What is an Adverb of Place?

Adverbs of place tell us where something happens. Adverbs that change

or qualify the meaning of a sentence by telling us where things happen are
defined as adverbs of place. Adverbs always answer one important
question: Where? They are usually placed after the main verb or after the
clause that they alter, modify or change. Adverbs of place do not modify
adjectives or other adverbs.

Adverbs are categorized on the basis of it information it gives, they

modify verbs by giving us the following information.

1. Where the action occurs

2. How the action occurs
3. How many times action occur
4. Intensity of action
5. At which time the action occurs

Adverb of place tells us about the place of action or where action

occurs/ will occur / occurred. e.g. here, there, near, somewhere, outside,
ahead, on the top, at some place.

We use adverbials of place to describe:

 Location

We use prepositions to talk about where someone or something is.

Examples:

o He was standing by the pool.

o You’ll find it in the lobby.
o Sign your name here – at the end of the page.

 Direction
We use adverbials to to talk about the direction where someone or
something is moving.
Examples:

o Walk past the bank and keep going to the end of the highway.
o The compartment door is very small so it’s difficult to
get into.

 Distance

We use adverbials to show how far things are:

Examples:
o Birmingham is 250 kilometres from London.
o We were in London. Birmingham was 250 kilometres away.

These simple rules for adverbs of place are as below:

 An adverb of place always expresses about the location where the

action of the verb is being carried out.
 Adverbs of place can be directional. For example: Up, down,
north, around, southwest, away
 Adverbs of place can denote distances. For example: Nearby, far
away, miles apart
 Adverbs of place are usually placed after a sentence’s object or
main verb.
 Many adverbs of place specify movement in a specific direction
and end in the letters “-ward or -wards”. For example: Toward,
forward, backward, homeward, westward, eastwards onwards
 An adverb of place can point out an object’s position in relation to
another object. For example: Below, between, above, behind,
through, around and so forth.

Note that some adverbs can also be prepositions:

 She was waiting with a yellow scarf on. (adverb)

  She put the blue scarf on the table. (preposition)

List of Adverbs of Place

Mentioned below are the list of Adverbs of place:

about above anywhere away abroad

backwards (also
across ahead back behind
backward)
below beyond down downstairs downwards
eastwards east elsewhere everywhere far
here in indoors inside near
nearby next to outside overseas off
on out outside of over on top of
to there towards under up
upstairs where west yonder from
around wherever

Examples of Adverbs of Place

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 have nowhere to go.

 I would like to go somewhere cold for my vacation.
 I keep running in to Mariah everywhere!
 Is there anywhere I can find a perfect plate of spaghetti around here?
Adverbs of place ending in -WARDS

Adverbs of place that end in -wards express movement in a particular direction.

Examples:

 The ship sailed northwards.

 Cats don't usually walk backwards.
 We will keep walking homewards until we arrive.
 The balloon drifted upwards.

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

pronoun.

Examples:

 She walked towards the car.

 He ran towards me.

Adverbs of place expressing both MOVEMENT & LOCATION

Some adverbs of place express both movement & location at the same time.

Examples:

 The wind pushed us sideways.

 He lived and worked abroad.
 The child was playing outdoors.
 Water always flows downhill.

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".

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.
Around, behind, down, in, off, on, over

 I am wearing a necklace around my neck.

 Let's hide behind the shed.
 John made his way carefully down the cliff.
 I dropped the letter in the mailbox.
 The wind blew the flowers off the tree.
 Please put the books on the table.
 I think I will hang the picture over my bed.

Each sentence contains an example of an adverb of place; the

examples are italicized for easy identification. As you read the
examples, you will notice that some of the adverbs of place contain
more than one word.

1. Ever upwards the mighty redwood trees grow.

2. After a long day at work, we headed homewards.
3. On a perch beside him sat a blue parrot.
4. Please bring that book here.
5. My grandfather’s house is nearby.
6. John looked around but he couldn't see the monkey.
7. I searched everywhere I could think of.
8. Across the meadow I spied a beautiful woman.
9. I kicked the ball around the field.
10. Onwards we marched, hoping to arrive before sunset.
11. I'm going back to school.
12. Come in!
13. The people all gazed upwards at the meteor shower.
14. In this house we have lived our entire lives.
15. They built a house nearby.
16. I would like to go somewhere tropical for my birthday.
17. She took the child outside.
18. In the doorway stood a man with a gun.
 19. Leave the car in the driveway.
20. They built a huge toy factory nearby.
21. The guards wouldn't let us go through.
22. I heard a nightingale singing somewhere not far away.
23. From the rafters hung strings of onions.
24. Over the wall came a shower of stones.
25. Outside the office, I could hear my parents talking to the
principal.

Adverbs of Place Exercises

The following exercises will help understand how adverbs of place
work. Choose the best answer to complete each sentence.

1. Close the door when you go ___________.

2. The baby is hiding down there under the table.
3. The cat is hiding_______________ the couch.
4. Come over here and look at what I found!
5. Will you be starting your plants ________________ or in a
greenhouse?
6. I wonder how my driver's license got stuck under here.
7. The ship sailed ________________, encountering heavy weather
along the way.
8. When she saw me waiting, she ran __________________ me.
9. __________________ you live, I will come to that place to live.
10. He led the caravan, __________________ he wanted to go.
11. What are you doing _________there?
12. ________________we went, people greeted us warmly.