Prepositions are words which show the relationship between a noun or a pronoun object and some other words in the sentence. They are always followed by nouns or pronouns. They are called "the biggest little words” in English because they have very important functions.
Three Groups of Prepositions:
a. Prepositions of place, position and direction.
b. Prepositions of time.
c. Prepositions for other relationships.
b. Prepositions of time.
c. Prepositions for other relationships.
SOME COMMON PREPOSITIONS
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PLACE
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POSITION
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DIRECTION
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TIME
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OTHER
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above
across along among at away from behind below beside between |
beyond
by down from in in front of inside into near off |
on
opposite out (of) outside over around through to towards under up |
after
before at by for during from in |
except
as like about with without by for |
Rule: è
They are always followed by a "noun", never followed by a verb.
By "noun" we include:
à Noun (dog, money, love)
à Proper Noun (name) (London, Mary)
à Pronoun (you,him,us)
à Noun Group (my first car)
à Gerund (swimming)
If we want to follow with a verb, we must use the "-ing" form which is really a gerund or verb in noun form. è
Subject + Verb
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Preposition
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"noun"
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The pen is
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on
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the table.
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He lives
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in
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England.
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Henry is looking
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for
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you.
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The newspaper is
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under
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your green book.
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Pascal is used
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to
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English people.
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She isn't used
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to
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working.
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We ate
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before
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coming.
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Prepositions of Time / Place at, in, on
à At for a PRECISE TIME
à In for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS
à On for DAYS and Dates
At
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In
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On
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At 4:30 pm
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in March
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on Monday
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At 3 o'clock
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In Winter
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On 6 March
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At noon
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In the summer
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On 22 Dec.2012
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At dinnertime
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In 1990
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On Christmas Day
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At bedtime
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In the next century
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On your birthday
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At the moment
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In the future
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On New Year's Eve
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Notice that use of the prepositions of time in and on in these common expressions è
àIn the morning /On Monday morning
àIn the mornings / On Sunday mornings
àIn the afternoon(s) / On Sunday afternoons
àIn the evening(s) / On Friday evenings
Note : When we say next, last, this, every we do not use at,in,on.
àI went to New York last June (not in last June)àShe is coming back next Monday. (not on next Monday)àI go home every Easter . (not at every Easter)àWe'll call you this afternoon. (not in this afternoon)
Place: at, in, on
In General:
à At for a POINT (dog, money, love)
àIn for an ENCLOSED SPACE
àOn for a SURFACE
At
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In
|
On
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At the bus stop
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In London
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On the wall
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At the corner
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In the garden
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On the ceiling
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At the entrance
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In a box
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On the floor
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At the crossroads
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In a building
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On the carpet
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At the top of the page
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In a car
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On a page
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Some other common uses of at / on / in
At
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In
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On
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At home
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In a car
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On a bus
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At work
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In a taxi
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On a train
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At school
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In a helicopter
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On a plane
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At university
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In an elevator
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On a bicycle
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At the top
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In the sky
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On the radio
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At the bottom
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In the street
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On the left
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At the side
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In a row
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On a horse
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At reception
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In a boat
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On a boat
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Note : Notice how we can use on a boat or in a boat depending on the type and the size of the particular boat/ship.
More Prepositions
Prepositions
|
use
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Example
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during
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while in
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during the film,during the war, during my stay
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for
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for two days, for an hour
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from / to
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from Saturday to Monday, from 5 to 9
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between
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the time period from one to another
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between 1986 and 2012, between Saturday and Monday
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until/till
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before a certain time
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until/till Sunday,5 o'clock
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by
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at the least
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by Tuesday, by next month, by tomorrow
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to
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movement towards
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to school, to work, to the station
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into
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movement towards inside something
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into the cinema, into the car
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out of
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to leave a place/a thing
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out of the cinema,out of the car
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by
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near/next to/beside
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LINK stand by me, by the lake
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through
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through the tunnel, through the room
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across
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opposite ends
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across the river, across the street
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against
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against the wall, against the door
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into
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movement towards inside something
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into the cinema, into the car
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