THE PREPOSITIONS

THE PREPOSITIONS

I: What is a preposition?

Definition: Prepositions are kinds of words which can be used to show the relationship between the words or phrases that stand before them and after them.

For example:

The book on the table

The dog under the desk

The man in the room

The plane in the sky

The boat in the river

The ship on the sea

The litter on the ground

The man at home

The staff in the office

The journey to work

The students in class

The bird behind the cage

The trees in front of my house

She died because of you

He became sick due to the weather

Mike works as a clerk

We are very happy during Khmer New Year

The light above us

The plane over the village

The bill is including the service price.

II: Kinds of prepositions

1: Preposition of time

2: Preposition of place

3: Preposition of movement/direction

4: Preposition for agent / instrument

5: Prepositional phrases

6: Preposition combined with adjectives

6.1: Preposition combined with verb

6.2: Preposition collocation

THE PREPOSITIONS OF TIME

Definition: A preposition of time is a kind of preposition that allows you to discuss a specific time period such as a date on the calendar, the days of the week, the month of the year, or the actual time something takes place. 

The most common prepositions of time are: on, at, in:

Here are some examples of preposition of time:

On Monday

In January

In 2000

In the 1990s

At 9 o’clock

On Sunday night

In the twenty-first century

Examples in the sentences:

I get up at 9 o’clock every morning.

We go to school on Monday.

You were born in 1983.

At night, he sleeps at 8 o’clock.

She studies in the morning.

They come home in the afternoon.

We all eat dinner in the evening.

AT	Times: at 8pm, at midnight, at 6:30 Holiday periods: at Christmas, at Easter at night at the weekend at lunchtime, at dinnertime, at breakfast time
ON	Days: on Monday, on my birthday, on Christmas Day days + morning / afternoon / evening / night: on Tuesday morning Dates: on the 20th of June
IN	Years: in 1992, in 2006 Months: in December, in June Decades: in the sixties, in the 1790s Centuries: in the 19th century Seasons: in winter, in summer in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening
NO PREPOSITION	next week, year, month last night, year this morning, month every day, night, years today, tomorrow, yesterday

EXERCISES ON THE TIME PREPOSITIONS ONE

Direction: Put in the correct preposition (at, in, on, or no preposition):

1.Lucy is arriving ____ February the 13th ____ 8 o'clock ____ the morning.

2.The weather is often terrible in London _____ January.

3.It’s better to get a taxi if you are out alone _____ night.

4.She got married _____ September.

5.They usually go to the south of France _____ the summer.

 6.Columbus sailed to the Americas _____ the 16th century.

7.The Beatles were popular _____ the 1960s.

 8.I graduated from university _____ 2001.

9.His birthday is _____ June.

10.I usually go to my parents’ house _____ Christmas. We eat turkey together _____ Christmas Day.

11.The train leaves _____ tomorrow morning ______ 8:00 AM.

12.I love going skiing ______ January.

13.We met at the restaurant ______ 8 pm. 14. The class is ____ 9am ______ Monday mornings.

15.I like to drink coffee ______ the morning and tea ______ the afternoon. 16.We went out for dinner _____ last Wednesday.

17.She left London _____ the 4th of March.

18.I had a party _____ my birthday.

19.Lucy went to New York ______ New Year.

20.We’re meeting _____ lunchtime _____ next Tuesday.

EXERCISES ON THE TIME PREPOSITIONS TWO

Direction: Put in the correct preposition (at, in, on, or no preposition):

1.There was a loud noise which woke us up ____ midnight.

2.Do you usually eat chocolate eggs ____ Easter?

3.What are you doing ____ the weekend?

4.____ last week, I worked until 9pm ____ every night.

5.My father always reads the paper ____ breakfast time.

6.She plays tennis ____ Fridays.

7.The trees here are really beautiful ____ the spring.

8.I’ll see you ____ Tuesday afternoon, then.

9.Shakespeare died ____ 1616. 10.She studies ____ every day.

11.John is going to buy the presents ____ today.

12.In my hometown the shops open early ____ the morning.

13.She met her husband ____ 1998.

14.The party is ____ next Saturday.

15.We are meeting ____ Friday morning.

16.I often get sleepy ____ the afternoon.

17.His daughter was born ____ the 24th of August.

18.Mobile phones became popular ____ the nineties.

19.The meeting will take place ____ this afternoon.

20.Luckily the weather was perfect ____ her wedding day.

THE PREPOSITION OF PLACE

Definition: A preposition of place is a kind of preposition which is used to refer to a place where something or someone is located.

The basics of preposition of place:

1: We use IN if something is contained inside a box or a wide flat area:

in the newspaper in a cup in a bottle in bed in London in a book in a field in my stomach

in a house in a drawer in a bag in a car in England in a pub in the sea in a river

2: We use ON if something is on a line or on a horizontal or vertical surface:

on the table on the floor on my face on the page on a chair on the river on the ceiling on a bike

on the wall on the window on a plate on the sofa on a bag on a T-shirt on a bottle on his foot

3: We use AT if something is at a point (maybe a building):

at the airport at the table at the cinema at the bottom at the traffic lights at the back at university at the hospital

at the door at the bus stop at the top at the pub at the front at school at the window at the piano

These are some more common prepositions that we think that are not suitable:

on TV

on the bus

on the train

on the plane

on the radio

at home

at work

Here are some more examples of preposition in the sentences:

There is an alarm clock on the TV.

Everybody is on the bus.

Mike is not on the train.

They are not on the plane.

We are listening to the radio.

I am at home all the time, so you can come to see me anytime you want.

EXERCISES ON PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE 1

1.He’s swimming ______ the river.

2.Where’s Julie? She’s ______ school.

3.The plant is ______ the table.

4.There is a spider ______ the bath.

5.Please put those apples ______ the bowl.

6.Frank is ______ holiday for three weeks.

7.There are two pockets ______ this bag.

8.I read the story ______ the newspaper.

9.The cat is sitting ______ the chair.

10.Lucy was standing ______ the bus stop.

11.I'll meet you ______ the cinema.

12.She hung a picture ______ the wall.

13.John is ______ the garden.

14.There's nothing ______ TV tonight.

15.I stayed ______ home all weekend.

16.When I called Lucy, she was ______ the bus.

17.There was a spider ______ the ceiling.

18.Unfortunately, Mrs Brown is ______ hospital.

19.Don't sit ______ the table, sit ______ a chair.

20.There are four cushions ______ the sofa.

EXERCISES ON PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE 2

1.The wine is ______ the bottle.

2.Pass me the dictionary, it's ______ the bookshelf.

3.Jennifer is ______ work.

4.Berlin is ______ Germany.

5.You have something ______ your face.

6.Turn left ______ the traffic lights.

7.She was listening to classical music ______ the radio.

8.He has a house ______ the river.

9.The answer is ______ the bottom of the page.

10.Julie will be ______ the plane now.

11.There are a lot of magnets ______ the fridge.

12.She lives ______ London.

13.John is ______ a taxi. He's coming.

14.I'll meet you ______ the airport.

15.She stood ______ the window and looked out.

16.The cat is ______ the house somewhere.

17.Why you calling so late? I’m already ______ bed.

18.I waited for Lucy ______ the station.

19.There was a picture of flowers ______ her T-shirt.

20.She has a house ______ Japan.

THE PREPOSITION OF DIRECTION/MOVEMENT

A prepositions of direction indicate that something is headed for or directed to somewhere. Prepositions of direction include prepositions 

such as into, on, onto, through, to, toward.

For example:

We watched the bus disappear into the tunnel.

A fly settled on my bread while I was eating it.

My mom must have put the pumpkin onto someone else’s trolley in the supermarket.

The bullet had gone through his head, but he survived.

The teacher has gone to the loo again.

The snake slithered toward the bullfrog.

These prepositions show direction of movement from somewhere, and some of the prepositions used here are away from, from, off, out. 

For example:

He warned them to keep away from his apple tree.

Two tigers walking around are reported to have escaped from the circus.

The strong wind blew the wig off his head.

Everyone ran out the door when the fire started.  

Here are some more examples of prepositions of direction:

1: TO

“To” is the most common of the prepositions of movement or direction.

Meaning: a function word used to indicate movement or an action or condition suggesting movement in the direction of a place, person, or thing

Use: We use “to” to show movement in a specific direction.

For example:

I go to school by bus.

You walk to work every day.

They came to the wedding.

Sofia flew to Canada.

2: ACROSS

Meaning: from one side to the other.

Use: “Across” is used to show movement from one side to the opposite side.

For example:

The boat will take you across the river.

You must walk across the street at the crosswalk.

3: ALONG

Meaning: in a line; a point in the length of; from one point to another

For example:

He’s walking along the path.

The street runs along the seafront.

4: AROUND

Meaning: in a circle; in or along a curving path.

For example:

You must drive around the city center to reach the cinema.

Let’s go for a walk around the park.

5: DOWN

Meaning: high to low; to or toward the south

Use: “Down” is used to indicate movement from a higher to a lower position.

For example:

I prefer to ride my bike down the hill.

We are going down to Florida this summer.

6: INTO

Meaning: to or toward to inside of; in the direction of; to enter

For example:

Don’t go into your sister’s room!

We went into the shop on the corner.

7: OFF

Meaning: away from

For example:

Get your feet off the sofa!

We get off the train at the next stop.

8: ONTO

Meaning: to move to a position that is on

For example:

We can get onto the bus here.

The dog got onto the sofa.

9: OVER

Meaning: in an upward and forward direction across something; from one place to another; from or to a place that is higher than

For example:

The cat jumped over the dog.

You must cross over the bridge.

10: PAST

Meaning: at the far side of something; beyond; up to or going near

For example:

Walk past the theater on the right and the bank is on the left.

Go past Main Street and turn left at the next street.

11: THROUGH

Meaning: from one point to the other; from one end to the other

Use: “Through” is used to show movement within an enclosed space.

For example:

You must turn on your lights when passing through the tunnel.

She walks through the park on her way to work.

12: TOWARD(S)

Meaning: in the direction of

For example:

Who is that woman running towards us?

Walk towards the sea and turn left at the first street.

13: UP

Meaning: low to high; toward the ceiling, sky or the north

Use: “Up” is used to indicate movement from a lower to a higher position.

For example:

I don’t like riding my bike up these hills.

We climbed up the mountain this morning.

THE PREPOSITION FOR AGENT/INSTRUMENT

Definition: A preposition for agent or instrument is used for a thing which is cause of another thing in the sentence. Different prepositions are used by different devices, instruments or machines. Such prepositions are by, with, without.

For example:

Mike was killed by his best friend.

The Odyssey was written by Homer.

The project was completed by him

The room is being decorated by her.

He was hit by a lady.

This poem was written by Walt Whitman.

That man opened the door with the key.

You can’t play soccer without a ball.

I can write better with my own pen.

I'm going to England next week with my girlfriend.

Mary was cheated by George.

John was hit with a stick last night.

PREPOSITIONS COMBINED WITH ADJECTIVES

In English language, there are some adjectives that need the prepositions to stand after them. These are the fixed structure that learners must study hard.

Here are some of the most common ones with their examples:

1: Famous for
France is famous for its food.

2: Proud of
He is very proud of his new car.

3: Interested in
Julie is very interested in sport.

4: Pleased with
John is very pleased with his new suit.

5: Bad at
They are very bad at math.

6: Good at
Einstein was very good at physics.

7: Married to
My mother has been married to my father for 20 years.

8: Excited about
I'm very excited about my holiday.

9: Different from / to
Coffee is different from tea.

10: Afraid of
I'm afraid of spiders.

ADJECTIVES AND PREPOSITIONS EXERCISE 1

Direction: Put in the correct preposition:

1.England is famous ________ its rainy weather.

2.I'm very proud ________ my daughter, she worked very hard.

3.He isn't really interested ________ getting married.

4.Luke is very pleased ________ his exam results.

5.Unfortunately, I'm very bad ________ music.

6.I've been married ________ my husband for 10 years.

7.She's very excited ________ the party.

8.Julie is very different ________ her sister.

9.My niece is afraid ________ dogs.

10.A ball gown is similar ________ an evening dress.

11.What is your town famous ________?1

2.It's great you got that job -you should be proud ________ yourself.

13.I'm very excited ________ buying a new computer.

14.That bike is similar ________ yours.

15.She is interested ________ jazz.

16.Are you pleased ________ your new house?

17.Lucy is extremely good ________ languages.

18.Who is James married ________?

19.English cheese is very different ________ French cheese.

20.He isn't afraid ________ anything.

PREPOSITIONS COMBINED WITH VERBS

There are some verbs in English need a preposition before an object or another verb. The preposition is only grammatical, so it does not change the meaning of that verb.

Here are some of the most common ones combined with verbs:

1/-arrive at / in somewhere:
We arrived at the airport.
We arrived in London.

2/-belong to somebody:
This book belongs to me.

3/-borrow something from somebody:
I borrowed a book from my classmate.

4/-concentrate on something / doing something:
I concentrated on studying at the weekend.

5/-depend on something / somebody:
It depends on the weather.

6/-explain something to somebody:
The teacher explained the exercise to the students.

7/-listen to something / somebody:
I listened to music.

8/-pay somebody for something:
I paid the waiter for the coffee.

9/-wait for somebody / something:
Wait for me!

10/-worry about somebody / something:
Don't worry about me.

VERBS AND PREPOSITIONS 1

1.Stop worrying __________ your exam - everything will be fine.

2.I've waited __________ Judy for 30 minutes. I’m going home.

3.Stop talking and concentrate __________ your work.

4.Don't forget to pay __________ the newspaper.

5.He explained the computer program __________ me.

6.I don't know what we'll do at the weekend. It depends __________ the weather.

7.She will arrive __________ Beijing at 3 p.m.

8.I like to listen __________ the radio when I wake up.

 9.He borrowed £20 __________ his brother.

10.Who does this coat belong __________?

11.She left without paying __________ the meal.

12.It was so hot, I couldn't concentrate __________ my book.

13.Mothers always worry __________ their children.

14.Please explain the meaning of this word __________ your classmates. 15.I'm fed up with waiting __________ spring.

16.That car belongs __________ my father.

17.She listens __________ opera on the tube.

18.A: Which university will you go to? B: It depends __________ my exam results.

19.A lot of people borrow money __________ the bank.

20.When she arrived __________ the pub, it was already closed.

THE PREPOSITION COLLOCATIONS

Prepositions can be difficult. One problem is that there is often no logic at all! We use them in many phrases and expressions and unfortunately, we just need to memorize these. There are not really any rules. The preposition collocations are sometimes called the 'prepositional phrases' or 'preposition expressions'.)
1: At last = finally:

After a long journey, at last we arrived at our hotel.

At last! I thought you'd never get here!

2: On foot = walking (not by foot)

I usually go to work on foot.

Did you come by car or on foot?

3: By mistake = not meaning to

I dropped the glass by mistake. I'm really sorry.

She gave him the wrong book by mistake.

4: In advance = beforehand

We need to book the tickets for the cinema in advance, or we won't get a good seat.

She always buys her food for Christmas well in advance.

5: Out of reach = too high to touch (literally or metaphorically)

She tried to grab the kite as it flew away but it was already out of reach.

That job is out of reach. I don't have the right qualifications for it.

6: For instance = here is an example

John reads a lot. For instance, yesterday he read two books.

You should eat more vegetables. Why don't you have a salad at lunchtime, for instance?

7: In danger = in a dangerous situation

When the car started rolling we realised that we were in danger. Luckily we managed to stop.

The dog fell into the river and was in danger for several minutes.

8: Without fail = always / definitely

She visits her mother every week without fail.

I study for twenty minutes a day without fail.

9: By chance = without planning

I saw Julie at the station by chance.

She found the perfect book by chance in a second hand bookshop.

10: On purpose = intending to do something

She left without paying on purpose! It wasn't a mistake.

Did you take my bag on purpose? Why would you do that?

11: For a change = to do something different

Let's have Italian food for a change. We always eat British food.

I don't want to go to the cinema again. I want to go to the park for a change.

12: On time (for) = at the time that was arranged

She was on time for the meeting. It started at nine and she arrived at nine.

Why are you never on time? I'm so fed up with waiting for you.

13: To my surprise = I was surprised

I opened the door, and to my surprise, it was Lucy! I'd thought she was in Paris.

To his surprise, the baby stopped crying and smiled at him.

14: At once = immediately

You must do it at once! Don't wait even one minute.

She cleaned up at once when she realized that her mother was coming to visit.

15: In common (with) = something that's shared or the same

People from different countries have a lot in common. We all want to have good lives.

What does a cat have in common with a mouse? Well, they are both mammals.

COLLOCATIONS WITH PREPOSITIONS EXERCISE 1

1.She paid for lunch ___________advance, so we don’t need to pay now.

2.I went to the wrong house ___________mistake!

3.Please make sure that you’re ___________time for the class!

4.I was walking to the station and ___________chance I saw the glove I’d lost on the ground.

5.I love eating out in London. ___________instance, one of my favourite restaurants has amazing Japanese food.

6.I think the cat is ___________danger on that high roof.

7.I picked up the laptop and ___________my surprise it fell apart in my hands.

8.I have a lot ___________common with my cousin. We both like many of the same things.

9.If the baby starts to cry, pick her up ___________once.

10.Did you forget your purse ___________purpose so you wouldn’t have to pay?

11.It’s best to arrive ___________foot, because there is nowhere to park.

12.What do a whale and a dolphin have ___________common?

13.He added salt instead of sugar ___________mistake.

14.What’syour favourite thing to do? ___________instance, do you like sport?

15.The book was ___________reach on a high shelf.

16.I want to go to Germany ___________a change. I’ve never been there.

17.Please let me know ___________advance if you can’t come to the meeting.

18.She often goes to school ___________foot.

19.Do you always brush your teeth before bed ___________fail?

20.The little girl broke the toy ___________purpose because she was so angry.

21. Please come ___________once. We have a big problem.

22.She worked very hard and ___________last she managed to pass the exam.

23.We need to be ___________time or my grandmother will start to get anxious.

24.It feels like owning a house is ___________ reach. I’ll never be able to do it.

25.We thought about it a lot and ___________last we decided to buy a new flat.

26.We watched a film ___________a change. Usually we read.

27.She was really ___________danger for a few minutes in the rough sea, but luckily a lifeguard saw her.

28.I went to the bookshop and ___________chance I found a really interesting book about Switzerland.

29.He walked into the kitchen and ___________his surprise there was food all over the floor.

30.She drinks a litre of water every day ___________fail.

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