Place Adverbs in EnglishA2
You’ll soon be able to show exactly where actions and things are, from here and there to outside and away. Start with the first unit and learn how place adverbs bring location into every sentence.
What translations are available?
What place adverbs show
Place adverbs give location. They tell where an action happens or where something exists. In The children played outside, outside shows where the playing happened. In My phone is here, here shows where the phone exists. If you remove the place adverb, the sentence still works, but the location disappears.
Practice
Select the option of best fit.
In “The penguins danced outside,” what does “outside” show?
Common place adverbs
Words like here, there, everywhere, nowhere, and nearby are common place adverbs. Here points to the speaker’s place, and there points to another place. Everywhere means in many or all places, as in Rainwater was everywhere. Nearby means close to a place, as in There is a café nearby. Nowhere means no place at all, as in We had nowhere to sit.
| Word | Definition | |
|---|---|---|
| This place is close to the speaker. | ||
| That place is not here and is usually farther away. | ||
| All places are included. | ||
| No place is available or possible. | ||
| A short distance away is meant. | ||
| That place over there is farther away and often pointed to. | ||
| Exactly this spot is meant. | ||
| Exactly that spot is meant. | ||
| An unknown place close by is meant. | ||
| In every direction is meant. |
Practice
Select the option of best fit.
Which sentence means that the café is a short distance away?
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Location and place words
Some place adverbs describe a general location rather than a specific point. Outside, inside, upstairs, and abroad do this. They often answer the question of where without naming an exact place. In The cat is outside, outside gives the location. In She studied abroad, abroad shows that the place is another country. These words often follow the verb be, as in The lights are upstairs, or they can come after another verb, as in They waited inside.
| Word | Definition | |
|---|---|---|
| Outside a building or space is meant. | ||
| Within a building or space is meant. | ||
| On a higher floor is meant. | ||
| On a lower floor is meant. | ||
| In another country is meant. | ||
| Inside a building is meant, often in contrast with outside. | ||
| At the place where you live is meant. | ||
| At a great distance is meant. | ||
| Next to and beside something is meant. | ||
| Across the sea or in another country is meant. |
Practice
Select the option of best fit.
Which sentence says that the kittens are on a higher floor?
Direction place adverbs
Some place adverbs show movement toward a place or away from it. Away shows movement to a different place, back shows return, home shows movement toward home, and forward shows movement in front. In He walked away, the movement goes off to another place. In We went back, the movement returns. In She drove home, home shows the destination. These words often appear after the verb, especially when the sentence already has an object, as in She carried the bag upstairs.
| Word | Definition | |
|---|---|---|
| Moving from a place is meant. | ||
| Returning to an earlier place is meant. | ||
| Moving toward home is meant. | ||
| Toward the front or ahead is meant. | ||
| Toward a higher place is meant. | ||
| Toward a lower place is meant. | ||
| Toward the inside is meant. | ||
| Toward the outside is meant. | ||
| In a circle or to many places is meant. | ||
| Away from a surface or place is meant. |
Place adverb sentence position
Place adverbs usually come after the main verb. If the verb has an object, they often come after the object. He sat here places here after the verb. She put the keys there places there after the object. With the verb be, the place adverb usually follows the verb directly, as in The books are upstairs and My friends are nearby. When a place adverb follows a verb of movement, it often completes the idea of direction, as in They moved outside.
| Usage | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|
| Use a place adverb after the main verb when the verb has no object. | ||
| Use a place adverb after the object when the verb takes an object. | ||
| With be, place adverbs usually come after the verb. | ||
| With verbs like seem or become, place adverbs often follow the verb. | ||
| A place adverb at the end can sound natural and clear in everyday speech. |
Train Your Ear as Well
Hear the language at full speed, then answer it.
Emphasis with here and there
Here and there can move to the start of a sentence when the speaker wants to point to a place first. This order often sounds direct and vivid. Here comes the bus puts the location first and then the subject. There is a seat near the window introduces a place or situation before the rest of the sentence. This order is common in speech and in clear descriptions of scenes.
| Usage | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|
| Put here at the beginning to introduce a place clearly. | ||
| Put there at the beginning to draw attention to a distant place. | ||
| Use here or there first when you want the listener to notice the location. | ||
| Fronting the adverb can sound natural in announcements or simple descriptions. | ||
| Use the fronted form to contrast one place with another. |
Negative place adverbs
Nowhere and similar negative place adverbs show the absence of a place. They usually make the whole sentence negative, so they do not need a separate negative word. I found nowhere to park is correct, not I did not find nowhere to park. Nothing and no one follow the same pattern in English. In formal writing and careful speech, use one negative form for the whole idea.
| Idea | |
|---|---|
Take the Quiz!
You can now choose place adverbs for location, movement, emphasis, and negative meaning, then place them naturally in sentences. Keep the momentum going by practicing these forms in your own descriptions of rooms, journeys, and daily routines.