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.

Woah! In front of the box.

OK, 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.

OK, the box is above my head.

There box is above my head.

What's happening now? Oh! Now

I am dancing between the chair and

the box. I'm dancing between the chair and the box.

OK, I'm sitting on the chair.

I am on the chair and I look very happy about it.

OK. 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 practise. See you next time.