Overview
Prepositions of place describe the location of a person or object in relation to something else. They answer questions like “Where?” In both English and Kazakh, prepositions of place help us express where things are. However, Kazakh often uses case endings rather than separate prepositions, which can make translating tricky for learners.
Example:
🇬🇧 “We use prepositions of place to show the location of something.”
🇰🇿 “Біз бір нәрсенің орнын көрсету үшін орын үстеулерін қолданамыз.”
Explanation
Affirmative Form
In affirmative sentences, prepositions of place come after the verb and before the object. They show where someone or something is.
Examples:
- 🇬🇧 “The book is on the table.”
- 🇰🇿 “Кітап үстелдің үстінде тұр.”
- 🇬🇧 “She is in the room.”
- 🇰🇿 “Ол бөлмеде отыр.”
- 🇬🇧 “The cat is under the chair.”
- 🇰🇿 “Мысық орындықтың астында жатыр.”
Negative Form
In negative sentences, the structure is similar, but we use “not” before the preposition of place to indicate where something is not located.
Examples:
- 🇬🇧 “The book is not on the table.”
- 🇰🇿 “Кітап үстелдің үстінде емес.”
- 🇬🇧 “She is not in the room.”
- 🇰🇿 “Ол бөлмеде емес.”
Question Form
In questions, prepositions of place usually come at the end of the sentence.
Examples:
- 🇬🇧 “Is the book on the table?”
- 🇰🇿 “Кітап үстелдің үстінде ме?”
- 🇬🇧 “Is she in the room?”
- 🇰🇿 “Ол бөлмеде ме?”
Examples
Here are some examples of how to use prepositions of place in both English and Kazakh:
- 🇬🇧 “The dog is behind the door.”
- 🇰🇿 “Ит есік артында тұр.”
- 🇬🇧 “The car is in front of the house.”
- 🇰🇿 “Көлік үйдің алдында тұр.”
- 🇬🇧 “The children are between the trees.”
- 🇰🇿 “Балалар ағаштардың арасында жүр.”
Exceptions
While most prepositions of place in English have direct translations into Kazakh, some do not work as directly due to the use of different cases in Kazakh grammar.
Examples:
- In English, we say “in the car” while in Kazakh it becomes “көліктің ішінде,” using the locative case instead of a separate preposition.
- 🇬🇧 “We are in the car.”
- 🇰🇿 “Біз көліктің ішінде отырмыз.”
Common Mistakes
Kazakh learners of English often make mistakes when directly translating from Kazakh. They might confuse the correct preposition of place or omit it entirely because Kazakh uses cases instead.
Example:
- Mistake: 🇬🇧 “The book is in the table.”
- Correction: 🇬🇧 “The book is on the table.”
- Explanation: “On” is the correct preposition to describe something resting on a surface.
Practice Exercises
Complete the following exercises to practice prepositions of place:
- Fill-in-the-blank: 🇬🇧 “The dog is _____ (in/on/under) the bed.”
- Multiple choice:
🇬🇧 “The cat is _____ the chair.”
- a) on
- b) under
- c) between
- Sentence correction: 🇬🇧 “The car is between the house.” Correct the sentence.
- Error identification: 🇬🇧 “She is on the room.” Identify and correct the mistake.
- Open-ended sentence creation: Write a sentence using the preposition “behind.”
Quiz Section
- 1. The laptop is _____ the table.
- 2. We are standing _____ the tree.
- 3. The cat is _____ the window and the door.
Additional Resources
For more practice on prepositions of place, check out these resources:
You Have Learned
After studying this topic, you will have learned:
- How to use common prepositions of place like on, in, and under.
- The difference between prepositions of place in English and Kazakh.
- How to avoid common mistakes when using prepositions of place.
Answer Key
Practice Exercises
- 1. The dog is under the bed.
- Explanation: “Under” is used to describe something below another object.
- 2. The cat is under the chair.
- Explanation: “Under” is the correct preposition when something is below another object.
- 3. The car is in front of the house.
- Explanation: “In front of” describes the position relative to the house.
- 4. She is in the room.
- Explanation: “In” is used for enclosed spaces like rooms.
Quiz Section
- 1. The laptop is on the table.
- Explanation: “On” is used for surfaces.
- 2. We are standing under the tree.
- Explanation: “Under” describes a position below the tree.
- 3. The cat is between the window and the door.
- Explanation: “Between” is used when something is in the middle of two other objects.
