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Tema 17: 
Localización en el 
espacio: lugar, 
dirección y distancia  

Madhatter 
21/06/2007 
 
 Tema 17:
a localización en el espacio: Lug
La gar, dirección y distancia.
2

Ta
able of contents
1. Introductioon __________________
____________________
_________________________ 3
2. Position. ______________________
____________________
_________________________ 3
2.1. Preposiitions denotiing simple position
p and
d destination
n. _________________________ 4
2.1.1. Dim
mension ______ ____________________________________ ______________________________ 4
2.1.2. Posiitive position and destinatioon: at, to, on, onto,
o in, into _____________________________ 5
way from, off, out of. ______
2.1.3. Sourrce of negativve position: aw ______________________________ 7
2.2. Preposiitions denotiing Relativee position. ___________
_ ___________________________ 7
2.3. Preposiitions denotiing Relativee destination
n. _________
___________________________ 9
2.4. Other Space
S prepoositions __________________________
___________________________ 9
2.4.1. By, beside,
b with, near
n (to), closse to & opposiite _________
______________________________ 9
2.4.2. Betw
ween, among, amongst, amiid and amidst.. ___________ _____________________________ 10
2.4.3. Arouund, round annd about. ____________________________ _____________________________ 10
2.5. Passagee. _________________________________________
__________________________ 10
2.5.1. Oveer, under, undeerneath, In froont of, On top of, above, below, behind annd beneath. _______ 10
2.5.2. Acrooss, through and
a past. ____________________________ _____________________________ 11
3. Direction. __________
_ __________
____________________
________________________ 11
3.1. Movem
ment with refference to a directional path. _____
__________________________ 11
3.2. Orientaation: Beyon
nd, over, passt, up , across … ______
__________________________ 12
3.3. Resultin
ng Meaningg _______________________________
__________________________ 12
3.4. Pervasiive meaningg: Over, throoughout, witth, up, down
n, around, along,
a acrosss. ___ 13
4. Metaphoriccal or abstrract use of place
p Pps. __________
_ ________________________ 13
5. Distance. ______________________
____________________
________________________ 14
6. Adverbs an
nd Noun Ph
hrases as pllace adjunccts. _______
________________________ 15
Brrief summarry __________________
____________________
________________________ 16
Biibliography __________
_ __________
____________________
________________________ 17

Iván Mattellanes’ Notes

 Tema 17:
La localización en el espacio: Lugar, dirección y distancia.
3

1. Introduction
Three semantic
We can distinguish three semantic relations expressed by adverbials relations related to the
PHYSICAL SPACE:
related to PHYSICAL SPACE:
a. POSITION
a. POSITION: It is normally associated to static Vs (I lay on the sofa), but it Static & Dynamic

can also occur with dynamic Vs (They are running in the Zoo).
b. DIRECTION: It may refer to directional path without a specific b. DIRECTION
With or without
specific location
location (She went northwards) or they can refer to direction along with
a specific location (John walked down the valley).
The interrelation btw position and direction is shown by the fact
that, in particular contexts & with particular Vs, they can all be elicited
by Qs with Where:
Where was he lying? On the sofa [Position]
Where was she walking? In the Zoo [Position] / Down the valley [Direction]
c. DISTANCE: It is a spatial measure. c. DISTANCE

They had traveled a long way. He hadn’t gone far.

She had driven (for) 50 Kms.

2. Position. POSITION:
Expressions of place are chiefly adverbials and postmodifiers. They a. Adverbials &
postmodifiers
answer the Qs Where? So that all of the following could be answers to:

2000 kilometers away -- Noun Phrase + back/away

Over there ------------------------------------ Adverb
Where did I forget it?
Where she told you ----------------- Adverbial Clause
On the table ------------------ Prepositional Phrase

Place expressions can also act as subject of a sentence in informal b. Act as a subject of a
sentence
constructions.
Over there is where I found the wallet.
c. Here, there, every /
But apart from the general advs here, there, every/some/any/no + some / any / no + where
where by far the most important words expressing place are prepositions. d. Prepositions.

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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2.1. Prepositions denoting simple position and destination. SIMPLE POSITION:

2.1.1. Dimension Dimensional properties

of the location
Aristotle in his Physics IV, pointed out that space has three
dimensions, and every part of space, such as right and left, up and down, is
not always the same but change with direction in which people are
turned. Spatial prepositions, following this concept, fall within four groups:
- Dimension-type 0: Point, dimensionless location.
- Dimension-type 1: Line, denoting linear relation.
- Dimension-type 2: Surface, denoting level relation.
- Dimension-type 3: Volume, denting containing relation.
Then, when we use a Preposition to indicate space, we do so in relation
to the dimensional properties of the location concerned. Consider at in
example [1]:
[1] My Motorbike is at the garage Dimension-type 0: POINT
Here, the use of at treats garage as a dimensionless location (no reference - Dimensionless location.
- NO reference to length,
to the place in terms of length, width and height), a mere POINT in relation width and height.
My Motorbike is at the garage
to the position of the car. This is called dimension-type 0. Compare on in:
[2] Our garage is on that street.
Dimension-type 1: LINE
The street is now viewed as a LINE (=along that street). This new example is - Reference to length.
- NO ref to width & height.
called dimension-type 1. But on can also be used to denote an area, as in: Our garage is on that street.

[3] There is some ice on the road

[4] There is a new roof on the garage.
Dimension-type 2:
In [3] and [4], the road and the garage are viewed as a two dimensional area, SURFACE & AREA
- Ref to length & width
that is, as a SURFACE. Finally, compare in, as in: - NO reference to height.
[5] There is only one wardrobe in the room. There is some ice on the street.

Here, the room is viewed as the three dimensional object which in reality it is, Dimensn-type 3: VOLUME
- Reference to length, width
that is, we can see VOLUME. This last example is called Dimension-type 3. & height.
There is only one wardrobe in
There are some Prepositions which can be used either as a surface or as the room.

a volume, as for instance in. The next figure sets out the dimensional
orientation of the chief prepositions of space:

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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Destination Position Destination Position

(movement respect to a location) (static situation) (movement respect to a location) (static situation)
To At (away) from Away from

Dimension
type 0
(point)
X •X X X •
0. He went to the office 0. John stood at the door 0. I drove (away) from the pub 0. I live away from the city
On(to) On Off Off

(line or surface)
types 1 or 2
Dimension
•
•
1. The ball rolled on(to) the line 1. I live on the road to Lnd 1. He felt off the ladder 1. The shop is off the road
2. He fell on(to) the floor 2. The note is on the door 2. The books were off the shell 2. We walked off the park
In(to) / inside In / within1 Out of Out of / outside

Dimension types
•

(area or volume)
2 or 3
•
2. He walked in(to) the park 2. He was in the park 2. I took refuge out of the city 2. They were out of the house
3. The boys ran in(to) the school 3. The keys are in my pocket 3. I took a pen out of her bag 3. He was out of the building
POSITIVE NEGATIVE
FIGURE 1
2.1.2. Positive position and destination: at, to, on, onto, in, into
Prepositional phrases of place are typically adjuncts or postmodifiers.
Position: Static location
Between the notions position (or static location) and destination (movement Destination: Mov
w/respect to an intended
with respect to an intended location) a cause effect relationship obtains: location.

DESTINATION POSITION
John went to Cambridge As a result: John was at Cambridge
John climbed onto the tree As a result: John was on the tree
John dived into the swimming-pool As a result: John was in the swimming-pool
A prepositional phrase of “position” can accompany most Vs, although this Position ---- Stative Vs

meaning is particularly associated with Vs of stative meaning, such as be,

Destination -
stand, live … The meaning of “destination” generally, but not always, Dynamic Vs
accompanies a V of dynamic ‘motional’ meaning, such as go, move, fly …
Furthermore, Pps denoting position (not destination) are used with the V Can be used w/the V arrive

arrive and the N arrival : She arrived / On her arrival [in London / at the bus stop]

In many cases (especially colloquial English), on and in may be used for On & in vs. onto & into

both position & destination. There are various restrictions, especially in BrE,
on the interchangeability of on with onto and in with into. Most Vs of motion
Vs of motion require onto
such as walk, slide, swim … require onto & into for destinational meaning. & into for destinational
Don’t run in the school [when you are inside the building] meaning.
Don’t run into the school [that is, from outside it]

1
Slightly more formal. It usually indicates a location bounded by limits

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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Here are some more examples of each dimension type:

- Dimension-type 0 (point):
At the bus At the North Pole At the end of the road
- Dimension-type 1 (Line):
The city is situated [On the river Thames / On the boundary / On the coast]
- Dimension-type 2:
Surface:
A notice was pasted [on the wall / on the ceiling / on my back]
Area (enclosed or bordered area):
In the world, in the village, in a park …
- Dimension-type 3 (Volume):
In a box, in the bathroom, in the cathedral …
The contrast btw on [Surface] and in [area] has various implications On (surface) vs. in (area)

according to context, as in:

The frost made patterns on the window [=glass surface]
A face appeared in the window/mirror [= Framed area]
The players were practicing on the field [=surface for sports]
Cows were grazing in the field [=enclosed area of land]
She was sitting on the grass [=surface, that is, the grass is short]
She was sitting in the grass [=volume, that is, the grass is long]
On (Other uses): On the top
There are other uses of on as a Pp: of & hanging from [position]

Mrs. Brown sat on the wall --- [on the top of]
There are still apples on the tree --- [hanging from]

In vs. At
In is used for sizeable territories such as:
Sizeable territories: in
Continents, countries: in Asia, in China
Provinces, countries: in British Columbia, in Cheshire
City districts: in Brooklyn, in Hampstead

For towns & villages either at or in are suitable according to the pº of view: Town, villages: in (area)
or at (point on the map)
We will met her at Oxford street (As a point on a map)
I saw her while I was shopping in Oxford street (open area)
A very large city is usually treated as an area, but even a large city may be Very large cities: Most
common in but also at
treated as a point on the map if global distances are in mind: (point on the map)

He works in London, but lives in the country. (a big area, city)

Our plane refueled at London on its way from L.A. to Moscow. (A point on the map)

With buildings also, both at and in can be used. The difference here is
W/buildings: in (three-
that at refers to the building in its institutional or functional aspect, dimensional structure)
at (building in its
whereas in refers to it as a three-dimensional structure. institutional asptect)

Ann works [at / in] a publishing house

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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With school, we can find the following three constructions:

[1] Sid is at school At the place, not at “Enrolled in” [1]
[2] Sid is in school home [1,2]
[3] Sid is in the school “Within the building” [3]
The meaning “enrolled in” is expressed by [1]; the meaning “at the place,
not at home” is expressed by [1] or [2]; the meaning “within the building”
is expressed by [3].
To vs. Towards
Towards expresses movement without the idea of completion: Towards: Expresses
movement w/out the idea
They drove towards Melbourne [suggest they are still on their way] of completion
To denotes completive movement in the direction of a place, as in: To: denotes a complete
movement to destination.
The Smiths moved to Melbourne [suggest actual arrival]
But, To with the progressive aspect does not express the idea of With the progressive, it
does not express the idea
completion. of completion

They were driving to Melbourne

With the perfective aspect, to may also be used in a way which To: Perfective aspect.
Interchangeable with
appears to be interchangeable with at or in: at or in

John has been [to or at Cambridge (as a student) / to or in Cambridge (as a visitor)]

2.1.3. Source of negative position: away from, off, out of.

There is also a cause-and-effect relation with negative
destination and position parallel to that of positive destination and position:
DESTINATION POSITION
Ann drove (away) from home As a result: Ann was away from home
The book fell off the shell As a result: The book was off the shell
Tom got out of the water As a result: Tom was out of the water
The negative Pps away from, off and out of may be defined simply by adding
the word not to their corresponding counterpart:
Away from (=not at) Off (=not on) Out of (=not in)

RELATIVE POSITION:
2.2. Prepositions denoting Relative position.
Apart from simple position, prepositions may also express the RELATIVE

POSITION of two objects or group of objects. Above, over, on the top, under,
underneath, beneath and below express relative position vertically; whereas
in front of, before, behind and after represent it horizontally.

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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Above X
Over X
On the top of X

In front of X Behind X
X
Before X After X

Under X ≈ Beneath X ≈ Underneath X

Below X

FIGURE 2

The antonyms above & below, over & under, in front of & behind are
converse opposites:
The picture is above the mantelpiece = the mantelpiece is below the picture
The bus is in front of the car = The car is behind the bus.

Over and under as place Pps are roughly synonymous with above & Over ≈ under
Above ≈ Below
below. The main differences are that over & under tend to indicate a direct
Over & Under:
vertical relationship or spatial proximity, while above & below may Spatial proximity
Above & below: “on a
indicate simply “on a higher/lower level than”: higher/lower level than”

The castle stands on a hill [above / ?over ] the valley. [on a higher level than]
Keep this blanket [over / * above ] you. [Spatial proximity]
The doctor was leaning [over / *above] the body when I arrived. [Vertical relation]

Underneath & beneath (formal) are less common substitutes for Underneath & beneath
(formal) ≈ under
under. The police found the stolen wallet under / underneath the carpet.

The following prepositional advs or fixed phrases correspond to Prepositional Advs or

fixed Sentences:
the prepositions of relative position:
Prepositional Advs Prepositions
Overhead over
Underneath (formal) Under, underneath (formal)
in front? [Prepositional Adv]
In front In front of Would you like to sit in front of us? [Preposition]
On top On top of
Above Above
Below Below
Behind Behind
Beneath (formal) Beneath (formal)

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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RELATIVE DESTINATION:
2.3. Prepositions denoting Relative destination.
As well as relative position, the Pps listed in Figure 2 (but not, generally,
above and below) can also express relative destination:
He threw a blanket over her.
The bush was the only hiding place, so I jumped behind it.
When it started to rain, we all went underneath the trees.
This use is different from that denoting “PASSAGE over, under, behind”. See
section 2.5
OTHER PPS:
2.4. Other Space prepositions
2.4.1. By, beside, with, near (to), close to & opposite
By, beside(s), with
Other prepositions denoting space are by, beside & with:
By / beside: At the
He was standing by / beside the door. [At the side of] side of
I left the keys with my wallet. [In the same place as] With: In the same
place as
Beside is usually a locative and Besides a non-locative Pp:
Besides: non-locative
Beside Mary there stood a young man. [At the side of] Pp → In addition to.
Besides Mary there were several other students in the Hall. [In addition to] Can also have an adv
meaning “in addition”
However, the Pp beside is often used, especially in AmE, to mean “in Beside (AmE): also
“in comparison with”,
comparison with”, “apart from”. Besides may also be an adv meaning apart from”
“in addition”.
She is intelligent. Besides, she is good looking. [Adv meaning – “in addition”]

Near (to), close to

As a locative Pp, the simple Pp near meaning “close to” can be replaced
by the complex one near to.
She was sitting [near (to) /close to] me
Near (to) and close to are the only Pps which inflect for comparison. The only Pps which
inflect for the
Unlike the base form, nearer and nearest usually require to. Next always comparison.

does so.
She was sitting [ nearer (to) / nearest (to) / next to ] me
She was sitting [ closer to / closest to ] me

Opposite means “facing” and has an optional to: Opposite: “facing”.

Optional to.
Her house is opposite to mine.

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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2.4.2. Between, among, amongst, amid and amidst.

Between relates the position of an object to a definite or exclusive Between & among
Between: relates two or
set of discrete objects, whereas among relates to non-discrete objects. a discrete set of objs
The house stands between two farms Among: relates more
The house stands among farms. than two or a non-
discrete set of objs
Switzerland lies [ between / * among ] France, Germany, Austria and Italy.

Amid and amidst (both formal) mean “in the midst of” and can apply Amid & amidst (formal)

to an indefinite number of entities.

The deserted house stood amid snow-covered trees. (formal)

2.4.3. Around, round and about. Around, round & about

Around and round refer to surrounding position: (A)round: surrounding

position.
We were sitting (a)round the campfire
Around & About: “in
About and around often have the meaning of “in the area of” or “in various the area of”, “in various
positions in”
positions in”:
There are very few taxis about / around here. [in the area of]
The guests were standing about / around the room. [in various positions in]

2.5. Passage. PASSAGE

Passage is the movement towards and then away from a place.

2.5.1. Over, under, underneath, In front of, On top of, above, below, Over, under, underneath,
In front of, On top of,
behind and beneath. above, below, behind
With Vs of motion, Pps listed in Figure 2 may express the idea of and beneath can express
both passage and
PASSAGE as well as DESTINATION. destination

[1] The ball rolled underneath the table.

In [1], we can supply either the meaning of PASSAGE (=”the ball passed under
the table on the way to some other destination”) or the meaning of
DESTINATION (=”the ball rolled under the table and stayed there”).

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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2.5.2. Across, through and past.

Across, through and
The sense of passage is the primary locative meaning attached to past: can express both
passage and destination
across (dimension type 1 or 2), through (dimension-type 2 or 3) and past
(equivalent to by). Note the parallel between across & on, through & in.
We drove by / past the Town Hall.

Dimension-type 1 or 2: On the grass ≈ across the grass.

Dimension type 2 or 3: In the grass ≈ through the grass.

On and across treat the grass as a surface, and therefore suggests a short
grass. In & through, by treating the grass as a volume, suggest that it has
height, so the grass is suggested to be long.

DIRECTION:
3. Direction.
MOVEMENT
3.1. Movement with reference to a directional path.
Up, down, along, across (in a slightly different sense from that of
“PASSAGE” –in section 2.5.2.-) and around, with Vs of motion, make a group of
Pps expressing movement w/reference to an axis or directional path:
VERTICAL AXIS

CURVE along
up down
HORIZONTAL AXIS

Across

(A)round
FIG 3 FIG 4 FIG 5

Up and down contrast in terms of VERTICAL DIRECTION. Up & Down: contrast in

terms of vertical direction
We walked up the hill and down the other side.
Used idiomatically in
VERTICAL AXIS

But, up and down are also used idiomatically in reference to the reference to the
horizontal axis.
horizontal axis.
She went [up / down] [the coast / the road]
Up and down here expresses “Along”, and need not have any vertical
implications.

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Along denotes “from one end towards the other” or “in parallel Along: “from one end
with”: towards the other” or “in
HORIZONTAL AXIS

We walked along the streets, just looking at people. [from one end towards the other] parallel with”
I took my dog for a walk along the river. [in parallel with]
Along contrasts with across (“from one side to the other”) in terms of Across: “from one side to
the other”
HORIZONTAL AXIS.

Be careful when you walk across the street. [from one side to the other]

With (a)round, the DIRECTIONAL PATH is an angle or a CURVE. (A)round: The directional
CURVE

path is an angle or curve

We run (a)round the corner.

Towards indicates both ‘real’ & ‘implied’ motion, “in the direction of”: Towards: ‘real’ and
‘implied’ motion, “in the
We walked towards the old farmhouse. [Real movement] direction of”.
The window faces towards the south. [Not real, but implied motion]
–wards advs of direction have correspondences with towards, up & down. -wards advs have
sm correspondences
The window faces southwards. The ball rolled upwards. w/ towards/up/down.

3.2. Orientation: Beyond, over, past, up , across … ORIENTATION

Most Pps which express relative destination, passage and

movement with reference to a directional path can be also used in a
static sense of orientation. This brings in a third factor apart from the two
things being spatially related: A POINT OF ORIENTATION AT WHICH (in reality or
imagination) THE SPEAKER IS STANDING.

Beyond (“on the far side of”) is a Pp whose primary meaning is one of Beyond: its primary
meaning is one of
orientation. orientation

I could see the town beyond the field. [On the other side from me]
Over, past, across &
Over, past, across and through combine the meaning of ‘beyond’ with through: combine the
meaning of ‘beyond’
w/more specific inf
more specific information about dimension. about dimension
They live across the fields. [that is, from me]

We can specify the point of orientation (or viewpoint) by using a From-Phrase.

from-phrase:
He lives up / down / along / across the road from me.

3.3. Resulting Meaning RESULTING

Pps which have the meaning of motion can also indicate “state”
after reaching a particular destination. The horses are over the fence [have jumped it]

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

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3.4. Pervasive meaning: Over, throughout, with, up, down, PERVASIVE

around, along, across.
Throughout meaning “all through” is the only Pp whose primary Throughout: its
primary meaning is
pervasive (all-inclusive)
meaning is “pervasive” (=all-inclusive):
Chaos reigned (all) through the house
The epidemic has spread throughout the country
Over (dimension-type 1 or 2) and through (dimension-type 2 or 3), especially (all) over, (all)
through: Also have
pervasive meaning.
when preceded by all, have pervasive meaning (either static or motional):
The child was running (all) over the flower borders.

Occasionally, the “axis” type Pps (up, down, around, along, across) Up, down, around,
along, across: May also
of section 3.1. may also be used in a pervasive sense: have pervasive meaning.

There were crowds (all) along the route.

They put flowers (all) around the statue.

With also has pervasive meaning in expressions such as: With: May also have
pervasive meaning.
The ground was covered with snow.
The garden was buzzing with bees.
Similarly: loaded with, paved with, surrounded with, dotted with …

METAPHORICAL
4. Metaphorical or abstract use of place Pps. USE OF PLACE PPS
Many position or direction Pps have abstract meanings which are
clearly related, through metaphorical connection, to their locative uses.
Very often Pps so used keep the groupings (in terms of similarity or contrast
of meaning) that they have when used in a literal reference to situation
or direction. Examples in relation to the literal meanings are the
following:

- In/out of; amid; amidst (formal & rare) In/out of; amid; amidst

= POSITION → STATE CONDITION: Position → State

condition
The be in/out of danger. Amidst many problems.
To keep out of trouble. To be in difficulties.
= ENCLOSURE → ABSTRACT INCLUSION: Enclosure → Abstract
In plays/books In/out of a race inclusion

- Into/out of = DESTINATION → ABSTRACT CONDITION OR CIRCUMSTANCE. Into/out of:

Destination → Abstract
He got into difficult/trouble Can you get me out of this mess? condition or circumstance

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- In/on = POSITION → MEMBERSHIP, PARTICIPATION In/on:

Position → Membership
In the army On the committee

- Above / below / beneath = VERTICAL DIRECTION → ABSTRACT LEVEL. Above / below / beneath
= VERTICAL DIRECTION →
Be above/below smone in the list. Above the average. ABSTRACT LEVEL
Above/below one’s income. Above suspicion.

- Under = VERTICAL DIRECTION → SUBJECTION, SUBORDINATION; PROCESS Under = VERTICAL DIRECTION

→ SUBORDINATION; PROCESS
Under suspicious. Bridge is under construction.
People working under him.

- Up/Down = MOVEMENT ON VERTICAL AXIS → MOVEMENT ON LIST/SCALE. Up/down = MOVEMENT ON

VERTICAL AXIS → MOVEMENT
Move up/down the scale Climb up/down the social ladder. ON LIST/SCALE

- From/to: STARTING POINT/DESTINATION → ORIGINATOR/RECIPIENT. From/to: STARTING POINT or

DESTINATION → ORIGINATOR or
A letter/present from Browning to his wife. RECIPIENT

- Beyond / past / over = RESULTATIVE MEANING: PHYSICAL → ABSTRACT Beyond / past / over =
RESULTATIVE MEANING:
[Beyond / Past] belief / endurance / hope / recovery. PHYSICAL → ABSTRACT
We are over the worst.

- Between / among / amongst = RELATIVE POSITION → ABSTRACT RELATION Btw / among / amongst =
RELATIVE POSITION →
BTW PARTICIPANTS.
ABSTRACT RELATION BTW
PARTICIPANTS.

A fight/match between X & Y We agree/quarrel among ourselves.

- Through = PASSAGE → PERSEVERANCE, ENDURANCE. Through = PASSAGE →

PERSEVERANCE, ENDURANCE
She came through the trial. We are through the worst.

5. Distance.
Distance can be expressed by NPs of measure such as a foot, a few
yards, ten miles, a long way, a few kilometers …
These NPs can modify a V of motion:
He run several miles.
They can also precede & modify and adv of place. The reference with this
adv of place is a static location.
They live a long way away.
How far did he run? --- How far away do you live?

Iván Matellanes’ Notes

 Tema 17:
a localización en el espacio: Lug
La gar, dirección y distancia.
15

6.. Adverb
bs and Noun Phrases
P as plac
ce adjun
ncts.
The majority
m of place adju
uncts are Pp
P phrasess (as I have
e just explained),
bu
ut clauses, adv Phrases and NPs are also used.
Simp
ple Prepos
sitional advs
a are advs whicch behave like Prepo
ositions Simple
S Prepositional Advs
s
Behave like Pps &
bu
ut omit th
he comple
ement. Th
hey share the same
e function
n as Pps, b
but not ame Fns
share the sa
th
he syntac
ctic statu
us. A simp
ple Prepossitional Adv is capab
ble of sta
anding Can stand alone
g Pps
w/out adding
alo
one as an
a adjunctt, disjunctss or conjunct with
hout the addition
n of a
Prreposition
nal comp
plement. Most pla
ace Pps (except
( diimension-ttype 0)
co
orrespond
d in from & meanin
ng to prep
positionall Advs. Preposition
nal Advs:

Here
e there are
e some Pre d for positiion and dirrection:
epositional Advs used
Above
ve, along, an nywhere, aroround, away,y, back, beloow, by, dow wn, east, elssewhere,
everyywhere, far, here, near, off, oppositee, out, over, past, round
d, somewhere
re, there,
throu
ugh, up and within.
w
Advss denoting direction only are: Aside, Bacckwards, do ownwards, fo
forwards,
inwarrds, left outw
wards, right. sideways, up
pwards.

Location
L of po
osition &
When
n position and dire
ection adjuncts occ
cur togeth
her in a c
clause, direction
d adjuuncts in a
clause
c
e
the DIRECTION
N adjunctt normally
y precede
es the POSIITION one in
i final possition. [DIRECTION +POSITION]
The children
c are running
r arou
ound upstairrs. [DIRECTION +POSITION]
Th
he POSITION
N adjunct may be pllaced init
tially to av
void end-ffocus: [POSITION (…
…) DIRECTION]

Upsttairs the chilildren are run

nning around
nd. [POSITION
N (…) DIREC
CTION]

Tw
wo N/DIRECTION
POSITION N adjuncts can be coordinat
c ted in the same
s clau
use: [POSITION/D
DIRECTION
and//or
At thi
his time of the
he morning hee is either att work or att home. POSITION/DIRECTION
I ]
[POSITION N/DIRECTION and/or POSITION
O /DIR
RECTION]
This coorrdination is
s not possibble when
Only
O possible if both
b adjuncts
two adjun ncts are noot of the sam
me kind are
a of the same kind
2
Two POSITION
P adjunctss can co-o occur butt only the
e one den
noting Hierarchical
H relation
th
he larger place
p can take inittial positio
on. 2 POSITION adjuncts:
In Lo
ondon mostt people work
rk in large companies.
co [Larger place
e (…) smaller place] [Larger place
e (...) smaller]
Tw
wo DIRECTION adjunccts can als
so be pre
esent in th
he same sentence:
s
He kept
ke going fro
om Paris to New
N York
If the two DIIRECTION ad
djuncts are
e juxtapose
ed they sh
hould follo
ow the orrder of 2 DIRECTIONN adjuncts:
[Earlier
[ event initial position]
th
he events
s describe
ed. The one referrin
ng to the earlier ev
vent may
y take
initial posittion.
He walked
w down the corridor into the classsroom. [Earllier event -- initial
i positio
on]

2
B
Both POSITION
N & DIRECTION
N are often found
f ___#: She lives do
own there; He
H run into th
he house.

Iván Mattellanes’ Notes

 Topic 17: Brief summary
WIDTH

Brief summary

HEIGHT
- Position: It’s normally associated to static Vs (I lay on the sofa), but it can also occur with
dynamic Vs (They are running in the Zoo).
LENGTH
- Expressions of place are chiefly ADVERBIALS and POSTMODIFIERS and answers the Qs Where?
♦ NP + back/away → 200 Kilometers away. ♦ Advl clause → Where she told you.
- Most important words:
♦ Adv → Over there. ♦ PpP → On the table. Prepositions.
- SIMPLE POSITION & DESTINATION: Space has three dimensions. Spatial Pps, following this concept, fall within four dimension-types:
♦ DT-0: Point, dimensionless location → My Motorbike is at the garage (NO reference to length, width and height, just a mere point)
♦ DT-1: Line, denoting linear relation → Our garage is on that street (REF TO LENGTH; NO ref to width & height)
♦ DT-2: Surface/area, denoting level relation → There is some ice on the street (REF TO LENGTH & WIDTH; NO reference to height.)
♦ DT-3: Volume, denting containing relation → There is only one wardrobe in the room (REF TO LENGTH, WIDTH & HEIGHT)
- POSITIVE POSITION & DESTINATION: at, to, on, onto, in, into. Spatial Pps, following this concept, fall within four dimension-types:
♦ Between the notions position (or static location) and destination (movement with respect to an intended location) a cause-effect
relationship obtains → John went to Cambridge [Destination] as a result John was at Cambridge [position].
♦ DESTINATION: generally accompanies a V of dynamic ‘motional’ meaning ♦ POSITION: associated with Vs of stative meaning
Towards vs. To: The contrast btw on
♦ Towards expresses movement without the [Surface] and in [area]
idea of completion → They drove towards has various
Melbourne [suggest they are still on their way] implications according
♦ To denotes completive movement in the to context, as in:
direction of a place → The Smiths moved to ♦ The players were
Melbourne [suggest actual arrival] practicing on the field
[=surface for sports]
♦ Cows were grazing in
the field [=enclosed
In At area of land]
Sizeable territories
→ in Asia / Brooklyn
Towns & villages → On and in may be used
Shopping in Oxford I met her at Oxford for both position &
street (open area) street (point in the destination. Most Vs of
map) motion, such as walk,
Very large cities slide, swim … require
NORM → He works in BUT → Our plane onto & into for
London refueled at London destinational meaning
(point in the map)
With Buildings
[1] Sid is at school At the place, not at “Enrolled in” [1]
3D dimensional Institutional building
[2] Sid is in school home [1,2]
structure
[3] Sid is in the school “Within the building” [3]

- NEGATIVE POSITION & DESTINATION: Also a cause-and-effect relation with negative destination & position → Ann drove (away) from home
[Destination] as a result of Ann was away from home [Position].
♦ The negative Pps away from, off and out of may be defined simply by adding the word not to their corresponding counterpart: Away
from = not at; off = not on; Out of = not in.

- PPS DENOTING RELATIVE POSITION & DESTINATION:

- RELATIVE POSITION: ♦ Over ≈ under & Above ≈ Below
Over & Under: Spatial Above & below: “on a
♦ The antonyms proximity higher/lower level than”
above & below, → Keep this blanket → The castle stands on a
over & under, in over you. hill above the valley
front of & behind
are CONVERSE ♦ Underneath & beneath (formal) are less common
OPPOSITES substitutes for under → The police found the stolen wallet
under / underneath the carpet.

- RELATIVE DESTINATION: As well as relative position, the Pps above (but not, generally, above and below) can also express RELATIVE DESTINATION.
→ The bush was the only hiding place, so I jumped behind it.
→ When it started to rain, we all went underneath the trees.

- PASSAGE is the movement towards and then away from a place:

♦ With Vs of motion, Over, under, underneath, In front of, On top of, above, below, behind and beneath (Relative position Pps) can
express both PASSAGE and DESTINATION.
→ The ball rolled underneath the table (a) PASSAGE> the ball passed under the table on the way to some other destination.
(b) DESTINATION > the ball rolled under the table and stayed there
♦ The sense of PASSAGE is the primary locative meaning attached to across (DT 1 or 2), through (DT 2 or 3) and past (equivalent to by)
- OTHER SPACE PPS: ♦ As a locative Pp, the simple Pp near meaning “close to” can be replaced by the complex one near to. Near (to) and
close to are the only Pps which inflect for comparison.
♦ Between (relates 2 or a discrete set of objs) & among
♦ By/Besides = At the side of → He was standing by / beside the door .
(relates more than two or a non-discrete set of objs).
♦ With = In the same place as → I left the keys with my wallet.
♦ Amid & amidst (formal = In the midst of) ♦ Around (surrounding position), round & about (“in the are of”).
 Topic 17
7: Brief summ
mary.
17
- Direction
D : It may refer to directiona
al path witho northwards)) or they can
out a speciffic location (She went n n
reffer to directio
on along withh a specific location (Joohn walked down
d the vallley).

- MOVEMENT WITH REFEREN TIONAL PATH: Up,

NCE TO A DIRECT oss, towards & -wards advs.
U down, (A)round, along, acro
♦ Up and down are allso used idioma atically in
reference to the horizo
ontal axis.
→ She went [up / dow wn] [the coast / the road]

♦ Alonng denotes “from m one end towards the

other” o
or “in parallel with”. Along conttrasts with
acrosss (“from one side e to the other”) in
i terms of
HORIZONTAL AXIS.
→ We w walked along th he streets.
→ Be ccareful when you u walk across thet street
♦ With (a)round, the directional
d path is an
angle o
or a curve.
→ We rrun (a)round thhe corner.

♦ Towarrds indicates bo
oth ‘real’ & ‘implied’ motion, “in the direction of”.
o ♦ –w
wards advs of direction have co
orrespondencess with towards,
→ We walked
w towards the old farmhou use. [Real move ement]. up & down.
→ The window
w owards the soutth. [Not real, butt implied motion
faces to n] → Thhe ball rolled up
pwards..
→ Thhe window facess southwards.

- ORIENTATIO
ON (Beyond, over,
o past, up, across … ): Most Pps which
h express REL TION, PASSAGE
LATIVE DESTINAT and MOVEMENTT WITH
rd
REFERENCE TO
O A DIRECTIONAL
L PATH can be also
a used in a static sense of
o orientation. This
T brings in a 3 factor aparrt from the two things
being spatiallyy related: A poin on at which the speaker
nt of orientatio s is stan
nding.

♦ Beyonnd (“on the far side of”) is a Pp whose primarry meaning is on

ne of ORIENTATIION. ♦ We can speciffy the point of
→ I could see the town beyond the fielld. [On the other side from me]] orrientation (or vie
ewpoint) by usin
ng a
fro
rom-phrase.
♦ Over, past, across and
a through ma ay combine the meaning of bey
yond with more → He lives up the e road from me e.
specific information
i abo
out dimension.
→ They live across the fields. [that is, from
f me]

- PERVASIVE MEANING: Thro

oughout meaniing “all through”” is the only Pp whose
w primary meaning is “perrvasive” (=ALL-INCLUSIVE).
→ Chaos reig
gned (all) throug
gh the house.

♦ Over (DT
( 1 or 2) and through (DT 2 or 3), especiallly ♦ Occasionally,
O the “axis” type Pp
ps (up, down, around,
a
when preeceded by all, have
h pervasive meaning. ong, across) ma
alo ay also be usedd in a pervasive
e sense.
→ A piecce of news knowwn all over the world. → They put flowerrs (all) around tthe statue.
- DISTANCE: Distance
D can
n be expresse
ed by NPs of
o measure such
s as a foo
ot, a few yarrds, ten mile
es, a long way,
w
a few
f kilomete
ers …

Bibliogra
aphy
Cenn Edu; CEDE; Quirk, R. Et al A comprehensive
c e grammar of Ennglish Lg.;
2. Position:
P http:///www.swjtu.edu
u.cn/chtdocs/depart/txt/waiyu/llunwenzhaiyao/06.htm

Iván Matellanes’ Notes