Place Adverbs
Georgina 2020
PLACE ADVERBS (position and movement)
An adverb of place always talks about the location where the action of the verb is
being carried out.
Adverbs of place are placed after a sentence’s object or main verb; they generally
come at the end of the sentence.
I've left my keys upstairs.
I met her for the first time there.
Later Goldilocks ate some porridge. (el elemento temporal es muy importante)
Goldilocks later ate some porridge. (escritura formal o administrativa, como una
denuncia policial)
Goldilocks ate some porridge later. (posició n habitual, neutral)
Classification: Movement – Distances – Position
o If your verb expresses movement, it is naturally logical to put the adverb
expressing movement immediately after it. They are called directional
adverbs: up, down, around, away, north, southeast.
They ran (where?) outside in a great hurry.
She walked (where?) away quite deliberately.
An adverb expressing movement will usually come in front of an adverb
expressing position.
The children are running around outside. (around: movement / outside:
position)
o Adverbs of place can refer to distances. For example: Nearby, far away,
miles apart.
My grandfather’s house is nearby.
o An adverb of place can indicate an object’s position in relation to another
object. For example: Below, between, above, behind, through, around and so
forth.
NOTE 1 )
Between can be used in the following ways:
as a preposition (followed by a noun): the distance between two places
as an adverb (without a following noun): two periods of study with a short
break between
The office has two desks with a table (in) between. (adverb)
The plane landed forcibly between the buildings (preposition)
Place Adverbs
Georgina 2020
NOTE 2 )
Many adverbs of place indicate movement in a particular direction and end
in the letters “-ward or -wards”. For example: Toward, forward, backward,
homeward, westward, eastwards.
After a long day at work, we headed homewards
There and Here
Here and there are placed at the beginning of exclamatory sentences or when it is
necessary to emphasize. They are followed by the verb when the subject is a noun
and a pronoun when the subject is a pronoun.
What are you doing up there?
Come over here and look at what I found!
The baby is hiding down there under the table.
I wonder how my driver's license got stuck under here.
o Some Adverbs of Place :
(make sentences)
above
abroad
anywhere
away
back
backwards (also backward)
behind
below
down
downstairs
east (etc)
elsewhere
far
here
in
Place Adverbs
Georgina 2020
indoors
inside
near
nearby
off
on
out
outside
over
there
towards
under
up
upstairs
where
More examples :
Television programs produced in New York and Hollywood are
seen worldwide.
Unfortunately, incompetence can be found everywhere.
When giving a presentation, please don't just stand there and read
from the slides.
Leave the car here.
I heard a nightingale singing somewhere not far away.
Exercises:
1) Make sentences and put the adverbs in the correct place.
a) is / over there / the cinema -
b) The cinema is over there.
c) inside / go / let's -
d) the kitchen / downstairs / is -
e) playing / the kids / are / outside -
f) she / not / been / here / has -
g) the bathroom / is / upstairs -
h) were / everywhere / we / for / looking / you -
i) we / anywhere / you / find / couldn't -
j) ? / there / a post office / nearby / is -
k) must / we / walk / back home -
2) Choose the correct option
Close the door when you go ___________.
1. Out
2. Westward
3. Lightly
Place Adverbs
Georgina 2020
4. Here
The cat is hiding _______________ the couch.
1. On
2. Underneath
3. Somewhere
4. There
Will you be starting your plants ________________ or in a greenhouse?
1. Round
2. Home
3. Outside
4. Around
The ship sailed ________________, encountering heavy weather along the way.
1. Up
2. Down
3. Northwards
4. Backwards
When she saw me waiting, she ran __________________ me.
1. Around
2. Towards
3. Through
4. Forward
