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Where's the streetcar stop? Between, behind, in front of and across from

Students practice between, behind, in front of and across from in this A1 ESL lesson plan, telling a visitor where places are.

Grammar
Prepositions of location beyond near and next to: between, behind, in front of, across from, on the corner of and at the end of (The garden is behind the house.).
Topic
Places near a streetcar stop in New Orleans, on the green St. Charles line, with words such as get off, tracks, gate and guest house.
Activities
A visitors' mini guide, a dialogue at a stop and a guest house owner's voice message, self-checking drills, a chat and emoji maps for helping a visitor, and a note to write.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Hello, New Orleans!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: streetcars and streetsVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: ride the streetcar

    • Look at the photo: the St. Charles streetcarPictureUnlock
    • Read the guide: ride the streetcarReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: where's the café?

    • Listen to Mia and JackListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Listen to a voice message from DeniseListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen to Denise and choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: between, behind, across from

    • Study the scheme: where is it?Grammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropTry it
    • Fill in the gaps: where is it?Fill in the gapsUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: help a visitor

    • Choose the right replies: help a visitorChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: help a visitorOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Match the words and their meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Write a note: where is it?Writing, checked by the teacherUnlock
    • Record a voice message for a visitorSpeaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

25 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

9 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+6 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • tracks
  • oak tree
  • fountain
  • gate
  • garden
  • guest house

Grammar: between, behind, in front of and across from

A visitor at a streetcar stop needs more than near and next to: the café is across the street, and the garden can't be seen from it. Following a stop in the Garden District, learners add six prepositions of location, from between and behind to at the end of, and use them to answer a visitor's Where's…?

Where is it? Between, behind, across from…

Tell a visitor where places are. You know in, on, under, near, next to, opposite. Now: six more!

Six ways to say where it is

Each row of the table pairs a phrase with an emoji picture of where things stand: The fountain is in front of the hotel. The garden is behind the house. In front of always ends with of, but behind takes nothing before the place.

WordsExampleSee it
between … and …The café is between the bank and the bookstore.🏦 ☕ 📚
behindThe garden is behind the house.👀 ➜ 🏠 ➜ 🌷
in front ofThe fountain is in front of the hotel.👀 ➜ ⛲ ➜ 🏨
across fromThe bookstore is across from the stop.📚 | the street | 🚋
on the corner of … and …The stop is on the corner of Elm Street and Pine Street.Elm Street ➕ Pine Street = 📍
at the end ofThe hotel is at the end of the street.🛣️ ➜ ➜ ➜ 🏨

Opposite or across from?

Across from means the same as opposite, which students know from A1.1: on the far side of the street. In the US, people often say across from, so the lesson uses it: The bank is across from the park. It always keeps from, never across of.

opposite ✓

  • The bank is opposite the park.

across from ✓ (in the USA, people often say it)

  • The bank is across from the park.

Between two places, on the corner of two streets

The tip's rule is two places, two streets: between the bank and the bookstore, never just between the bank, and on the corner of Elm Street and Pine Street, never on the corner from. At the end of needs only one street.

Two places, two streets

between needs two places: between the bank and the café. on the corner of needs two streets: on the corner of Elm Street and Pine Street. (Not: on the corner from.)

Where's the café? It's between…

Where's…? asks about one place and Where are…? about more, with answers that start It's or They're: Where are the oak trees? They're in front of the house. Other verbs need does, as in lesson 10: Where does the streetcar stop?

QuestionAnswer
Where's the café?It's between the bank and the bookstore.
Where are the oak trees?They're in front of the house.
Where does the streetcar stop?It stops across from the bookstore.

Common mistakes

  • The café is between the bank.

    The café is between the bank and the bookstore.

    between + two places: … and …

  • The fountain is in front the hotel.

    The fountain is in front of the hotel.

    in front + of

  • The park is across of the school.

    The park is across from the school.

    across + from

  • The garden is behind of the house.

    The garden is behind the house.

    behind + the place: no of

More lessons on this grammar: Prepositions lessons and exercises

Try the prepositions of place exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

More exercises

What's in the lesson

  • 11 auto-checked exercises
  • 3 games
  • 2 teacher-checked tasks
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • say where a place is between two others: The café is between the bank and the bookstore.
  • use in front of and behind, with of only after front: The fountain is in front of the hotel. The garden is behind the house.
  • say across from for opposite: The bookstore is across from the stop.
  • place a building on a street for a visitor: It's on the corner of Elm Street and Pine Street. It's at the end of the street.

Lesson 11 is the third lesson of Getting around, the third unit of English A1.2 · Out and About. It builds on two A1.1 lessons: lesson 25, which placed shops on Main Street with near and next to, and lesson 26, which added opposite; the Where does…? of lesson 10 comes back in the drills. Stepping off at a stop in a new town is when travelers need these words, and the dialogue begins right there.

After a spin wheel about streetcars and what's near their home, students learn nine words, from get on and get off to fountain and guest house, with pictures and audio. They read a mini guide to the St. Charles line, which begins in 1835 and runs 24 hours a day, then hear Mia and Jack (an AI-voiced dialogue) find a café across from their stop, and Denise's voice message with the way to her guest house. The scheme comes first in the grammar chapter, then four exercises marked as students go, from choosing the right words to a gap-fill of whole phrases, like at the end of. In the speaking chapter, students help a neighbor's cousin new to their street, then open boxes with emoji maps and say where each place is.

Homework begins with two self-checking tasks, word order and word meanings. Students then write a friend a note about three places near their home or school and record a voice message for a visitor; the teacher reviews both.

Grammar:
between … and … · behind · in front of · across from · on the corner of · at the end of
Topic:
New Orleans · the St. Charles streetcar · getting around · places in town

Teaching tips

  • Build a street on your desk: put a book, a cup and a phone in a row, ask Where's the cup?, and keep moving things until between the book and the phone comes easily.
  • Act out in front of and behind with a chair: one student stands in front of it, another behind it, and the class says where each one is.
  • Draw the street from Denise's message: as students listen, they sketch the guest house at the end of the street, the oak tree in front of it, the green gate and the garden behind.
  • Turn the emoji-map boxes into a race: one student opens a box and reads the map aloud, and the first partner to answer the visitor wins the point: It's across from the stop.

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The whole course: English A1.2 · Out and About

32 lessons that pick up where English A1.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present simple with he and she to was and were. Eight units cover shopping, the weather, getting around, celebrations, health, animals and nature, jobs and weekends. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Shopping

    clothes and colors, he and she in the present simple, sizes and prices, paying in a store

    1. Lesson 1What does she wear on Aloha Friday?Present simple with he, she and it
    2. Lesson 2A basket on wheels?Present simple negatives with don't and doesn't
    3. Lesson 3What size are these boots?What questions and a pair of
    4. Lesson 4Can I try it on? The Santa Fe Indian MarketRequests and permission with Can I and Can you

  2. Unit 2 Weather and seasons

    the weather, seasons and months, the present continuous, how often it rains or snows

    1. Lesson 5Is the Windy City windy?Weather adjectives with It's
    2. Lesson 6Does it rain in the desert?Yes/no questions with does
    3. Lesson 7Baseball at midnight?The present continuous for now
    4. Lesson 8Is it always windy on Mount Washington?Adverbs of frequency and their place

  3. Unit 3 Getting around

    transport, timetables, where places are, tickets with want and need

    1. Lesson 9How do you get to work?By + transport, take the bus and on foot
    2. Lesson 10What time does the ferry leave?Wh- questions with does
    3. Lesson 11 · you're hereWhere's the streetcar stop?Between, behind, in front of and across from
    4. Lesson 12Do you need a ticket?Want and need with a noun

  4. Unit 4 Celebrations

    dates and holidays, in and on, party invitations, object pronouns

    1. Lesson 13Why is it called Juneteenth?Ordinal numbers for saying dates
    2. Lesson 14Never on a Sunday? The Rose ParadeIn, on and at for dates and times
    3. Lesson 15Come to our Lunar New Year party!Some and any with plural nouns
    4. Lesson 16Thank you, teacher!Object pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us and them

  5. Unit 5 Healthy me

    the body, how often, at the pharmacy, steps with first and then

    1. Lesson 17Does your back hurt?Hurt and hurts with parts of the body
    2. Lesson 18How often do you walk?How often questions and expressions of frequency
    3. Lesson 19What's the matter?Have and has for health problems
    4. Lesson 20Clean hands in five stepsSequence words with imperatives

  6. Unit 6 Animals and nature

    there is and there are, what animals are doing, parks, a, an and the

    1. Lesson 21Which frog sings its name?There is and there are for what's in a place
    2. Lesson 22What's the bear doing now?Present continuous questions and negatives
    3. Lesson 23Are there any horses on the beach?Questions with is there and are there any
    4. Lesson 24Where do the baby turtles go?A, an and the for first and second mention

  7. Unit 7 Jobs people do

    jobs and workplaces, the present simple and continuous, job interviews, possessive pronouns

    1. Lesson 25Who makes the sounds in movies?Present simple vs present continuous
    2. Lesson 26Nurses on horses?At, in and on with workplaces
    3. Lesson 27Can you be a lifeguard?Verbs with prepositions
    4. Lesson 28Whose hat is this?Possessive pronouns from mine to theirs

  8. Unit 8 Weekend stories and plans

    was and were, how long and how tall, and, but and or, camping food

    1. Lesson 29Why do we have two days off?Was and were, the past of be
    2. Lesson 30How long is a blue whale?How + adjective questions about size
    3. Lesson 31A cow made of butter?And, but and or for joining ideas
    4. Lesson 32What do you need for s'mores?Containers and quantities with of

Questions about this lesson

How do you use "in front of" in English?
Use in front of to say something is near the front of a place: The fountain is in front of the hotel. The bus stop is in front of the bank. It's the opposite of behind. Keep all three words, because in front the hotel and in the front the bank are mistakes. In the A1 lesson Where's the streetcar stop? on edio.ai, a gap-fill gives only (front) and students write the whole phrase.
What does "across from" mean?
Across from means on the other side, usually of a street, the same as opposite: The bookstore is across from the stop. The drugstore is across from the bank. Americans often say it, and it always needs from, so across of and across to are wrong. The mini guide in Where's the streetcar stop?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, uses it for a real place: Audubon Park is across from Tulane and Loyola universities.
What are the prepositions of location in English?
Prepositions of location say where something is compared with another place. The first ones learners meet are in, on, under, near, next to and opposite; the next set adds between, behind, in front of, across from, on the corner of and at the end of. Most follow is or are: The stop is on the corner of Elm Street and Pine Street. The oak trees are in front of the house.
How do you use "between" in English?
Use between with two places, joined by and: The café is between the bank and the bookstore. The stop is between the oak tree and the gate. One place isn't enough, so between the bank is wrong, and no of follows it: not between of the bank. The chat in the A1 lesson Where's the streetcar stop? on edio.ai tests both slips.
How do you say where a building is on a street?
Name the two streets after on the corner of, or use at the end of with one street: The stop is on the corner of Elm Street and Pine Street. Our guest house is at the end of the street. Both take of, never from, so on the corner from is a mistake. Add across from or next to for nearby places: The library is across from the school.
What's the difference between "in front of" and "across from"?
In front of puts something near a place's front, on the same side, while across from puts it on the other side of the street: The bus stop is in front of the bank. The drugstore is across from the bank. To get from the bank to the drugstore, you cross the street. Opposite means the same as across from: The bank is opposite the park.
Is it "behind the house" or "behind of the house"?
It's behind the house, with no of: The garden is behind the house. Is it the house behind the big oak tree? The slip comes from in front of, which does end in of: The fountain is in front of the hotel. So learn them as a pair, in front of and behind, the second with nothing after it but the place.
What words do you need to ride a streetcar?
You need get on, get off, stop and tracks: you get on at one stop, ride along the tracks and get off at another. Get on means step into a bus, train or streetcar, and get off means step out: This is our stop. Let's get off! A streetcar is a city train that runs on the road, and its tracks are the metal lines on the ground.
How do I teach prepositions of place beyond in, on and under?
Add them in pairs that explain each other: in front of with behind, then between, then across from beside the opposite students already know. Show each one with objects or a quick drawing before the sentences, then move to a street the class knows. The A1 lesson Where's the streetcar stop? on edio.ai gives each phrase an emoji picture in its scheme, then has students help a visitor in a chat and on emoji maps.
What's a good game for practicing prepositions of location?
Try open-the-box maps: each box shows a tiny map, like a bank, a café and a bookstore in a row, and a visitor's question to answer: Where's the café? It's between the bank and the bookstore. Other maps put a fountain in front of a hotel or a pizza place at the end of a street. Six of the eight boxes in Where's the streetcar stop? on edio.ai are maps drawn with emoji.
How do you practice saying where places are one-to-one?
Describe a place on a street you both know and let the student guess which one it is: It's in front of the bank, across from a café. Then swap. One student can do the chat alone: a neighbor's cousin asks where the bus stop, the drugstore and a café are, and every reply comes with two wrong versions, such as It's in front the bank.
Are there interactive exercises for "in front of" and "across from"?
Yes: self-checking drag-and-drops and chats show at once if a phrase is right. No account is needed for the four parts of Where's the streetcar stop?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, that play on this page: the streetcar guide, Mia and Jack's search for a café, a drag-and-drop that completes in front of, across from and between … and …, and a chat that helps a visitor. The other drills are locked.
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