Adverbs of place tell us where something happens. Adverbs of place are usually placed after the main verb or after the clause that they modify. Adverbs of place do not modify adjectives or other adverbs. Some examples of adverbs of place: here, everywhere, outside, away, around
Examples
- John looked around but he couldn't see the monkey.
- I searched everywhere I could think of.
- I'm going back to school.
- Come in!
- They built a house nearby.
- She took the child outside.
Here and there
Here and there are common adverbs of place. They give a location relative to the speaker. With verbs of movement, here means "towards or with the speaker" and there means "away from, or not with the speaker".
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Come here! | Come towards me. |
| The table is in here. | Come with me; we will go see it together. |
| Put it there. | Put it in a place away from me. |
| The table is in there. | Go in; you can see it by yourself. |
Here and there are combined with prepositions to make many common adverbial phrases.
Examples
- 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.
Here and there are placed at the beginning of the sentence in exclamations or when emphasis is needed. They are followed by the verb if the subject is a noun or by a pronoun if the subject is a pronoun.
Examples
- Here comes the bus!
- There goes the bell!
- There it is!
- Here they are!
Adverbs of place that are also prepositions
Many adverbs of place can also be used as prepositions. When used as prepositions, they must be followed by a noun.
| Word | Used as an adverb of place, modifying a verb | Used as a preposition |
|---|---|---|
| around | The marble rolled around in my hand. | I am wearing a necklace around my neck. |
| behind | Hurry! You are getting behind. | Let's hide behind the shed. |
| down | Mary fell down. | John made his way carefully down the cliff. |
| in | We decided to drop in on Jake. | I dropped the letter in the mailbox. |
| off | Let's get off at the next stop. | The wind blew the flowers off the tree. |
| on | We rode on for several more hours. | Please put the books on the table. |
| over | He turned over and went back to sleep. | I think I will hang the picture over my bed. |
Adverbs of place ending in -where
Adverbs of place that end in -where express the idea of location without specifying a specific location or direction.
Examples
- I would like to go somewhere warm for my vacation.
- Is there anywhere I can find a perfect plate of spaghetti around here?
- I have nowhere to go.
- I keep running in to Sally everywhere!
Adverbs of place ending in -wards
Adverbs of place that end in -wards express movement in a particular direction.
Examples
- Cats don't usually walk backwards.
- The ship sailed westwards.
- The balloon drifted upwards.
- We will keep walking homewards until we arrive.
Be careful: Towards is a preposition, not an adverb, so it is always followed by a noun or a pronoun.
Examples
- He walked towards the car.
- She ran towards me.
Adverbs of place expressing both movement & location
Some adverbs of place express both movement & location at the same time.
Examples
- The child went indoors.
- He lived and worked abroad.
- Water always flows downhill.
- The wind pushed us sideways.