Prepositions, A Guide
Prepositions, A Guide
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Prepositions are a nightmare for most students. Even native speakers may have trouble with
them. It is also one of the most dreadful questions EFL (English as a Foreign Language)
students can ask a teacher. It isn’t that we don’t know how to/don’t want to answer it! It is
because the answer requires time, but more than that it requires purpose. For that reason, I
have created this guide which is divided as follow:
Suffice it to say that this is not, nor does it intend to be, a complete preposition guide. There
are many other examples and cases to be studied! But hopefully, this guide will help you with
the most basic questions you have on the subject.
Happy studying!
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1) PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE I (IN, ON, AT)
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- on the top floor
- on the table
- on Main Street
- on the menu
- on the bus / bicycle / motorbike / plane
- on a ship
- on a horse
- on the radio / television
- on the left / right
- on the farm
If you are at the beach, you can basically be anywhere. For example, imagine you are
in Cancun walking about, drinking beer, and having fun with your friends at the
hotel. It’s more generic.
If you are on the beach, you are literally feeling the sand under your feet / near the
water / sunbathing. It’s more specific.
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LET’S PRACTICE!
1) Complete the sentences with the correct preposition: IN, ON or AT.
6) I used to live ………….. Abbey Road, but now I live ……….. the beach.
18) I always keep some extra money ……… my bag in case of emergencies.
I live in ………………………………………………………….
I live on …………………………………………………………
I live at ………………………………………………………….
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2) PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE II
ATTENTION:
BUT
THE TEACHER IS AMONG THE STUDENTS. (more than two around the teacher)
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LET’S PRACTICE!
1) Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition according to the picture:
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
____________________________________________
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3) PREPOSITIONS OF TIME I (IN, ON, AT)
IN + months
- in January, in February, in March, in April, etc.
IN + years
- in 2002, in 1996, in 1800, etc.
IN + decade / century
- in the 1920s, in the 80s, in the 90s…
- in the 21st century, in the sixth century…
IN + season
IN + time period
- in three minutes, in ten hours, in 15 days, in a fortnight…
- in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening
ON + days
- on Monday, on Tuesday, on Wednesday, on Thursday…
ON + dates
- on January 1st, on the 16th, on my birthday, on the second of April…
AT + specific time
- at 7pm, at three o’clock, at midnight, at noon, etc.
- at night, at lunchtime, at dinner, at breakfast
AT + holiday period
- at Christmas, at Easter BUT on Christmas’s Eve, on New Year’s Eve.
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4) PREPOSITIONS OF TIME II
BEFORE / AFTER
- Before = earlier than (Before I go to work, I eat breakfast.)
- After = later than (He will see you after class.)
FOR
- We use for with a period of time in the past, present or future (He lived there for 3 years
and then he moved.)
SINCE
- We use since with a point in time in the past (They’ve lived in Oxford since 2004.)
DURING
- Within a time frame (During the day, I like to take a walk in the park.)
BY
- Before a point of time (Tom will be quite angry by 4pm.)
IN
- Within an amount of time (He hasn’t been to his hometown in ages.)
BY or UNTIL
We use by, not until, to talk about something that will happen before a particular time or
deadline: “The movie will be finished by 9 pm.” That means the movie can finish before or
around that time.
Until as a preposition means ‘up to (the time that)’. For example: “The band will perform
until the end of the year.” So, "by" only refers to the deadline, but "until" refers to all the
time between now and the end of something.
OBS: Certain expressions of time don’t need a preposition, such as next week/year/month,
last night/year, this morning/month, every day/night/year, today, tomorrow, yesterday…
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LET’S PRACTICE!
1) IN, ON or AT?
2) IN, ON or AT?
3) Complete the sentences with the correct prepositions (DURING, FOR, SINCE, UNTIL, BY,
FROM… TO, IN)
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5) PREPOSITIONS OF MOVEMENT
(source: https://quizizz.com/)
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LET’S PRACTICE!
1) You have to turn your lights on when you go _________________ the tunnel.
a) on c) through
b) towards d) around
a) through c) onto
b) over b) into
3) Is this the museum?" "No, you need to get ____________ the bus at the next stop."
a) off c) onto
b) around d) out of
4) The doors open at 6pm and the people can go ___________ the cinema.
a) off c) into
b) onto d) along
5) Turn right and go ________ the post office. It's the next building on the right.
a) under c) across
b) into d) past
a) on c) from
b) around d) across
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6) PREPOSITIONS OF DIRECTION
Prepositions of direction are a sum of prepositions of place and movement. The reason why
there is a specific chapter just for prepositions of direction is for study purposes only.
- IN used for interior angle formed by two meeting walls. Ex: A piano was in the corner of the room.
- ON THE CORNER means “occupying the surface”, like “on the corner of the street”. You can also
say that a person is standing on the corner because they are occupying a space.
- AT THE CORNER means a point or being near something. Ex: “Let’s meet at the corner of my
street”.
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LET’S PRACTICE!
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7) PREPOSITIONS TO and FOR
This is by far the one that give students more headaches. After all, what is different in usage
between TO and FOR?
TO
- Destination
They’re going to London.
We are heading to Paris.
- Distance
It’s about 3 minutes from my house to my work.
How far is it to the office?
- Comparing
I prefer reading to writing.
- Giving
I’m going to give this book to my sister.
Give that back to Paul.
- Motive/reason – with verb
I came here to see you.
He needs more money to buy a house.
FOR
- Benefits
Yougurt is good for your indigestion.
This is much better for him.
- Schedule
Mary has an appointment for May 12.
- Agreeing with something
Are you for or against death penalty?
- Doing something to help someone
Can you do this for me?
She is trying to do this for you.
- Motive/reason – with noun
Let’s go out for a drink.
I would like to go for a walk.
- Function with verb ING
A ladle is a big spoon used for serving soup.
Although we do have these rules, it is always important to analyse each case one by one. For
example, is it give to her or give for her?
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The same thing happens with leaving a message. Is it leaving a message for someone or to
someone? The correct expression is “leave a message for someone”.
- Go to a party
- Give something to someone
- Go to bed
- Send an email to someone
- Be nice to someone
- Have an allergy to something
LET’S PRACTICE!
a) I speak …………… everyone when I say that we’re happy you’re here.
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8) ADJECTIVES + PREPOSITIONS
There is an endless list of adjectives and the prepositions that go along with them. That means
you will learn as you go.
However, here a list to help you out for the time being:
adjective + about
- angry about
- anxious about
- enthusiastic about
- excited about
- furious about
- happy about
- mad about (means to be obsessed with/in love with someone)
- nervous about
- pessimistic about
- sad about
- serious about
- upset about
- worried about
adjective + at
- amazed at
- angry at (a particular event or something that happened)
- annoyed at
- awful at
- bad at
- brilliant at
- clever at
- delighted at
- disappointed at
- excellent at
- excited at
- good at
- hopeless at
- mad at (means to be angry with someone)
- present at
- shocked at
- skilled at doing something
- successful at
- surprised at
- terrible at
- slow at
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- lucky at
adjective + by
- amazed by
- delighted by
- disturbed by
- excited by
- fascinated by
- impressed by
- inspired by
- astonished by
- shocked by
- surprised by
adjective + for
- eager for
- eligible for
- famous for
- grateful for
- notorious for
- prepared for
- ready for
- renowned for
- responsible for
- respected for
- sorry for
- suitable for
- thankful for
adjective + from
- absent from
- different from
- free from
- made from
- protected from
- safe from
adjective + in
- disappointed in
- experienced in
- interested in
- involved in
- polite/impolite in
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- present in
- skilled in something
- slow in
- successful in
- talented in
adjective + of
- afraid of
- ashamed of
- aware of
- capable of
- certain of
- conscious of
- envious of
- independent of
- jealous of
- kind of
- nice of
- proud of
- scared of
- silly of
- sweet of
- typical of
adjective + to
- accustomed to
- addicted to
- allergic to
- committed to
- dedicated to
- indifferent to
- kind to
- married to
- opposed to
- receptive to
- related to
- similar to
- superior to
- unfriendly to
adjective + with
- angry with (a person)
- associated with
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- bored with
- blessed with
- confronted with
- content with
- crowded with
- delighted with
- disappointed with
- fed up with
- familiar with
- furious with
- kind with
- ok with
- pleased with
- popular with
- satisfied with
LET’S PRACTICE!
1. Egypt is famous _______ its ancient pyramids.
8. We're shocked _______ the judge's decision. Everyone knows it's wrong!
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9) NOUNS + PREPOSITIONS
LET’S PRACTICE!
1) She has no intention ………….. going to college.
3) The highlight …………… her career was winning the World Championship.
8) The opposition party is not in favour ……………….. the new anti-terrorist legislation.
10) Nowadays, teachers are expected to have a university degree ……………. the subject they
teach.
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10) VERBS + PREPOSITIONS
- Add to
- Allow to
- Attend to
- Belong to
- Consent to
- Connect to
- Dedicate to
- Listen to
- Refer to
- Talk to
- Apply to
- Complain to
- Contribute to
- Happen to
- Respond to
- Invite to
- Object to
- Subscribe to
- Travel to
- Apologize for
- Ask for
- Call for
- Check for
- Fear for
- Hope for
- Prepare for
- Thank for
- Wait for
- Admire for
- Excuse for
- Pay for
- Pray for
- Search for
- Vote for
- Wish for
- Work for
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- Borrow from
- Choose from
- Come from
- Derive from
- Emerge from
- Expect from
- Prevent from
- Suffer from
- Recover from
- Escape from
- Graduate from
- Hide from
- Prohibit from
- Protect from
- Retire from
- Rescue from
- Save from
- Separate from
- Resign from
- Argue about
- Ask about
- Boast about
- Care about
- Complain about
- Concern about
- Dream about
- Feel about
- Forget about
- Hear about
- Joke about
- Know about
- Laugh about
- Quarrel about
- Talk about
- Tell about
- Think about
- Warn about
- Worry about
- Write about
- Accuse of
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- Approve of
- Aware of
- Composed of
- Conceive of
- Consist of
- Convict of
- Convince of
- Cure of
- Deprived of
- Despair of
- Devoid of
- Disapprove of
- Dream of
- Fond of
- Get rid of
- Get tired of
- Remind of
- Short of
- Suspect of
- Think of
- Agree with
- Argue with
- Begin with
- Concern with
- Cope with
- Cover with
- Charge with
- Disagree with
- Fight with
- Help with
- Interfere with
- Present with
- Provide with
- Agree on
- Comment on
- Concentrate on
- Depend on
- Congratulate on
- Decide on
- Rely on
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List of Verbs with Preposition: IN
- Believe in
- Participate in
- Succeed in
- Arrive in
- Specialize in
- Fill in
- "I never thought of doing that!" (that possibility never crossed my mind).
- "Have you thought about my birthday present?" (have you considered/decided what
to get me?)
make + of (material)
make + from (material that changes its characteristics during a process. Ex: grapes -
wine)
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LET’S PRACTICE!
Verb + preposition:
THE END?
Not quite. There are, as I said in the beginning, tons of other examples. Have you heard of
phrasal verbs? Phrasal verbs are combinations of verbs and prepositions or adverbs (let’s call
them particles), that function as a verb whose meaning is different from the combined
meanings or individual words. Still can’t understand?
Well, let’s take a look at the verb GET! Here are some of the combinations of GET +
PREPOSITIONS and its meanings:
Phrasal verbs are rich and endless, and for this reason alone even deserve a dictionary of their
own.
So keep on practicing! If you find a case you think it is interesting, write it down on a notebook.
Have your own preposition notebook! Read a lot. Most importantly, never give up. Is it
difficult? It seems difficult at first, like everything in life really. But know this: it will pay off
(you will have good results) in the end.
XOXO
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ANSWER KEY
1) PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE I (IN, ON, AT)
LET’S PRACTICE!
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I live on Campos Salles.
2) PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE II
LET’S PRACTICE!
1) Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition according to the picture:
The toy store is between the music store and the restaurant.
The pet shop is behind the hospital / next to the supermarket / in front of the fast food
restaurant.
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The supermarket is in front of the restaurant / next to the bookstore.
LET’S PRACTICE!
1) IN, ON or AT?
a) in September g) on Tuesday
d) at Easter j) on my birthday
f) in March m) at night
2) IN, ON or AT?
3) Complete the sentences with the correct prepositions (DURING, FOR, SINCE, UNTIL, BY,
FROM… TO, IN)
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5) PREPOSITIONS OF MOVEMENT
LET’S PRACTICE
1) C
2) B
3) A
4) C
5) D
6) D
6) PREPOSITIONS OF DIRECTION
a) I speak for everyone when I say that we’re happy you’re here.
b) I want to be an astronaut.
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j) Can you send this to Susan?
8) ADJECTIVES + PREPOSITIONS
LET’S PRACTICE!
9) NOUNS + PREPOSITIONS
10) Nowadays, teachers are expected to have a university degree IN the subject they teach.
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10) VERBS + PREPOSITIONS
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