ACROSS THE OCEAN

GRAMMAR LOG

Prepositions of place

Prepositions are words that show relationships between words in a sentence. They can be tricky to learn because there are almost no simple and useful rules to follow. Also, translating prepositions from Slovene usually doesn’t work.

We use prepositions of place (for example: at, in, on) with expressions of place (for example: the table, the street, Oxford). They answer the question Where? and show where one person/thing is located in relation to another.

Here is a list of prepositions of place with examples.

ABOVE
Example:

The plastic roof above their heads protected them against the heavy rain.   

ACROSS
Example:

The post office is just across the street.  

AFTER
Example:

The dog was walking after the children.     

AGAINST
Example:

He was waiting for her, leaning against the wall.

ALONG
Example:

We walked along the beach.     

ALONGSIDE
Example:

The boat lay alongside the pier.   

AMONG
Example:

The ring was hidden among the papers.     

AROUND
Example:

The tourists were walking around the monument.  

AT - specific position
Example:

She was standing at the door.    

AT - place where a typical activity is done
Examples:

The kids are at school.
She can’t be at home yet, she is still at work.

BEHIND
Example:

I couldn’t see them because they were standing behind me.   

BELOW
Example:

My cousin is staying in the same hotel in the room below ours. 

BETWEEN
Example:

The dog was holding the ball between its teeth. 

DOWN
Example:

Go down the hill and turn left.     

FROM
Example:

They returned from England.   

IN - position within towns, countries, states, continents
Example:

Genoa is in Italy.

IN - something that is surrounded, enclosed
Example:

The cards are in the box. 

IN FRONT OF
Example:

We have two large pine trees in front of our house.

INSIDE - on the inner side of something
Example:

You’ll find the receipt inside the bag.

INTO - towards the middle of something that is surrounded
Example:

They brought the sofa into the living room. 

NEAR
Example:

The bank is near the supermarket.

NEXT TO/BESIDE/BY
Example:

The cash machine is next to/beside/by the entrance.

OFF
Example:

The baby fell off the roof but didn’t get hurt.     

ON - position on larger surfaces
Examples:

The suitcase is on the floor.
The cup is on the table.

ON - television, radio, internet, Facebook etc.
Examples:

I saw it on television and heard it on the radio.
Look it up on the internet.

ONTO - in the direction of a larger surface
Example:

She threw the glass onto the floor.    

OPPOSITE
Example:

The pub is opposite the church.     

OVER
Example:

Look, there’s a spider hanging over the table.

PAST
Example:

Walk past the traffic lights and you’ll see our house on your left.

THROUGH
Example:

We walked through the forest.

TO - in the direction of
Example:

They drove to Celje.

TOWARDS - closer to something, in the direction of
Example:

We drove towards the lake.

UNDER
Example:

They kissed under a sprig of mistletoe.

UP
Example:

Go up the hill to see the sea. 

WORDS TO REMEMBER

migrate = (v.) move from one country or region to another
starling = (n.) medium-sized bird with glossy black feathers
valley = (n.) lowland between mountains or hills
port = (n.) a town or city where ships stop to load or unload
accompany = (v.) go somewhere with somebody
stowaway = (n.) passenger who hides on a ship to avoid paying
pass away = (v.) die
reunite = (v.) bring together again

ACTIVITY IDEA

Write a short composition entitled, Leaving Home for the First Time. Follow the guidelines below.

1. List some reasons why teenagers in Slovenia leave home for the first time (for example, migration, school, job, etc.)
2. Explain how leaving home affects teenagers (for example, their lifestyle, friends, schoolmates, hobbies)
3. Explain how teenagers stay in touch with their family (for example, through mobile phone or email, by visiting family, etc.)
4. Describe the feelings teenagers have when they have left their family.