Prepositions of place and adjectival phrases

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Prepositions of place:next to, behind, across from, in front of, on the left, on the right, in the corner, in, on at, above, below, at the top, at the bottom, at the back, in the front. 

Adjectival phrases with prepositions: the girl next to the house/ the lake in the middle of the village/ the trees along the river

The notion of space may refer to the area around everything that exists, continuing in all directions -location or place (Cambridge Dictionary Online),‘ or to a period of time or duration (Merriam-Webster Online).‘

Prepositions and adjectival phrases indicate the position or location of an object. Selecting the appropriate preposition depends on the perception of the object. (Leech & Svartvik: 1975, p. 83).

Let’s take a look at the following video.

Read the following description and observe the painting. Pay attention to the words in bold.

Still life apples and a glass – by Paul Cezanne

There is a plate on the table.

The apples are on the plate.

The glass of wine is behind the apples

The knife is next to the plate.

The plate is between the glass of wine and

the knife.

The apples are in the middle of the table.

The previous short description emphasizes the position of the things on the painting. In other words, a preposition of place is a preposition that is used to refer to a place where something or someone is located. On the other hand, the adjective phrases with prepositions are also formed with prepositions but emphasize the position (e.g. the lake in the middle of the village). They answer the question ‘Where?’

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