Prepositions of Time: at, on, and in IN Use in months and years and periods of time: • in January • in 1978 • in the twenties Use in a period of time in the future: • in a few weeks • in a couple of days AT Use at with precise time: • at six oclock • at 10.30 • at two p.m. ON Use on with days of the week: • on Monday • on Fridays Use on with specific calendar days: • on Christmas day • on October 22nd IMPORTANT NOTES in the morning / afternoon / evening - at night We say in the morning, afternoon or evening BUT we say at night Prepositions of Place: at, on, and in IN Use in with spaces: • in a room / in a building • in a garden / in a park Use in with bodies of water: • in the water • in the sea • in a river Use in with lines: • in a row / in a line • in a queue AT Use at with places: • at the bus-stop • at the door • at the cinema • at the end of the street Use at with places on a page: • at the top of the page • at the bottom of the page Use at in groups of people: • at the back of the class • at the front of the class ON Use on with surfaces: • on the ceiling / on the wall / on the floor • on the table Use on with small islands: • I stayed on Maui. Use on with directions: • on the left • on the right • straight on IMPORTANT NOTES In / at / on the corner We say in the corner of a room, but at the corner (or on the corner) of a street In / at / on the front • We say in the front / in the back of a car • We say at the front / at the back of buildings / groups of people • We say on the front / on the back of a piece of paper Prepositions of Movement: to and No Preposition We use to in order to express movement toward a place. They were driving to work together. Shes going to the dentists office this morning. With the words home, downtown, uptown, inside, outside, downstairs, upstairs, we use no preposition. Grandma went upstairs Grandpa went home. They both went outside. Prepositions of Time: for and since We use for when we measure time (seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years). He held his breath for seven minutes. Shes lived there for seven years. The British and Irish have been quarreling for seven centuries. We use since with a specific date or time. Hes worked here since 1970. Shes been sitting in the waiting room since two-thirty. Prepositions with nouns, adjectives, and verbs. Prepositions are sometimes so firmly wedded to other words that they have practically become one word. (In fact, in other languages, such as German, they would have become one word.) This occurs in three categories: nouns, adjectives, and verbs. A combination of verb and preposition is called a phrasal verb. The word that is joined to the verb is then called a particle. Idiomatic Expressions with Prepositions • agree to a proposal, with a person, on a price, in principle • argue about a matter, with a person, for or against a proposition • compare to to show likenesses, with to show differences (sometimes similarities) • correspond to a thing, with a person • differ from an unlike thing, with a person • live at an address, in a house or city, on a street, with other people Unnecessary Prepositions In everyday speech, we fall into some bad habits, using prepositions where they are not necessary. It would be a good idea to eliminate these words altogether, but we must be especially careful not to use them in formal, academic prose. • She met up with the new coach in the hallway. • The book fell off of the desk. • He threw the book out of the window. • She wouldnt let the cat inside of the house. [or use in] • Where did they go to? • Put the lamp in back of the couch. [use behind instead] • Where is your college at?
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 23:29:13 +0000
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