Understanding English Prepositions

• Prepositions are short words that connect words.
• Common prepositions includes: at, by, for, from, in, into, of, on, to and with
• Examples of common prepositions include: aboard, about, above, across, after, against, along, amid, among, around, as to, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, circa, despite, down, due to, during, except, like, near, off, onto, out, over, past, since, through, toward, under, until, upon, within and without
• A preposition shows the relationship between a noun/pronoun and another word (verb, adjective, or noun/pronoun)

Prepositions and Time

• Prepositions are frequently used to indicate time within a sentence.
• For example, "I arrived at 9:30 on Tuesday" utilizes "at" and "on" to specify time.
• Prepositions of time explain when something happens
• To talk about one point in time, use on, at, or in.
• On is used to describe days
• For example, "My homework is due on Friday or "I am so glad we are leaving for our trip on Wednesday
• At is used with specific times of the day (such as noon, night, midnight, etc.)
• For example, "The baby woke up at midnight" or "The movie is at 4:45 PM."
• In is used to describe the parts of the day, months, years, and seasons:
• For example, "The dog likes to walk in the mornings" or "My birthday is in November" or "We were married in 2018" or "Halloween is in the fall."
• Prepositions of time describe extended periods of time, these prepositions are: since, for, by, before, after, until, from—to, and during.
• Since describes a specific point in the past until now
• For example, "I have not seen Victoria since Friday"
• For describes something that happens over a certain period of time
• For example, "We are going to Canada for three months."
• By identifies something that happens no later than a certain time
• For example, "The dog needs to be at the vet by 1 PM."
• Before describes an event earlier than another event
• For example, "I like to pick apples before winter."
• After describes an event at a later time
• For example, "After lunch, we can eat candy."
• Until describes an event up to a certain point in time
• For example, "We can play soccer until my mom comes to pick me up."
• From-to describes a starting point to an ending point
• For example, "We will be in Hawaii from Tuesday to Saturday."
• During describes an event that occurs throughout the duration of another event
• For example, "We ate sushi during the movie."

Prepositions and Place

• Prepositions also denote locations or spatial relationships.
• For instance, "I put the book on the shelf" uses "on" to describe the book's location.
• Describe where something happens with: in, at, on, off, by/beside, under, over, below, above, up, and down.
• In describes a specific position or state of being inside
• For example, "It is currently raining in Madrid.”
• At describes a general area
• For example, "Sammy is playing at the park.”
• On is used in many ways:
• To describe the position of something such as "The bird is on my shoulder."
• To describe a certain side (left or right) such as "You can find the lamp on your right.”
• To describe the current state or process of something such as "Your marshmallow is on fire!" or "My mom is on the phone with your mom.”
• To describe how two things are touching or in contact with each other such as "James is surfing on the water.”
• To describe the placement on transportation such as "Caitlin is on an airplane.”
• Off describes the separation or detachment from a place
• For example, "Please take your elbows off the table."
• By/Beside describes the position of something next to something else
• For example, "Your shoes are by the front door" or "Stand beside Taylor."
• Under describes a lower position
• For example, "Our dog is under the table.”
• Over describes a position above
• For example, "The llama jumped over the fence.”
• Below describes in or to a lower position
• For example, "I wrote my name below the line."
• Above describes something overhead or higher than something else
• For example, "The airplane soared above our heads.”.
• Up describes going from a lower position to a higher one
• For example, "Marnie helped us roll the trashcan up the hill.”
• Down describes going from a higher position to a lower one
• For example, "It was much easier to walk down the sidewalk.".

Direction

• Prepositions of direction describe where to go or how something moves
• The main prepositional phrases used for direction are: across, through, to, into, out of, onto, towards, and from.
• Across describes coming from the other side
• For example, "We skipped across the street.”
• Through describes from one end/side to another
• For example, "We went through the tunnel of love."
• To describes the direction toward a person or thing
• For example, "They go to bed at 10 PM."
• Into describes moving to the inside
• For example, "We went into the dark cave.".
• Out of describes moving from the inside to the outside -For example, "We jumped out of the airplane with a parachute.”
• Onto describes going to the top of something
• For example, "The dog jumped onto the table with muddy paws."
• Towards describes moving closer to something
• For example, "When the zombie began running towards me, I screamed."
• From describes moving away from something
• For example, "Wyatt drove from Mississippi in one day."

Other prepositions

• These prepositions do not fit into the three categories above: with, about, and of.
• With describes the use of or in the presence of something
• For example, "You can see the city with the binoculars" or "Jennie is with Tony on the mountain."
• About is used to describe an estimation or a subject
• For example, "We hiked about two miles" or "The book was about Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet."
• Of can be used to describe belonging to, relating to, or connected to something or someone
• For example, "The queen of Denmark is a beautiful woman (belonging to)", "I have always dreamed of marrying Mr. Darcy (relating to)", "The first page of the book bored me to death."

Prepositional Phrases

• Prepositional phrases act as adjectives or adverbs in a sentence
• The formula for every prepositional phrase is: Preposition + a noun or pronoun
• For example, "With salt", "At home", "After dinner"
• Prepositional phrases sometimes have adjectives and/or adverbs in between the prepositions and nouns
• For example, "With pink Himalayan salt", "At Marissa’s home", "After the salmon dinner"
• Prepositional phrases acting as adjectives answer the question: Which one?
• For example, "The shirt in the washing machine needs to be dried as soon as possible!", Which shirt? The one in the washing machine. or "The paper under your shoe used to be my homework. Which paper? The one under your shoe.
• Prepositional phrases acting as adverbs answer the questions: How? When? or Where?
• For example, "Stefanie broke her foot by running into the wall", How did Stefanie break her foot? By running into the wall. or "Jared kissed me last night after dinner. When did Jared kiss you? Last night after dinner. or "The stain on my shirt is from the Jell-O fight. Where did you get the stain? From the Jell-O fight."

Collocation

• Collocation refers to the combination of certain adjectives and verbs with specific prepositions.
• Adjectives like "afraid," "surprised," and "interested" commonly pair with prepositions such as "of," "by," and "in" (e.g., afraid of).
• Verbs like "go," "arrive," and "think" often combine with prepositions like "to" and "at" (e.g., go to).

Prepositions of Place Exercise

• Fill in the blanks with a preposition of place within the series of sentences:
• The pillows are ____ the bed.
• There is a sheet ____ the pillows.
• There is a painting ____ the wall.
• There is a lamp ____ the bed.
• There is a chair ____ the corner of the room.
• There is a foot stool ____ the chair.
• The chair is ____ the fireplace and the bed.
• There is a window ____ the chair.
• Wood is burning ____ the fireplace.

Prepositions of Time and Other Collocations Exercise

• Fill in the blanks with a preposition of time and other collocations with the series of sentences:
• I get up seven ____ the morning weekdays. I go to work ____ tram.
• I take care ____ my son. My son is similar ____ me. He's quite different ____ my wife.
• China has agreed ____ participate ____ the global economic forum.
• My wife spent ____ the milk money ____ cigarettes.
• There has been a slight decrease ____ gas prices lately.
• In the beginning, Lillian was not accustomed ____ working ____ such a big company.

Prepositions Collocations Exercise #3

• Fill in the blanks with a preposition where needed within the series of sentences:
• My favorite Chinese philosopher is Chuang-tzu. Most Westerners have never heard ____ him.
• John's wife accused him ____ cheating. She thinks he is bored ____ her.
• My boss told me to finish the report ____ 5 pm. After that, I could go ____ vacation.
• Kate apologized ____ her son's poor behavior.
• If you've got a problem, then do something ____ it!
• Everyone ____ the HR department was surprised ____ the news.

Prepositions Collocations Exercise #4

• Fill in the blanks with a preposition where needed within the series of sentences:
• Paul is very good ____ telling jokes. He reminds me ____ his father.
• I'm not familiar ____ this neighborhood.
• If I had to choose ____ going to heaven or hell, I'd choose ____ heaven.
• Hosni Mubarak was ____ power in Egypt for 30 years.
• I am allergic ____ cats.
• He is responsible ____ our branch in China.

Prepositions Collocations Exercise #5

• Fill in the blanks with a preposition where needed within the series of sentences:
• Alan is a fan ____ Manchester United.
• NATO stands ____ the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
• Roger's company specializes ____ the management of young musicians.
• I will go ____ vacation next month.
• The cake was cut ____ four pieces.
• Bratislava is not ____ big Budapest.

Prepositions Collocations Exercise #6

• Fill in the blanks with a preposition where needed within the series of sentences:
• Ken has to finish the project ____4 pm tonight.
• The movie was inspired ____ a book written 50 years ago.
• I was able to return the product because it was still ____ warranty
• The little boy hit his friend ____ a stick.
• I plan to work ____ I am 65 years old.
• I wasn't able to focus ____ my work because of the loud construction outside my window.

Prepositions Collocations Exercise #7

• Fill in the blanks with a preposition where needed within the series of sentences:
• This commercial was designed to appeal ____ women in their twenties and thirties.
• I don't know his reason ____ ending the relationship.
• Although Carol graduated ____ Harvard with a degree in political science, nowadays she doesn't care ____ politics.
• I am very proud ____ my son's accomplishments.
• Laura can't concentrate ____ her job because she is stressed out about her marriage.
• I don't care ____ baseball. I never watch it.

Prepositions Collocations Exercise #8

• Fill in the blanks with a preposition where needed within the series of sentences:
• We are looking for someone who is skilled ____ giving presentations.
• I have a question to ask ____ related ____ your education.
• I have a view ____ Prague Castle ____ my apartment.
• The company president didn't want to comment ____ the scandal.
• You remind me ____ my cousin.
• After graduation, Joan will apply ____ some local companies ____ a job as a graphic designer.

Prepositions Collocations Exercise #9

• Fill in the blanks with a preposition where needed within the series of sentences:
• The negative campaign did damage ____ our company's reputation.
• These boots were ____ sale last week.
• The United Nations has supplied the rebels ____ weapons.
• I have too many problems to deal ____
• This product should appeal ____ girls in their teens.
• I've never heard ____ Lyle Whitfield. Who is he?

Prepositions Collocations Exercise #10

• Fill in the blanks with a preposition where needed within the series of sentences:
• I was surprised ____ the size of her nose.
• Grace is ____ her forties. She spends all her money ____ luxury goods.
• Greg is involved ____ organized crime.
• By the time the police found out the crime, the thief was already ____ Mexico.
• There's always a risk ____ an earthquake in Japan. It's difficult to concentrate ____ your work, when you know there could be a disaster any minute.
• Parents worry ____ the health and safety of their children.

Prepositions Collocations Exercise #11

• Fill in the blanks with a preposition where needed within the series of sentences:
• My sister is often angry ____ me. I don't know why she's always upset. It depends ____ her mood, I guess. I hope I'm not similar ____ her.
• Roger is dedicated ____ his job. He stays and works 8 p.m. every evening. Last week, he asked his boss ____ a raise*, and he got it. (* a raise is an increase in salary)
• Peter is addicted ____ gambling. His wife insists that he quit, but he doesn't care ____ her opinion. He's looking forward ____ this weekend; he's going to the casino. While he's away, his wife will have to take ____ care ____ their children. I feel sorry ____ her.

Prepositions Collocations Exercise #12 (includes Phrasal Verbs)

• Fill in the blanks with a preposition where needed within the series of sentences:
• Carol's father is very strict. He prohibits her ____ having a boyfriend ____ she graduates ____ high school. She spends most of her time ____ the library, surrounded ____ books. Once, her father accused her ____ doing drugs because she didn't come home ____ time. He checked her schoolbag ____ drugs. Instead ____ drugs, he found her diary and read it. This made Carol angry, so she punched him ____ the face.
• Tina studied ____ the University of Ottawa ____ one year, but she later graduated ____ Harvard. ____ the time she was 28 years old, she was already a doctor. Tina is snobby. She looks down ____ people who don't have a university degree.

Prepositions Collocations Exercise #13 (includes Phrasal Verbs)

• Fill in the blanks with a preposition where needed within the series of sentences:
• I need to take care ____ my little brother. He is discriminated ____ school because he has red hair. Yesterday, a bully punched him. However, my brother didn't tell ____ the bully.
• The doctor elaborated ____ the patient's condition. It turns out that the rash was actually brought ____ food he ate while ____ Malaysia.
• I graduated ____ university a month ago. I studied ____ Oxford. Last week, I had an interview ____ a programming position ____ Google. They noticed ____ my CV that I had very little experience, but they promised not to hold ____ me. The interview went well, but I'm not sure I'll be hired. I was tired, so I had a hard time paying attention ____ the interviewer. Also, I'm a woman, and there are few women ____ my field. However, I am hopeful that my gender won't prevent me ____ having a successful career.

Prepositions Collocations Exercise #14

• Fill in the blanks with a preposition where needed within the series of sentences:
• Greg went ____ a trip yesterday ____ Montreal. He has a Pontiac Trans-Am, which is similar ____ the car David Hasselhoff drove ____ the TV show Knight Rider. ____ the way there, he was driving his car ____ a speed of 130 km per hour. There was a sharp turn, and his car slid ____ the icy road and ____ some trees. His life was ____ stake. A large tree was right ____ front ____ him. He nearly ran ____ it, but ____ the last second, he regained control and pulled his car back ____ the road.
• Later he realized his tires were ____ bad shape. He needed to invest ____ some new ones. So he went ____ a car shop that specializes ____ high performance tires.
• I hope these exercises weren't a waste ____ time. Are you better ____ using prepositions now?

Prepositions in Questions Exercise #15

• Fill in the blanks with a preposition where needed within the series of questions:
• What time did you sleep ____ this morning?
• ____ the time you finished high school, had you decided what job you wanted ____ do ____ the future?
• What do you spend too much money ____?
• Have you ever heard ____ Sidney Crosby?
• What tasks would you like to complete ____ the end ____ the week?
• If you had to choose ____ living ____ China or the U.S., which would you choose?
• What are you not very good ____?
• What was the last thing that you were surprised ____?
• Let's talk ____ retirement. ____ your opinion, what age should people work?
• Where do you plan to go ____ your next holiday?
• What do you have ____ a view ____ your home?
• Was life better when you were ____ your teens?
• What does NASA stand ____?
• Does pop music appeal ____ you?
• Are you related ____ anyone famous?