Prepositions of place

Sample sentences

Let me give you a brief update about developments in the production area. On Monday, components will be moved from the old storage area to the new one. This means that fork lift trucks will need to move components out of warehouse 1 and into warehouse 2. You will find more details in the email l sent last week. There are two stages to the movement of old parts. In the new storage area, the parts will be stored on pallets on the top two shelves. From there they will be moved to their final destination according to the plan in the email attachment.

Form

The most important prepositions of place are:

At / from / in / into / on / out of / to

e.g. Oil is transported from the oil field to the terminal by pipeline.

e.g. Corrosion in the pipes is extremely dangerous.

Uses

1. at

We use at to describe a place in general rather than specific terms:

e.g. In the event of a blowout at the terminal we evacuate everyone immediately.

e.g. We employ some 30 people at the pumping station.

2. to

We use to to describe movement to a place:

e.g. Then the oil is transported to the terminal.

e.g. The roughnecks fly out to the oil rig on Sunday evening.

3. from

We use from to describe movement from a place:

e.g. After the blowout we managed to pull everyone from the water.

e.g. The safety officer has just arrived from headquarters.

4. in and into

We use in to describe a place:

e.g. Corrosion in the pipes is extremely dangerous.

We use into to describe movement into a place:

e.g. The drill bit is fitted into the drill.

5. into and out of

Into and out of describe movement; they describe opposite movements:

e.g. Drilling mud is pumped into and out of the well during drilling.

6. on and onto

We use on with objects which have a surface:

e.g. We've found some new deposits on the Continental Shelf.

We use onto to describe movement onto a place which has a surface:

e.g. The oil is then loaded onto tankers. (Here the tanker is seen as a two-dimensional floating object.)

Compare: The oil is then loaded into tankers. (Here the tanker is seen as a three-dimensional object.)

Ex. 15. Complete the following texts using the correct preposition. You may have to use some prepositions more than once.

between

from

on

along

above

through

to

Signals pass (1) _____ a telephone (2) _____ the local exchange (3) _____ copper cables. Most exchanges are linked by optical fibre cables (4) _____ which the signals travel as pulses of laser light. Microwave beams sent (5) _____ dishes (6) _____ tall towers, link some signals. International calls go (7) _____ undersea optical fibre cables or via satellites high (8) _____ the Earth.

around

at

of

from

to

Refrigerators keep food (1) _____ a temperature (2) _____ about 5°C. They work by evaporation. When a liquid changes (3) _____ a vapour, it takes heat (4) _____ its surroundings. In a fridge, the cooling process is done by a refrigerant which circulates (5) _____ a system (6) _____ sealed pipes.

Ex. 16. Complete the following description of an oil rig with the correct preposition. Choose from those given in the box. You will need to use some of them more than once.

above	on in		below	from	to	in between
around	close to	of		beside	at	along

The Magnus oil rig stands (1) _____ huge steel legs resting (2) _____ the seabed. To prevent movement, a large anchor is firmly embedded (3) _____ the seabed. A production platform is built (4) _____ sea level. (5) _____ the centre (6) _____ the platform, (7) _____ the well, is the drilling derrick. Oil and gas are separated (8) _____ the bottom (9) _____ the derrick and a pipeline takes oil (10) _____ the platform (11) _____ shore. Helicopters carrying operators land (12) _____ the helipad located on one side of the platform.

(13) _____ this pad there is an accommodation block. The recreation area is found (14) _____ the first level and (15) _____ the top floor the workers sleeping quarters are to be found. The dining area is on the floor (16) _____. Walkways run (17) _____ one side of the accommodation block and (18) _____ the outside of the platform. Lifeboats can be found (19) _____ the accommodation block. Supply boats, carrying supplies for the rig, can tie up (20) _____ one side (21) _____ the rig and goods are lifted (22) _____ the boats using a crane. Drinking water is stored (23) _____ large tanks located (24) _____ the electricity generators.