BBC Learning English:Prepositions of place: Prepositions with Georgie
In, on, or at the airport?
Let’s find out!
Hello and welcome back to Prepositions with Georgie from BBC Learning English.
I’m Georgie and today we are looking at prepositions of place. We’ll start with the ones that only really have one clear meaning.
So first up, I’m sitting next to the box.
Whoa, in front of the box.
Okay, next to the box again and I’m behind the box and I’m in front of the box.
Now I am under the box. Oh no, I’m stuck. I’m stuck under the box.
Okay, the box is above my head. The box is above my head.
Okay, what’s happening now? Oh, Now I am dancing between the chair and the box. I’m dancing between the chair and the box. Okay, I’m sitting on the chair. I am on the chair and I look very happy about it.
Okay, so what about the confusing ones? Like why do we say I’m at school and not I’m in the school? It’s a good question. Thanks. But it doesn’t have a simple answer.
Let’s compare in and at. We tend to use in for spaces which are larger and more general, whereas we use at for places with more specific activities.
If you go to a supermarket, you are probably buying food. If you go to an airport, you are probably catching a flight. But it’s not always that easy. Look at these weird examples.
We say, I’m in the office, but I’m at work. We say I’m in the house but I’m at home. Why? It’s best not to question it, just memorise the combinations through a lot of practice and exposure to the language. I’m sorry, there’s no fast track but I will help you as much as I can, so come back to BBC Learning English for the next episodes and in the meantime check out the website and download my worksheet to practice. See you next time. Thank you.
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preposition ˌprep.əˈzɪʃ.ən 前置詞
place pleɪs 場所
Georgie ˈdʒɔː.dʒi ジョージー（人名）
BBC Learning English ˌbiː.biːˈsiː ˈlɜː.nɪŋ ˈɪŋ.ɡlɪʃ BBCラーニングイングリッシュ（教育プログラム）
meaning ˈmiː.nɪŋ 意味
next to nekst tə ～の隣に
in front of ɪn frʌnt əv ～の前に
behind bɪˈhaɪnd ～の後ろに
under ˈʌn.dər ～の下に
stuck stʌk 動けない、はさまった
above əˈbʌv ～の上に
between bɪˈtwiːn ～の間に
on ɒn ～の上に
confusing kənˈfjuː.zɪŋ 混乱させる、わかりにくい
at school æt skuːl 学校にいる
in the school ɪn ðə skuːl 学校の中にいる
supermarket ˈsuː.pəˌmɑː.kɪt スーパーマーケット
airport ˈeə.pɔːt 空港
office ˈɒf.ɪs オフィス
at work æt wɜːk 職場にいる
at home æt həʊm 家にいる
fast track fæst træk 短縮ルート、早道
memorise ˈmem.ə.raɪz 暗記する
exposure ɪkˈspəʊ.ʒər さらされること、接触
worksheet ˈwɜːk.ʃiːt ワークシート
episode ˈep.ɪ.səʊd エピソード
practice ˈpræk.tɪs 練習
confusing ones kənˈfjuː.zɪŋ wʌnz 紛らわしいもの
general ˈdʒen.ər.əl 一般的な
specific spəˈsɪf.ɪk 特定の
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