sundays, I tidy my room and put everything in the right place. My room is small, but it is cosy and full of love. My cat always follows me. Now you know my room very well. Can you draw a picture of it and show me where the cat is?
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
Let me tell you where everything is in my bedroom.
讓我告訴你我房間裡的東西放在哪裡。
My bed is next to the window.
我張床在窗旁邊。
There is a small lamp on the desk, and my school bag is under the chair.
書桌上有盞小燈，書包就在椅子下面。
My cat loves to sleep behind the door because it is warm there.
我的貓喜歡在門後面睡覺，因為那裡暖烘烘。
Sometimes it hides under my bed too.
有時牠還會躲在床底。
The bookshelf is between the bed and the desk.
書架在床同書桌之間。
In front of the bookshelf, there is a soft carpet.
書架前面有一塊好軟的地氈。
I keep my toys in a big box near the wardrobe.
我的玩具收在衣櫃附近一個大箱裡面。
There is a poster on the wall above my bed.
床頭上方的牆上有一張海報。
My clock is on the bedside table, near my pillow.
我的時鐘在床頭櫃上，靠近枕頭。
Everything has its own place.
每樣東西都有自己的位置。
When I do my homework, my cat sits on my knees and watches me.
我做功課的時候，我的貓會坐在我膝蓋上看著我。
On Sundays, I tidy my room and put everything in the right place.
逢星期日，我會整理房間，把東西放回原位。
My room is small, but it is cosy and full of love.
我的房間不大，但是好溫馨、充滿愛。
My cat always follows me.
我的貓常常跟著我。
Now you know my room very well.
現在你對我的房間好熟。
Can you draw a picture of it and show me where the cat is?
你可以畫一幅圖，告訴我那隻貓在哪裡嗎？
1Summary 重點摘要
Common prepositions of place.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Inside.
On top.
Below.
At back.
Beside.
In middle.
At front.
Close by.
3Step by step Steps
- PlaceThree basic prepositions show position: in means inside, as in in the box; on means on the surface, as in on the desk; under means below, as in under the chair. Example: The cat is under the table. Note the difference between in and on: in stresses being surrounded while on stresses touching the surface. For things in a tree, foreign objects take in the tree while things growing there take on the tree, as in apples on the tree — a classic contrast.
- DirectionMore position prepositions are behind, next to and between. Example: The bank is between the shop and the school. Behind is the opposite of in front of; next to means close beside and can also be beside; between must involve two objects joined by and, as in between A and B. When there are more than two, English uses among, but at primary level remember the pattern between A and B.
- FrontIn front of means before something, as in There is a tree in front of my house. It is the opposite of behind. Another phrase, in the front of, means the front part inside a space: in front of the bus is outside the bus, while in the front of the bus means the front seats inside. At primary level, focus on the pair in front of and behind, and learn each whole phrase as a single unit.
- PracticeQuestions and answers work best for practice: Where is the cat? On the mat. Example: Where is the ball? It is under the bed. A where question uses the verb be, and the answer can be a short preposition phrase or a full sentence with It is. Keep the reference consistent: if the question is about the cat, answer with It. Practise with real objects in the room and say each preposition aloud a few times to fix it in memory.
- Position words at a glanceOrganise the position words into one picture: in (inside), on (top), under (below), behind (at the back), in front of (at the front), next to (beside), between (in the middle of two). Example: The school bag is behind the door. A useful trick is to picture a desk: the pen is on the desk, the paper is in the drawer and the book is under the table. Linking each word to a picture works far better than memorising translations, and this is a practical vocabulary skill.
- Time prepositions in / on / atTime prepositions follow three rules: in goes with longer periods, as in in July, in summer and in 2026; on goes with specific days, as in on Monday and on 1 May; at goes with clock times and short moments, as in at eight o'clock and at noon. Example: We have a holiday on 1 July. Note that at night is a fixed phrase, unlike in the morning and in the afternoon, so learn it separately. The three words form layers from short to long: at, then on, then in; understanding the layers prevents confusion.
5Worked example Example
Question: How do we use prepositions to make the positions of things in a room clear?
- Step 1: Choose one thing as the centre of the description, for example the bed — My bed.
- Step 2: Say where it is, using next to plus a reference object — My bed is next to the window.
- Step 3: Add a second object, using on for contact with a surface — There is a small lamp on the desk.
- Step 4: Vary the prepositions with under and behind instead of repeating the same one — My school bag is under the chair. My cat sleeps behind the door.
- Step 5: Quiz each other with where questions and preposition answers to check real understanding — Where is the cat? It is behind the door.
- Answer: Sample answer: My bed is next to the window. There is a small lamp on the desk, and my school bag is under the chair. My cat loves to sleep behind the door.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1in?
Q2on?
Q3under?
Q4behind?
Q5next to?
Q6in front of?
8Recap Recap
- Position prepositions: in, on, under, behind, in front of, next to, between.
- Time rule: in for months and seasons, on for days, at for clock times.
- Draw a picture of your room, then describe every position in English.
- Ask position with Where is...? and answer with a preposition phrase.
- Next step: between A and B for the middle of two things.