Difference between On, In, At, Over, Under, Above and Below: Preposition of Place

 

What is the Preposition of Place?

 

Preposition of place refers to a place where something is located.

स्थान  का preposition किसी व्यक्ति या वस्तु के स्थान की सूचना देते हैं।

 

Types of Preposition of Place: 

On, In, At, Over, Under, Above, and Below is the common Preposition of Place.

 

Examples of the preposition of place:

 

• I left the bag in the car.
• The bottle is kept on the table.
• She is waiting at the corner of the street.
• The cat is under the table.
• He is standing over the bridge.
• The portrait is above my bed.
• Jane has a mark right below her left eye.

 

Exercises:

Following is an exercise on Preposition of Place 

Put the correct preposition of place to fill in the blanks.

In, On, At, Under, Over, Above and Below:

1. He is swimming …………. the pool.
2. Jane is ………… holiday for a week.
3. I stayed ……….. home for three days.
4. The plane flew ……….. the house.
5. There is a painting ………… the chair.
6. My shoes are ………… the table.
7. They sat ……….. the tree.
8. She is ………. The class.
9. There are four kittens …….. on the sofa.
10. I will meet you ……… the bus stand.

 

‘On’

 

Now, let’s understand the meaning or usage of the preposition ‘On’ and also look at the use of the ‘On’ preposition in Hindi:

The preposition ‘On’ is used to describe a thing when it touches the surface of a place. It is also used to talk about specific dates and days.

‘ऑन’ का प्रयोग किसी वस्तु का वर्णन करने के लिए किया जाता है जब वह किसी स्थान की सतह को छूती है। इसका उपयोग विशिष्ट तिथियों और दिनों के बारे में बात करने के लिए भी किया जाता है।

 

Use of On Preposition with examples:

 

1. When a thing is touching the surface of a place.

I kept the book on the table.

The clock is on the wall.

The ship is on the water.

 

2. Preposition ‘On’ is used to talk about dates and days.

I have an exam on Sunday.

We have a party on 20^th January.

I am going on a holiday on weekend.

 

3. When something is attached to another thing.

She has a mark on her face.

She has a ring on her finger.

He has a cap on his head.

 

4. Talking about vehicles or transport we will use ’On’.

I am on the bus.

They are on their bicycles.

He is on a plane.

 

5. ‘On’ is used to talk about roads, rivers, seas, etc.

I am standing on the road.

The boat is on the river.

He is jet skiing on the sea.

 

6. When we talk about someone or something’s state we use ‘On’.

The boss was on fire.

The dress was on sale.

The house is on rent

 

Exercises:

Here is an exercise on Preposition ‘On’

Write true or false :

1. My brother is playing badminton on Sunday.
2. The toy is floating in the river.
3. Her birthday is on the 21^st of January.
4. The cat is sleeping on the chair.
5. The bottle is in the table.
6. She is at the car.
7. The book is on the bed.
8. I go to the gym on weekends.
9. We are throwing a party in Saturday.
10. There is a cut on her forehead.

 

‘In’

 

Here is the meaning and use of ‘In’ Preposition in a simpler way to understand it easily.

‘In’ is used to talk about enclosed places or when something is inside another thing. It is also used for months, years, seasons, and unspecified times.

‘इन’ का इस्तेमाल बंद जगहों के बारे में बात करने के लिए किया जाता है या जब कोई चीज़ किसी दूसरी चीज़ के अंदर होती है। इसका उपयोग महीनों, वर्षों, ऋतुओं और अनिर्दिष्ट समय के लिए भी किया जाता है।

 

Now, let’s have a look into the  usage of ‘In’ and Preposition ‘In’ examples sentences :

 

1. It is used to talk about unspecified times, months, years, and seasons.

She always listens to music in the morning.

My exams will start in February.

I love sleeping in the winters.

 

2. While talking about a location or a place.

I stay in a hostel.

My college is in Delhi.

I kept the book in the drawer.

 

3. Used to express a shape, color, or size of a thing.

The cardigan comes in three different sizes.

The students stood in a line.

The bottle is mostly in red.

 

4. To talk about a belief, opinion, interest, or feeling.

I believe in re-birth.

We are not interested in watching the movie.

I don’t believe in lying to someone.

 

Exercise:

Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition:

1. I want to lose 10 kilograms ………… 2 months.
2. She is interested ………… history.
3. Could you please get me these shoes ………. a smaller size.
4. It is always too hot ……….. summers.
5. My sister was born ………… 1999.
6. He is ……… his room.
7. I used to stay ………. Mumbai.
8. The city of Hanoi is …….. Vietnam.
9. I don’t like to go out ……… rainy season.
10. His birthday is ………. July.

 

‘At’

 

After ‘On’ and ‘In’, it is time for the use of the preposition ‘At’ in English as well as Hindi. Therefore, let’s read the meaning of the preposition ‘At’.

‘At’ is used to show an exact location of a thing or a particular place. It also indicates the exact time when something has happened or might happen.

‘एट’ का प्रयोग किसी वस्तु या स्थान की सही  स्थिति को दर्शाने के लिए किया जाता है। यह उस सही समय को भी इंगित करता है जब कुछ हुआ है या हो सकता है।

 

Use of ‘At’ preposition in sentences with examples:

 

1. ‘At’ is used to talk about a specific time.

She will meet me at 2 p.m.

The train will arrive at 3.45 p.m.

I will go to the gym at 8 a.m.

 

2. To indicate a place.

The party is at the farmhouse.

There were too many children at the park.

We met an old friend at the café.

 

3. To talk about an activity we use the preposition ‘At’.

He is good at singing.

We all laughed at his acting.

I am not good at painting.

 

Exercise:

Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition:

1. Jane is arriving ……….. 8 p.m.
2. She is the best ……….. at dancing.
3. She is standing …………. the bus stand.
4. I am going to the class ………. 4’o clock.
5. There is a man ……….. the gate.
6. I am going to watch a match ……… the stadium.
7. No one is allowed …….. the mall due to covid restrictions.
8. The bus will leave ……….. 4 p.m.
9. I am good ………. cooking.
10. There are a lot of mosquitoes ……. the garden.

 

‘Over’

 

Now, here is the meaning and use of ‘Over’ in English and Hindi:

‘Over’ means when a thing is directed upwards to another person or thing.

‘ओवर’ का अर्थ है जब कोई वस्तु सीधे किसी अन्य व्यक्ति या वस्तु की ऊपर की ओर होती है।

 

Now, let’s understand the use of ‘Over’ in the sentence with examples:

 

1. ‘Over’ is used to talk about moving from one place to another.

Can you send over a mail for your leave?

They sent over gifts for her birthday.

Come over for lunch sometime.

 

2. Used to indicate an upward or a downward movement.

He is standing over the bridge.

The big tree fell over the road.

She bent over and got me the pen.

 

3. To talk about more than an expected amount of time or number.

Kids fifteen and over are eligible for the contest.

The phone rang for over 2 minutes.

There were over a hundred children at the park.

 

4. ‘Over’ indicates a time.

I worked here over a year.

She didn’t stay there over the last month.

I didn’t go out over a week.

 

Exercises:

Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition:

1. He put on a coat ……… his t-shirt.
2. The bird flew………. the tree.
3. There were ………. five hundred guests for the wedding.
4. You have to be ……… 18 to participate.
5. She was not well ………. a month.
6. He came ……… for dinner yesterday.
7. I forgot to send gifts …….. for her birthday.
8. The student bent ………. to hide from the teacher.
9. They worked with me ……… a year.
10. The man rang the bell …….. 5 minutes.

 

‘Under’

The meaning and use of ‘Under’ preposition in English and Hindi:

‘Under’ is somewhat similar to below but it indicates something lower to something else. It can also mean that something is covering the other thing.

‘अंडर’ कुछ हद तक नीचे जैसा है लेकिन यह कुछ ऐसा इंगित करता है जो किसी और चीज़ से कम है। इसका मतलब यह भी हो सकता है कि कोई चीज़ दूसरी चीज़ को ढक रही है।

 

Here is the use of ‘Under’ in sentences along with examples:

 

1. ‘Under’ is used to mean a lower place or hidden by something.

We sat under the stars.

The cat is under the table.

I kept the things under the bed.

 

2. It is also used to talk about lower in age or number.

You cannot watch this movie if you are under 18 years of age.

Students under 12 years of age cannot sit for this exam.

The total amount of the things bought is under 5000.

 

3. ‘Under’ can also be used to indicate two other things

 

1. Something managed by someone.

The hotel will be under new management in January.

 

2. To talk about the state of something.

The new road is under construction.

 

Exercises:

Choose the correct preposition and fill in the blanks:

1. I kept the thing ……… the table.
2. The shopping mall is ……… construction.
3. She is ………. 15 years of age.
4. They saw a mouse ……… the chair.
5. There is a bird ……….. the tree.
6. Don’t hide ………. the desk.
7. The children will study ……….. my supervision.
8. Drinking is not allowed for people ………… 21 years of age.
9. She was standing ……….. the bridge.
10. We sat ………. the blue sky.

 

 

‘Above’

 

‘Above’ is used to talk about something higher than the other thing.

इसका प्रयोग दूसरी वस्तु से ऊँची किसी बात के बारे में बात करने के लिए किया जाता है।

We have seen the meaning and use of ‘Above’ in English and Hindi, now we will read the other uses of ‘Above’ with examples.

 

1. We use ‘Above’ to talk about something higher than something else.

Please open the cupboard above your head.

She is standing above the building.

I saw a bird flying above the roof.

 

2. Used to indicate something higher in amount.

The company’s profits rose above the mentioned mark.

Today’s temperature is above 10 degrees after a long time.

I got a hike 10% above the last year.

 

3. Describe writings in an earlier part of a piece.

The points mentioned above are important to note down.

The party will be held at the address mentioned above.

The name of the couple written above is hosting the party tomorrow.

 

Exercises:

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate preposition.

1. A strange bird was flying in the sky ………… the house.
2. The average temperature is …………… 45 degrees in summer here.
3. They stay in a house ……….. the shop.
4. His exam was …………. average.
5. The children in the flat ………. are always shouting.
6. The temperature is just ………….. scorching.
7. The boy was climbing ………… the tree.
8. There is a hut ……… the lake.
9. Her daughter is well ……….. excellent.
10. He is standing ………. the wall.

 

‘Below’

 

Use of ‘Below’ preposition in English and Hindi is as follows:

‘Below’ is used to talk about something lower than another thing or when two things are not touching each other. It is the opposite of above.

‘नीचे’ का प्रयोग किसी दूसरी चीज से नीची चीज के बारे में बात करने के लिए किया जाता है या जब दो चीजें एक दूसरे को छू नहीं रही होती हैं। यह ऊपर के विपरीत है।

 

Here are the correct usage of ‘Below’:

 

1. To talk about something in a lower position.

He has a mark below his left shoulder.

She is standing below the ladder.

I saw a boy below the building.

 

2. To describe something written in a lower piece of writing.

The detail is written below the letter.

For further information read the address below.

The points are written below the letter.

 

3. Used to talk about something less than a certain number.

The temperature drops below zero here.

Students with scores below 60 are not eligible.

Profits are still below the mark.

 

Exercises:

Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition:

1. Please hang the clock ……….. the picture.
2. The cloth ……….. the sink is wet.
3. There was something ………… the ground.
4. Millions of people are …………. the poverty line.
5. Read the points given …………
6. The marks were …………. average.
7. Their profits fell ………. the given mark.
8. I was standing ………….. the building.
9. The people in the flat ………. are screaming.
10. …………. is the name of the host of the party.

 

This chapter covers the difference between On, In, At, Over, Under, Above, and Below in detail to easily understand the meaning, usage and differences and use them in English writing and conversation.