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.
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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
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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
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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)
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
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At
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In
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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
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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
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Prepositions
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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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