Understanding Adverbs of Place: Definition, Examples, and Rules

Contents

• What is an Adverb of Place?
• Rules for Adverb of Place
• Position in a sentence: 
• No object needed: 
• Not for movement verbs only: 
• Combination with prepositions: 
• Here and there
• Adverbs of place that also function as prepositions:
• Adverbs of place that end in -where:
• Adverbs of place that end in -wards:
• Adverbs of place that express both movement and location:
• The Importance of Learning About Adverbs of Place:

What is an Adverb of Place?

An adverb of place shows us where a particular event occurs or a particular person or thing is. It gives information on the where about or how to get there. Words lik: ground, above, beneath refer to fixed areas while, here, there, and everywhere imply areas of a certain extent. For Example:

• The kids are playing outside.

In this sentence, outside is the adverb of place because it shows where the kids are playing.

Rules for Adverb of Place

These basic rules for adverbs of place will guide you in using them correctly:

Position in a sentence: 

Adverbs of place usually come after the main verb or the object. For example:

• She looked everywhere.

No object needed: 

These adverbs do not need an object to complete their meaning. For Example: 

• The bus is going north.

Not for movement verbs only: 

They can describe both static locations and directions of movement. For Example:

• He stayed inside.

Combination with prepositions: 

Sometimes, they are combined with prepositions to give more detailed information. For Example:

•  She lives nearby.

Here and there

Here and there are common adverbs of place. They provide a location with respect to the speaker. These verbs are placed here, to indicate that here means ‘with or towards the speaker’, and there is used to show that it is away from the speaker or not with the person speaking.

Sentence                       Meaning

Come here!-                (Come towards me.)

The table is in here-       ( Let us go and look at it; come with me.)

Put it there.-              (Take it somewhere out of my reach.)

The table is in there-  (That you can go in you don’t to be told that you can see it by yourself.)

Examples: 

Here is your book. (Close to me)

She lives there, across the street. (Far from me)

I’ll wait for you here at the park. (Close to me)

The store is over there, near the corner. (Far from me)

Come here and take a look at this. (Close to me)

Adverbs of place that also function as prepositions:

Some adverbs of place can also function as prepositions when they show the relationship between two things. Here are a few examples:

• Above:
  As an adverb: The plane is flying above.
  As a preposition: The picture is above the fireplace.

• Below:
  As an adverb: She looked below.
  As a preposition: The keys are below the shelf.

• Behind:
  As an adverb: He stayed behind.
  As a preposition: The car is parked behind the building.

• Under:
  As an adverb: The dog is hiding under.
  As a preposition: The cat is under the table.

• Near:
  As an adverb: They live near.
  As a preposition: The school is near the park.

Adverbs of place that end in -where:

Adverbs of place ending in -where describe unspecific locations. Here are some examples:

Anywhere- Refers to any place.

•  You can sit anywhere.

Somewhere- Refers to an unspecified or unknown place.

• I left my phone somewhere.

Everywhere- Refers to all places.

•  We searched everywhere for the keys.

Nowhere- Refers to no place or a lack of location.

• There’s nowhere to park.

Adverbs of place that end in -wards:

Adverbs of place ending in -wards indicate movement or direction. Here are some examples:

Upwards- Moving toward a higher position.

• The balloon floated upwards.

Downwards- Moving toward a lower position.

• The river flows downwards.

Forwards- Moving in the direction in front.

• She stepped forwards to speak.

Backwards- Moving in the direction behind.

•  He walked backwards carefully.

Homewards- Moving toward home.

• We started our journey homewards.

Be careful: Towards is a preposition, not an adverb, so it is always followed by a noun or a pronoun. For Example:

She walked towards the bus stop.

The dog ran towards its owner.

Adverbs of place that express both movement and location:

Adverbs of place that express both movement and location describe actions and indicate where those actions occur. Here are some examples:

Come here to see the view.

We should head there before it gets dark.

The coffee shop is nearby, so let's walk over.

I searched everywhere for my wallet.

She must be somewhere in the library.

The Importance of Learning About Adverbs of Place:

Students need to understand adverbs of place in order to pass adequate and clear information about places in the conversation. They facilitate writing by a) adding detail and b) enhancing reading of spatial dimension. Knowledge of these adverbs also serves to expand more cross-sectional word and sentence formation, hence general language development. Also, recognizing the use of adverbs of place in the first language may also help learn the use of the same in the second language.

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