08 In front of / before / behind / after / opposite / between / among Flashcards
There’s a statue in front of the museum.
The police held their riot shields in front of them.
The car behind us ran into the back of us.
NOT before the museum.
NOT the car after us.
When we talk about where something is, we prefer “in front of” and “behind” to “before” and “after”.
J comes before K.
K comes after J.
Before usually means ‘earlier in time’, and after means ‘later in time’. But we also use before and after to talk about what order things come in.
The thief ran across the road with a policemen after him.
We also use after to talk about someone following or chasing.
People were standing in front of the theatre waiting to go in.
People were standing opposite the theatre waiting to cross the road.
Opposite means ‘on the other side from’.
Compare “in front of” and “opposite”.
Gerald was standing in front of me in the queue.
Gerald was sitting opposite me at lunch.
Opposite means ‘on the other side from’.
Compare “in front of” and “opposite”.
The ball went between the player’s legs.
Tom lives somewhere in that area between the hospital, the university and the by-pass.
We use between with a small number of items that we see as separate and individual.
I was hoping to spot Marcia among the crowd.
Among suggests a larger number.
