Adverbials of location

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

GapFillDragAndDrop_MTU0OTU

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

GapFillDragAndDrop_MTU0OTY

Adverbials of location 3

GapFillTyping_MTU1MjQ

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
Average: 4 (10 votes)
Do you need to improve your English grammar?
Join thousands of learners from around the world who are improving their English grammar with our online courses.

Submitted by giesspott on Sat, 20/05/2023 - 16:00

Permalink

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:

Round the corner came a car.

On the table is a gun.

Beside the tree lies a body.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

Profile picture for user OlaIELTS

Submitted by OlaIELTS on Sat, 11/07/2020 - 03:09

Permalink
It's really helpful.