Prepositions and prepositional phrases of place

Use: 

Use prepositions of place to describe where something is.

In is also used in these situations:
Countries, cities, villages	We live in France / in Paris / in Madrid.
the world	It’s the highest building in the world.
mountains and valleys	They have a cottage in the mountains / in a valley.
buildings	She works in a bank.
water	Don’t swim in the sea / the river / the lake.
the middle / centre	He lives in the middle of Paris / in the city centre.
books / films / newspaper	Which film was that actor in? I read about it in the newspaper.
On is also used in these situations:
walls, ceilings, doors, floor:	She hung the picture on the ceiling / the wall / the door.
surfaces	There’s a dirty mark on the page / table
the front / side/ back	There’s a label in on the box / bottle
left / right	The school is on the left.
Floors	Jim’s office is on the second floor.
lists / menus	What’s on the menu? Did you buy everything on the list?
roads	I live on Jackson street. The nearest gas station is on the motorway. The post box is on the way to work.
natural lines and borders	He lives on the coast. London is on the River Thames.
At is also used in these situations:
the top / bottom (of a page)	Sign your name at the top / bottom.
Directions:	Turn left at the traffic lights / roundabout / end of the street.
Position (next to something)	Wait at the traffic lights / corner / tree.
the front / the back	I wrote my name at the front / back of the book.
the beginning / the end	What happened at the beginning / end of the film?
events	I met him at a party / conference / football match
buildings	I’ll meet you at the airport / the station / home
Common mistakes:
1. Some students miss out part of the prepositional phrases.
I live next a small shop.=>	I live next to a small shop.
I parked the car in front the building. =>	I parked the car in front of the building.
2. Some students add a second preposition where it is not necessary.
Your bag is behind of the door.=>	Your bag is behind the door.