English Mastery
Module 5 · Articles & Prepositions

Prepositions of Position

Intermediate45 min25 questions7 sections
Step 1

Quick Look

WHERE is it sitting? English answers with a three-tier system — IN (inside something), ON (touching a surface), AT (at a point) — plus the precision set: above/over, below/under, between/among, beside, behind, opposite. Hindi’s में and पर cover all of this loosely, which is exactly why the English versions need a chapter of their own.
Sentence TypeStructure + Example
IN — enclosed
in the drawer, in the almirah, in the file, in the car, in the photo
ON — surface contact
on the wall, on the table, on the roof, on the notice board, on page 4
AT — a point
at the gate, at the counter, at the corner, at the signal

The golden rule: ask what the place IS to the object. A container or boundary in. A surface it touches on. Just a point on the map at. The photo trap proves it: the people are IN the photo (inside the frame’s world), but the photo hangs ON the wall (touching the surface).

The in · on · at triangle
INa container or boundaryin the drawer · in the carONa surface it toucheson the wall · on page 4ATjust a point on the mapat the gate · at the counterTHE PHOTO TRAPIN the photoON the wallThe people are in the photo.But the photo hangs on the wall.
Ask what the place IS to the thing: a container (in), a surface it touches (on), or just a point (at).
Step 2

When to Use It

in the locker in the blue file in the car in this photo
Use 1

IN — containers, enclosures, boundaries

Anything with an inside.
  • The originals are in the locker; copies are in the blue file.
  • He’s waiting in the car.
  • There’s a clause in the agreement about parking.
  • You look happy in this photo.
on the wallon the third floor on the main road on page 6
Use 2

ON — surfaces and lines

Contact with a surface; also floors, pages, roads as lines.
  • The site map is on the wall behind my desk.
  • Don’t leave the stamp papers on the table.
  • Our office is on the third floor.
  • The plot is on the main road. The details are on page 6.
at the gate at the counter at the signal at the bus stop
Use 3

AT — points and stations

A spot where something/someone is posted.
  • The guard is at the gate; the peon is at the counter.
  • Meet me at the corner of the service lane.
  • The car stopped at the signal.
  • She’s standing at the bus stop.
abovebelowABOVE / BELOWoverunderOVER / UNDER
Use 4

The vertical pairs — above/over, below/under

Above/below = higher/lower, no contact needed. Over/under = directly vertical, often covering or touching.
  • The water tank is above the stairwell. (higher, general)
  • He spread a tarpaulin over the cement bags. (covering)
  • The cables run under the floor. (directly beneath)
  • Temperatures stayed below normal this March. (on a scale)
BETWEEN · twoAMONG · a crowd
Use 5

The neighbour set — beside, between, among, behind, in front of, opposite

Between = two (or clearly separate items); among = a crowd/group.
  • The generator room is beside the guard cabin.
  • The plot lies between the school and the petrol pump.
  • He was standing among the labourers, so I missed him.
  • Parking is behind the tower; the park is in front of it.
  • The bank is opposite the main gate — directly across.
The precision set
abovehigher, no contactbelowlower, no contactoverdirectly over itunderdirectly beneathbesideside by sidebetweentwo thingsamonga crowd or group behindhidden at the back in front ofahead of itoppositedirectly across
Pink = the thing being located; grey = the landmark.
Step 3

Hindi Concept Note

अHindi Concept Noteहिंदी में समझिए
हिंदी का ‘में’ और ‘पर’ यहाँ तीन में बँट जाता है: IN (अंदर), ON (सतह पर), AT (किसी point पर)।
दराज़ में in the drawer। दीवार पर on the wall। gate पर at the gate — देखो, हिंदी में दोनों ‘पर’ हैं, English में on और at अलग!
पहचान: जगह डिब्बे जैसी है (अंदर-बाहर) in। सतह है जिसे चीज़ छू रही है on। बस एक बिंदु/ठिकाना है at।
Photo वाला जाल याद रखो: लोग photo में हैं IN the photo, पर photo दीवार पर टँगी है ON the wall।
ऊपर-नीचे: above/below = ऊँचाई का फ़र्क़ (छूना ज़रूरी नहीं); over/under = ठीक ऊपर/नीचे, अक्सर ढकते हुए — बादल शहर के ऊपर clouds over the city।
Between = दो के बीच; among = भीड़/समूह के बीच — दो दुकानों के बीच between two shops; मज़दूरों के बीच among the labourers।
Step 4

Common Mistakes Hindi Speakers Make

Wrong
Right
Why
The keys are on the drawer.
The keys are in the drawer.
A drawer is a container in. (On the drawer = sitting on top of it.)
You look very smart on this photo.
You look very smart in this photo.
Inside the frame’s world in the photo.
He is waiting on the gate.
He is waiting at the gate.
The gate is a point/station at. (‘On the gate’ = physically sitting on it!)
Our office is in the third floor.
Our office is on the third floor.
Floors take on — always.
The file is between all those papers somewhere.
The file is among all those papers somewhere.
A pile/group among. Between needs two (or clearly separate) items.
Divide the brokerage among the two partners.
Divide the brokerage between the two partners.
Exactly two between — the mirror error of the previous one.
Step 5

Signal Words

Position triggers:
Container/boundary (drawer, file, car, room, photo, city) in
Surface/line (wall, table, floor, road, page, roof) on
Point/station (gate, counter, corner, signal, bus stop) at
Height without contact above/below; directly vertical or covering over/under
Two between; group/crowd among
Step 6

Practice

Set A

Fill in the blanks

0 / 10
  1. 1
    The sale deed is the locker, and the photocopy is my desk. (two blanks)
  2. 2
    Someone has pasted a notice the lift door.
  3. 3
    The watchman sits the main gate till midnight.
  4. 4
    Their new office is the fifth floor, right the CA’s office. (two blanks: floor, then next to)
  5. 5
    The overhead tank is directly the bathroom — that explains the seepage.
  6. 6
    The colony park lies the two towers.
  7. 7
    I found the receipt a pile of old bills.
  8. 8
    Park the building, not front of the gate. (two blanks)
  9. 9
    The temperature dropped five degrees last night.
  10. 10
    The chemist shop is exactly the hospital — just cross the road.
Set B

Correct the mistake

0 / 8
  1. 11
    The documents are on my briefcase. (inside it)
  2. 12
    He hung the calendar in the wall.
  3. 13
    She was smiling on the wedding photo.
  4. 14
    The showroom is in the ground floor.
  5. 15
    The plot is situated among the school and the temple. (two landmarks)
  6. 16
    The guard is on the gate since morning. (posted there)
  7. 17
    The cables pass on the floor tiles. (beneath them)
  8. 18
    Meet me on the corner of the market lane.
Set C

Translate into English

0 / 7
  1. 19
    चाबियाँ दराज़ में हैं।
  2. 20
    नक्शा दीवार पर टँगा है।
  3. 21
    वह gate पर खड़ा है।
  4. 22
    हमारा office तीसरी मंज़िल पर है।
  5. 23
    plot मंदिर और school के बीच में है।
  6. 24
    वह भीड़ में खो गया... मतलब, लोगों के बीच में था।
  7. 25
    टंकी छत के ऊपर है और pipe फ़र्श के नीचे से जाता है। (एक ही वाक्य)
Step 7

Answer Key

Show answersHide answers
Answers · Set A
1
in ... on
2
on
3
at
4
on ... beside (next to)
5
above (over)
6
between
7
among (in)
8
behind ... in
9
below
10
opposite
Answers · Set B
11
The documents are in my briefcase. (Container in.)
12
He hung the calendar on the wall. (Surface on.)
13
She was smiling in the wedding photo. (In the photo.)
14
The showroom is on the ground floor. (Floors on.)
15
The plot is situated between the school and the temple. (Two landmarks between.)
16
The guard has been at the gate since morning. (Point at; and ‘since’ Present Perfect, Module 1!)
17
The cables pass under the floor tiles. (Beneath under.)
18
Meet me at the corner of the market lane. (Point at.)
Answers · Set C
19
The keys are in the drawer.
20
The map is (hanging) on the wall.
21
He is standing at the gate.
22
Our office is on the third floor.
23
The plot is between the temple and the school.
24
He got lost in the crowd. / He was somewhere among the people.
25
The tank is above the roof and the pipe runs under the floor.

Finished this chapter?

Mark it complete to light it up on your progress map. You can always come back to the practice.

Next up · Chapter 5Prepositions of Direction

Movement words: into, onto, across, through, past — and the verbs that secretly need NO preposition at all: enter, reach, discuss.