In front of. and. opposite

[Ju]

I am confused on the usage of ' in front of' and " opposite " .
Are there guidelines in usage?

eg
The bank is in front of the supermarket.
The bank is in the opposite of the supermarket .
(What are the differences between the above)

Can I say :
The bank is opposite the supermarket.

Thanks.

 

[Tarheel]

Yes, you can say the bank is opposite the supermarket if the bank is on the other side of the street right across from the supermarket. (For example, there is a Taco Bell opposite the apartment complex where I live. (Well, almost.) It is on the other side of the street.)

 

[Roman55]

I am not a teacher.

Your first two examples don't work. The first one means that the supermarket is behind the bank, which is a very unlikely (but not completely impossible) situation. The second one is totally wrong.

'The bank is opposite the supermarket' is the correct way of saying that the bank is on the other side of the street from the supermarket.

You could be standing in front of the bank, looking at the supermarket.

If you want guidelines on usage, get a copy of 'Practical English Usage' by Michael Swan.

Edit: Tarheel got in ahead of me. I see we agree.