In, on and under: three words for where things are
The place word comes first, then the place: “in the bag”. Ask yourself one question: is the thing inside, on top or below?
- “in” – inside something: “The keys are in the bag.” Also in a drawer, a box or a room.
- “on” – touching a surface: “The laptop is on the desk.” Also on a shelf, the floor or the wall.
- “under” – below something: “The charger is under the bag.”
- “Where’s the charger?” – “It’s in the bag.”
- “Where are the keys?” – “They’re in the bag.”
One or more: a, an and plural -s
Use “a” or “an” for one thing. For more than one, add -s or -es, even after a number: “two keys”.
- “a” before a consonant sound, “an” before a vowel sound: “a key”, “an umbrella”, “an orange bag”.
- Most nouns add -s (keys, bags, tickets); nouns ending in -s, -ch, -sh or -x add -es (glasses, watches, boxes).
- Say the ending: a z sound in “keys”, an s sound in “books”, an extra syllable in “watches”.
- Always plural: glasses, sunglasses, scissors and headphones. “My glasses are in the case.”
- “There’s a wallet on the desk.” “There are two notebooks on the table.”
Whose is it? this, these, mine and yours
“This” is for one thing near you, “these” for more than one. “Mine” and “yours” stand alone, with no noun after them.
- “Is this your key?” – “No, it isn’t. My keys are in the bag.”
- “Are these your sunglasses?” – “Yes, they are.”
- “This notebook is mine.” Never “mine notebook”.
A short conversation: sorting a shared table
Maya and Owen are tidying a table they share. Listen for “key” becoming “keys”, the plural “two notebooks”, and “under it”, which shows exactly which glasses. Then say the answers about your own things.
Maya Is this your key?
Owen No, my keys are in the bag.
Maya There are two notebooks on the table.
Owen The blue notebook is mine. The glasses under it are yours.
Describing things: small, blue, really useful
An adjective goes before the noun (“a small notebook”) or after “is” or “are” (“The notebook is small.”). It never takes -s.
- “two blue notebooks”: never “blues notebooks” or “notebooks blue”.
- Size before colour: “a small black wallet”.
- Join two with “and”: “It’s small and blue.”
- Stronger or softer: “very cold”, “really beautiful”, “quite cheap” (“quite” is usually weaker than “very”).
- Useful opposites: big / small, new / old, clean / dirty, full / empty.
Writing the note: what it looks like, then where it is
Write two sentences so someone can find your thing without asking. First, what it looks like. Second, where it is, from the closest place to the bigger one.
Model: “My notebook is small and blue. It’s in the black bag, under the table.” The reader looks under the table, finds the black bag and opens it.
- For plural things, change both verbs: “My keys are silver. They’re in a small brown bag, on the shelf.”
- Add a request if you need one: “Please put it in my bag.”
Common mistakes
Each of these is easy to fix:
- “in the table” → “on the table”: a table, shelf or floor is a surface.
- “two key” → “two keys”: a number does not replace the plural ending.
- “a umbrella” → “an umbrella”.
- “My glasses is …” → “My glasses are …”
- “The keys in the bag.” → “The keys are in the bag.” Don’t drop “is” or “are”.
A 10-minute daily practice routine
Say everything out loud; a little every day beats one long session a week.
- 2 minutes: play the conversation, pause after each line and repeat it.
- 3 minutes: say where three things near you are: “My phone is on the desk.”
- 2 minutes: say five plurals and listen to the ending: keys, books, watches, bags, glasses.
- 3 minutes: write a two-sentence note about one object for someone at home or at work. Could they find it?
What comes next
Use the same pattern in simple requests (“Please put it in the drawer.”). In writing, the next step is a short profile about your work and routine, then times and how often you do things.