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Prepositions
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Exercises on Prepositions Prepositions are short words (on, in, to) that usually stand in front of nouns (sometimes also in front of gerund verbs). Even advanced learners of English find prepositions difficult, as a 1:1 translation is usually not possible. One preposition in your native language might have several translations depending on the situation. There are hardly any rules as to when to use which preposition. The only way to learn prepositions is looking them up in a dictionary, reading a lot in English (literature) and learning useful phrases off by heart (study tips). The following table contains rules for some of the most frequently used prepositions in English:
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Prepositions Time
English
on in
Usage
days of the week months / seasons time of day year after a certain period of time (when?) on Monday
Example
Teach In
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in August / in winter in the morning in 2006 in an hour
at
for night for weekend a certain point of time (when?) from a certain point of time (past till now)
at night at the weekend at half past nine since 1980
since for ago
over a certain period of time (past for 2 years till now) a certain time in the past 2 years ago
before earlier than a certain point of time before 2004 to past to / till / until till / until telling the time telling the time ten to six (5:50) ten past six (6:10)
marking the beginning and end of from Monday to/till Friday a period of time in the sense of how long something is going to last He is on holiday until Friday.
English
by
Usage
in the sense of at the latest up to a certain time
Example
I will be back by 6 oclock. By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.
Prepositions Place (Position and Direction)
English
in
Usage
room, building, street, town, country book, paper etc. car, taxi picture, world meaning next to, by an object for table for events place where you are to do something typical (watch a film, study, work) attached for a place with a river being on a surface for a certain side (left, right) for a floor in a house for public transport for television, radio
Example
in the kitchen, in London in the book in the car, in a taxi in the picture, in the world at the door, at the station at the table at a concert, at the party at the cinema, at school, at work
at
on
the picture on the wall London lies on the Thames. on the table on the left on the first floor on the bus, on a plane on TV, on the radio
by, left or right of somebody or next to, something beside under below over on the ground, lower than (or covered by) something else lower than something else but above ground covered by something else meaning more than getting to the other side (also across) overcoming an obstacle higher than something else, but not directly over it getting to the other side (also over) getting to the other side
Jane is standing by / next to / beside the car. the bag is under the table the fish are below the surface put a jacket over your shirt over 16 years of age walk over the bridge climb over the wall
above across
a path above the lake walk across the bridge swim across the lake drive through the tunnel go to the cinema go to London / Ireland go to bed go into the kitchen / the house go 5 steps towards the house jump onto the table
through something with limits on top, bottom and the sides to movement to person or building movement to a place or country for bed enter a room / a building
into
towards movement in the direction of something (but not directly to it) onto movement to the top of something
English
from
Usage
in the sense of where from
Example
a flower from the garden
Other important Prepositions
English
from of who gave it who/what does it belong to what does it show who made it
Usage
Example
a present from Jane a page of the book the picture of a palace a book by Mark Twain
by on
walking or riding on horseback on foot, on horseback entering a public transport vehicle get on the bus entering a car / Taxi leaving a public transport vehicle get in the car get off the train get out of the taxi prices have risen by 10 percent by car, by bus she learned Russian at 45 we were talking about you
in off
out of leaving a car / Taxi by rise or fall of something travelling (other than walking or horseriding) for age
at
about for topics, meaning what about
Exercises on Prepositions
Exercise on Prepositions Place 1 Exercise on Prepositions Place 2 Exercise on Prepositions Place 3 Exercise on Prepositions Place 4 Exercise on Prepositions Place 5 Exercise on Prepositions Time 1 Exercise on Prepositions Time 2 Exercise on Prepositions since and for See also: Date and Time Exercise on Prepositions Buses Exercise on Prepositions A picture Exercise on Prepositions A photograph Exercise on Prepositions The Wampanoag Exercise on Prepositions George Washington Exercise on Prepositions Henry Ford Exercise on Prepositions McDonalds Exercise on Prepositions Uluru
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Changed: 10th Dec 2010 19:35 URL: http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/prepositions
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