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Prepositions of Place and Movement

Prepositions are words that govern, and usually precede, a noun or pronoun, and which indicate the relation between the noun or pronoun to another word or element in the sentence. For example, the man drove to the store, the ball is on the roof, or the tiger is in the cage.
Sketch of three people working on a computer and reading books.
Åpne bilde i et nytt vindu
CC BY-SA
Bilde: Siren Halvorsen

Prepositions are difficult to learn because habit, rather than rules, determine their use. It is also not possible to translate prepositions directly from your own language to English, as the same preposition may have several different translations depending on the context in which it is used. The proper use of prepositions is something that may make learners easily identifiable as non-native speakers even after years of study.

Learning the correct use of prepositions depends on encountering as many examples as possible, which requires reading, listening, and practising.

Below, you will find illustrations of prepositions of place and movement. Use the illustrations to make your own rules for how to use these prepositions.

Prepositions of Place

Illustration: Outline drawings. Prepositions of place illustrated by a red ball being placed in relation to one or more boxes.
Åpne bilde i et nytt vindu
Prepositions of place
CC BY-SA
Bilde: Junie Loftesnes

Prepositions of movement

Illustration: Outline drawings. Prepositions of movement illustrated by a red ball being placed in relation to one or more boxes.
Åpne bilde i et nytt vindu
Preposition of Movement
CC BY-SA
Bilde: Junie Loftesnes

Note that there are several other forms of prepositions besides the two illustrated here. You can learn more about prepositions by visiting for example Grammarly: link to the Grammarly webpage's article about prepositions (grammarly.com), or Khan Academy: link to Khan Academy's resources about prepositions (khanacademy.org).

Fill in the correct prepositions:

The following prepositions are used in the sentences: by, among, towards, under, against, above, beside. Each preposition is used once.

Drag the correct preposition into the correct box:

Make a preposition quiz:

Make a preposition quiz for your classmates.

Write a short text:

Pick one of the following headlines and write a short text (250-300 words).

When you have written the text, highlight all the prepositions you have used. Ask a classmate or your teacher to check your work.

  1. An unusually exciting volleyball game.

  2. The time I fell off the boat.

  3. The hero among the cowards.

  4. Just another day at school.

Translate:

  • Translate the following sentences from Norwegian to English.

  • When you have finished, write a short text where you discuss why the correct use of prepositions can be difficult to master.

Click here if you want to translate from bokmål:

  1. Han går på skolen hver dag.

  2. Han satt på taket til skolen.

  3. Karine bor på Voss.

  4. Ballen ligger under bordet.

  5. Bestefar var i Japan under krigen.

  6. Han fikk et kyss av henne.

  7. Kan du slå av TV?

  8. Bilen kjørte utfor veien.

  9. Det er fint om du kommer ved soloppgang.

  10. Bilen står ved brannhydranten.

Click here if you want to translate from nynorsk:

  1. Han går på skulen kvar dag.

  2. Han sat på taket til skulen.

  3. Karine bur på Voss.

  4. Ballen ligg under bordet.

  5. Bestefar var i Japan under krigen.

  6. Han fekk eit kyss av henne.

  7. Kan du slå av TV?

  8. Bilen køyrde utfor vegen.

  9. Det er fint om du kjem ved soloppgong.

  10. Bilen står ved brannhydranten.

CC BY-SASkrevet av Tone Hesjedal.
Sist faglig oppdatert 04.06.2021

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