ENGLISH LOCATION WORDS
The speaker's location with reference to an item or other person, determines whether that item or person is "HERE" [meaning near the speaker] or "THERE" [meaning away from the speaker].
I approached the desk and saw what we had been searching for. "Here is the murder weapon," I declared, pointing triumphantly towards the blood-stained letter-opener.
Sergeant Jackson stopped his examination of the body and looked up. "Do you mean the damn thing's been there the whole time?"
In that example, the words "here" and "there" are used to indicate the relative location of an object. Other location words have their own special meanings.
SOMEWHERE means an undefined location, and is normally to be used in positive statements.
"I know I left the car somewhere in this car park."
ANYWHERE also means an undefined location, but it is normally used in negative statements.
"So where is the car?" "I don't know. It could be anywhere."
EVERYWHERE means all locations.
"Fed-Ex have branches everywhere."
Examples
"Are we there yet?" "I'm already here!"
"That awful smell has got everywhere!"
"I know, but it could be coming from anywhere."
"I know I put my car keys down somewhere, but I can't find them anywhere."
NOTICE: Sometimes "anywhere" and "somewhere" can be used interchangeably, although they may carry slightly different meanings.
Examples
"Are you going anywhere this weekend?" [Emphasises an activity]
"Are you going somewhere this weekend?" [Emphasises a location]
"Put that box down somewhere in the living room." [The exact location is not specified]
"Put it down anywhere you like." [A random or undetermined location]
Prepositions
Where prepositions are normally followed by "the" and a noun, this is usually because both the speaker and the listener know which specific object the noun refers to. Where "a" or "an" are used instead of "the", this is usually because the listener does not know which specific object is being referred to.
The most common English location prepositions are:-
ABOVE [ə’bʌv]
AGAINST [ə’genst]
ALONG [ə’lɒŋ]
AMONG(ST) [ə’mʌŋ(st)]
AROUND [ə’rɑƱnd]
AT [ət]
BEHIND [bı’hɑınd]
BELOW [bı’ləƱ]
BENEATH [bı’nı:Ө]
BETWEEN [bı’twı:n]
BESIDE [bı’sɑıd]
BEYOND [bı’yɒnd]
BY [bɑı]
DOWN [dɑƱn]
IN [ın]
IN FRONT OF [ın frʌnt ɒv]
INSIDE [ıns’ɑıd]
NEAR [nıə]
NEARBY [’nıəbɑı]
NEXT TO [nekst tu:]
ON [ɒn]
ON TOP OF [ɒn tɒp ɒv]
OUTSIDE (OF) [’ɑƱtsɑıd (ɒv)]
OVER [’əƱvə]
THROUGH [Өru:]
TO THE BACK OF [tu: ∂ı bӕk ɒv]
TO THE REAR OF [tu: ∂ı rıə ɒv]
UNDER [’ʌndə]
UNDERNEATH [ʌndə’nı:Ө]
UP [ʌp]
WITHIN [wı’∂ın]
EXAMPLES
The keys are on the table. [We both know which table.]
The Post Office is next to the bakery. [Not "next to bakery"]
I live in a flat by a river. [You probably won't know which flat or river.]
I live in a flat by the river. [If we are in London, you'll probably know which river I'm talking about.]
|
1. Where are the magazines? 2. Where is the remote control? 3. Where did you put the keys? 4. Where's the spider? 5. Where's Fluffy? 6. Where's Johnny's toy truck? 7. Where did you find the book? |
They're in the living room, on the coffee table. It's probably on the sofa, between the cushions. I think they're in the bedroom, in the top drawer. It's in the bathroom, next to the bathtub. He's probably hiding under the rocking chair. It's outside by the big brick bridge. It was on top of the refrigerator. |
Location Adverbs:
"I'm over here."
"She's not there anymore."
Location Prepositional Phrases:
"She's in the kitchen."
"The disinfectant is in the bathroom, in the cupboard under the sink."
EXERCISE:
Using the list of location prepositions describe where you might find some of your possessions.
Describe where to find a restaurant, shop or cinema you know.
Give directions to the nearest bus stop or post box.
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