Level: beginner
We use prepositions to talk about where someone or something is:
| above | among | at | behind | below | beneath |
| beside | between | by | in | in between | inside |
| near | next to | on | opposite | outside | over |
| round | through | under | underneath |
He was standing by the table.
She lives in a village near Glasgow.
You'll find it in the cupboard.
- Adverbials of location 1
We use phrases with of as prepositions:
| at the back of | at the top of | at the bottom of | at the end of |
| on top of | at the front of | in front of | in the middle of |
There were some flowers in the middle of the table.
Sign your name here – at the bottom of the page.
I can't see. You're standing in front of me.
We can use right as an intensifier with some of these adverbials:
He was standing right next to the table.
There were some flowers right in the middle of the table.
There's a wood right behind our house.
- Adverbials of location 2
- Adverbials of location 3
We also use adverbs for location:
| abroad | here | indoors | upstairs |
| overseas | there | outdoors | downstairs |
| away | round | out of doors | home |
| nearby | around | next door |
Children love to play out of doors.
Did you see anybody there?
We have one bedroom downstairs.
Don't leave things lying around.
Average
I‘d be glad if you could help me.
The sentence I’m struggling with is:
At the bottom of the cartoon is a house.
Is is better to write:
At the bottom of the cartoon there is a house.
Can I leave out the “there“ or would that be wrong?
Thanks a lot.
Hello giesspott,
Yes, it's fine to omit 'there'.
This is an example of inversion in a sentence beginning with a prepositional phrase. It's not uncommon in narratives as it can serve to create a expectation and interest:
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team