1. Dad is in front of the room.
2. Dad is in back of the room.
3. Dad is in the back of the room.
4. Dad is at back of the room.
5. Dad is at the back of the room.
[Which ones are the opposite of Sentence 1? Do we have to use 'the' or not?]
You should use "the" -- yes.
The best phrased opposites of #1 are #3 and #5.
Thank you.
6. Dad is in front of the door.
7. Dad is in back of the door.
8. Dad is in the back of the door.
9. Dad is at back of the door.
10. Dad is at the back of thedoor.
[What about these sentences? Which ones are the opposite of Sentence 1? Do we have to use 'the' or not?]
With this phrasing, you would NOT use "the"!!
So 6 and 7 are the acceptable sentences here.
9. Dad is at back of the door.
10. Dad is at the back of the door.
[I appreciate your help. What about #9 and #10?]
Neither of those is quite right.
Dad is in back of the door. (meaning he's behind it)
Dad is in front of the door. (meaning whoever else is in the room can see him there)
Using "the" is not correct for this particular concept.This is different from being in the front of the room (think of a classroom in which all the students are facing him) or in the back of the room (students still facing the front of the room, but he's now behind them).
To determine which sentences are the opposite of Sentence 1, we need to understand the meaning of prepositions like "in front of," "in back of," "at the front of," and "at the back of."
1. "Dad is in front of the room." This means that Dad is positioned ahead of the room, facing it.
2. "Dad is in back of the room." This implies that Dad is positioned behind the room, facing away from it.
3. "Dad is in the back of the room." This sentence has the same meaning as Sentence 2, placing Dad behind the room.
4. "Dad is at back of the room." This sentence is grammatically incorrect because it is missing the definite article "the." It should be "Dad is at the back of the room." This sentence means that Dad is located at the rear portion of the room.
5. "Dad is at the back of the room." This sentence has the same meaning as Sentence 4.
To summarize, Sentences 2, 3, 4, and 5 are the opposite of Sentence 1 because they indicate Dad's position behind the room rather than in front of it.
Regarding the use of the definite article "the," it is typically used before "front" and "back" when referring to specific locations. So, Sentences 1, 2, 3, and 5 include "the" before "front" or "back." Sentence 4 is incorrect because it should include "the."