Three Groups of
Prepositions:
a. Prepositions of place,
position and direction.
b. Prepositions of time.
c. Prepositions for other relationships.
SOME COMMON PREPOSITIONS
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PLACE
|
POSITION
|
DIRECTION
|
TIME
|
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 |
Although prepositions are hard
to generalize with separate rules, there is one simple rule about them. And,
unlike most rules, this rule has no exceptions.
Rule:
They are always followed by a "noun", never followed by a verb.
By "noun" we include:
Rule:
They are always followed by a "noun", never followed by a verb.
By "noun" we include:
- Noun (dog, money,
love)
- Proper Noun (name) (London, Mary)
- Pronoun (you, him, us)
- Noun Group (my first car)
- 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.
Subject +
Verb
|
Preposition
|
"noun"
|
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
|
you.
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The newspaper
is
|
under
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your green
book.
|
Pascal is
used
|
to
|
English
people.
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She isn't
used
|
to
|
working.
|
We ate
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before
|
coming.
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Prepositions of Time /
Place at, in, on
- At for a PRECISE
TIME
- In for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES
and LONG PERIODS
- On for DAYS and Dates
- In for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES
and LONG PERIODS
- On for DAYS and Dates
At
|
In
|
On
|
At 4:30 pm
|
in March
|
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
|
At dinnertime
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In 1990
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On Christmas
Day
|
At bedtime
|
In the next
century
|
On your
birthday
|
At the moment
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In the future
|
On New Year's
Eve
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Notice that use of the
prepositions of time in and on in these
common expressions:
- In the morning /On Monday
morning
- In the mornings / On Sunday
mornings
- In the afternoon(s) / On Sunday
afternoons
- In the evening(s) / On Friday
evenings
When we say next, last, this, every we do not use at, in, on.
I went to New York last June (not in last June)
She is coming back next Monday. (not on next Monday)
I go home every Easter . (not at every Easter)
We'll call you this afternoon. (not in this afternoon)
Place: at, in, on
In General:
- At for a POINT
(dog, money, love)
- In for an ENCLOSED SPACE
- On for a SURFACE
At
|
In
|
On
|
At the bus
stop
|
In London
|
On the wall
|
At the corner
|
In the garden
|
On the
ceiling
|
At the
entrance
|
In a box
|
On the floor
|
At the
crossroads
|
In a building
|
On the carpet
|
At the top of
the page
|
In a car
|
On a page
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Some other common uses of at / on / in
|
At
|
In
|
On
|
|
At home
|
In a car
|
On a bus
|
|
At work
|
In a taxi
|
On a train
|
|
At school
|
In a
helicopter
|
On a plane
|
|
At university
|
In an
elevator
|
On a bicycle
|
|
At the top
|
In the sky
|
On the radio
|
|
At the bottom
|
In the street
|
On the left
|
|
At the side
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In a row
|
On a horse
|
|
At reception
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In a boat
|
On a boat
|
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
|
Example
|
during
|
while in
|
during the
movie,
during the
flight,
during my
stay
|
for
|
for two days,
for an hour
|
|
from / to
|
from Saturday
to Monday,
from 5 to 9
|
|
between
|
the time
period
from one to
another
|
between 1986
and 2012,
between
Saturday and Monday
|
until/till
|
before a
certain time
|
until/till
Sunday,5 o'clock
|
by
|
at the least
|
by Tuesday,
by next
month,
by tomorrow
|
to
|
movement
towards
|
to school, to
work,
to the
station
|
into
|
movement
towards inside something
|
into the
cinema,
into the car
|
out of
|
to leave a
place/a thing
|
out of the
theater,
out of the
car
|
by
|
near/next
to/beside
|
LINK stand by
me,
by the lake
|
through
|
through the
tunnel,
through the
room
|
|
across
|
opposite ends
|
across the
river,
across the
street
|
against
|
against the
wall,
against the door
|
|
into
|
movement
towards inside something
|
into the
cinema,
into the car
|
