4
Beside, in front and behind
Learner’s Book 1: Unit 6, pp. 92–96
GoalUse beside, next to, in front of, behind and between to describe where people and things are.
New words
beside · at the side of somethingin front of · before something, at the frontbehind · at the back of somethingbetween · in the middle of two things
Explanation
Imagine three children in a queue: Ali, Mia and Leo. Ali is at the front. Ali is in front of Mia. Leo is at the back. Leo is behind Mia. Mia is in the middle. She is between Ali and Leo. Mia is beside Ali and beside Leo. Beside and next to mean the same. When you give a place in a row, say where you start counting from, for example from the left.
A queue
| 1st (front) | 2nd | 3rd (back) |
|---|---|---|
| Ali | Mia | Leo |
Worked examples
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zara | Tom | Lola | Kenji |
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | star | – | – |
Always say where you start counting: from the left, or from the front of the line.
Class activity
Human line: ask 4 family members or friends to stand in a line. Ask questions: ‘Who is in front of Sam? Who is between Ana and Leo? Who is 3rd?’ Then change the line and ask again.
Practice
1
Who is between Amir and Ravi?
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nodira | Amir | Ana | Ravi |
Ana
2
Who is behind Kenji in this queue?
| front | middle | back |
|---|---|---|
| Lola | Kenji | Amir |
Amir
3
In which place is the ball?
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | – | ball | – |
4th (fourth)
4
Leo stands behind Sam in a queue. Who is in front?
Sam