To talk about position close to a point, we use the following prepositions: near, by, next to, between, among and opposite.
Near
Near means close to someone or something
- There is a temple near my house.
- Some students were standing near the gate.
- Most shops near the station remained closed throughout the day.
- ‘Is the railway station far from here?’ ‘No, it is quite near.’
- Who is that girl sitting near the door?
By
By means beside or close to someone or something
- She was sitting by the window.
- There is a coffee house by the store.
- Come and sit by me.
Next to
Next to means besides or very near to someone or something.
- Who is that girl sitting next to your brother?
- She has bought an apartment next to the lake. (There is nothing between her apartment and the lake.)
- The baby was sleeping next to his parents.
- A large mango tree grows next to my house.
Between and among
They both show position between / among objects.
- She sat between her two kids. (There was a child on each side of her.)
- I found the keys lying among the books.
Opposite
Opposite means ‘on the other side of a room, road, river etc.’
- The bedroom is opposite the living room.
- There is a library opposite the school. (= The library is on the other side of the road from the school.)