T&T 003 Prepositions

T&T 003

TEXT: Prepositions

Prepositions of Time & Place
http://www.english-at-home.com/grammar/prepositions-of-time/

Definition: Prepositions are a class of words that indicate relationships between nouns, pronouns and other words in a sentence. Most often they come before a noun. They never change their form, regardless of the case, gender etc. of the word they are referring to.
Some common prepositions are:

about above across after against along among around at before behind below beneath beside between beyond but

by despite down during except for from in inside into like near of off on onto out

outside over past since through throughout till to toward under underneath until up upon with within without.

Prepositions typically come before a noun:
For example:
·        after class
·        at home
·        before Tuesday
·        in London
·        on fire
·        with pleasure
A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence.
For example:
·        The book is on the table.
·        The book is beside the table.
·        She read the book during class.
In each of the preceding sentences, a preposition locates the noun "book" in space or in time.
Prepositions are classified as simple or compound.
Simple prepositions:

Simple prepositions are single word prepositions. These are all showed above.
For example:
·        The book is on the table.
Compound prepositions:

Compound prepositions are more than one word. in between and because of are prepositions made up of two words - in front of, on behalf of are prepositions made up of three words.
For example:
·        The book is in between War and Peace and The Lord of the Rings.
·        The book is in front of the clock.
Examples:
·        The children climbed the mountain without fear.
·        There was rejoicing throughout the land when the government was defeated.
·        The spider crawled slowly along the banister.
The following table contains rules for some of the most frequently used prepositions in English:
Prepositions of Time:

English Usage Example

on	days of the week	on Monday
in	months / seasons time of day year after a certain period of time (when?)	in August / in winter in the morning in 2006 in an hour
at	for night for weekend a certain point of time (when?)	at night at the weekend at half past nine
since	from a certain point of time (past till now)	since 1980
for	over a certain period of time (past till now)	for 2 years
ago	a certain time in the past	2 years ago
before	earlier than a certain point of time	before 2004
to	telling the time	ten to six (5:50)
past	telling the time	ten past six (6:10)
to / till / until	marking the beginning and end of a period of time	from Monday to/till Friday
till / until	in the sense of how long something is going to last	He is on holiday until Friday.
by	in the sense of at the latest up to a certain time	I will be back by 6 o’clock. By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.

Prepositions of Place:
English Usage Example

in	room, building, street, town, country book, paper etc. car, taxi picture, world	in the kitchen, in London in the book in the car, in a taxi in the picture, in the world
at	meaning next to, by an object for table for events place where you are to do something typical (watch a film, study, work)	at the door, at the station at the table at a concert, at the party at the cinema, at school, at work
on	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	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, next to, beside	left or right of somebody or something	Jane is standing by / next to / beside the car.
under	on the ground, lower than (or covered by) something else	the bag is under the table
below	lower than something else but above ground	the fish are below the surface
over	covered by something else meaning more than getting to the other side (also across) overcoming an obstacle	put a jacket over your shirt over 16 years of age walk over the bridge climb over the wall
above	higher than something else, but not directly over it	a path above the lake
across	getting to the other side (also over) getting to the other side	walk across the bridge swim across the lake
through	something with limits on top, bottom and the sides	drive through the tunnel
to	movement to person or building movement to a place or country for bed	go to the cinema go to London / Ireland go to bed
into	enter a room / a building	go into the kitchen / the house
towards	movement in the direction of something (but not directly to it)	go 5 steps towards the house
onto	movement to the top of something	jump onto the table
from	in the sense of where from	a flower from the garden

Using the right preposition in English can be a problem. Here are the most common ones used to talk about time, place and transport.

Time

in a century
"There were many inventions in the twentieth century."
in a year
"She left school in 1987."
in a month
"He's leaving in January."
in a season
"We usually go on holiday in summer."
in a part of the day
"I'm leaving in the morning, not in the evening."
during or in – when something happens
"Muslims fast during / in Ramadan."
"It rained during / in the night."
for – how long something takes
"She played tennis for an hour."
at Christmas or at Easter
"Christians celebrate at Christmas and at Easter."
at the weekend
"I play tennis at the weekend."
at night
"I go to sleep at night."
at a time
"The appointment is at four o'clock in the afternoon."
on a day
"The appointment is on Monday."
on a date
"I'm leaving on 12 December."

Place

on or on top of
"The remote control is on the table."
above (higher than)
"Look at the clock above the mantelpiece."
under or underneath
"The keys are under the mat."
beneath (old fashioned word to mean under)
below (lower than)
"The chart below shows the annual figures."
"It was below freezing last night."
next to "A is next to B in the alphabet."
between "B is between A and C in the alphabet."
opposite
"The bank is opposite the supermarket. If you walk outside the bank, you can see the supermarket in front of you, on the other side of the road."
across
"Walk across the road, to the other side."
round / around
"It's round the corner – you can't see it from here."

Transport

on a train, a bus, a plane, a bicycle
get on / off a train / a bus / a plane / a bike
in a car
get in / out of a car
go by car / train / plane / bus
go on foot
Prepositions of Cause & Purpose

Meaning	Preposition / Phrase	Examples
cause, reason	{ because of on account  of for from through }	The barbecue was cancelled because of the rain. We didn't go on account of  the bad weather. He succeeded for many reasons. Unfortunately you won't succeed from hard work alone. The operation was successful only through the great skill of the surgeon.
motive	out of	The letter was sent out of  anger and spite.
purpose, goal, target	for	Victor is applying for the post of Senior Technician.
intended recipient	for	Lily bought a toy for the little boy.
actual recipient	to	He gave the money to her.
goal, target ( with hostility )	{ at to towards }	The police fired at the bank robbers. I don't wish any harm to him. I don't have any bad feeling towards him, in spite of what he said.
target, point ( with neutral attitude )	at	Helen smiled at  the baby.

Prepositions of passage 
The idea of passage combines position and motion. The prepositions that are commonly used for passage are by, over, under, past etc.

by, over, under, past Meaning ( to show....) Preposition Examples someone or something move past without stopping by Flora also took Tim's hand as they passed by the woods. someone or something moves across the surface from one side towards the other. over They drove back over the mountains . something moves from one side to the other by passing below it. under The water passes under the ground. move in a direction so as to pass by. past Victoria went past the house by mistake.

up, down, across, along The prepositions of passage are usually related to vertical and horizontal axis. 1. up -- moves higher in direction -- E.g. He went up the stairs. 2. down -- moves in a descending direction -- E.g. She went down the hill. 3. across -- moves from one side to the other -- E.g. Tim went across the road. 4. along -- moves towards one end of something -- E.g. Cecilia went along the highway.

on, in, across, through The prepositions of passage on and in, across and through, are used similarly. For example, on -- static -- setting : surface in -- static -- setting : containing area, border across -- movement -- setting : surface through -- movement -- setting : containing area, border Prepositions with other meaning

about, according to, against, apart from, as, at Preposition/ Prepositional Phrase Meaning Examples about the subject of thought, speech and writing I am worried about your test results. according to to quote as an authority According to Lily, the class has been cancelled. against not in favour of All the evidence is against the theory. apart from with the exception of Apart from that, she has done nothing significant. as in the role of As your friend, I advise you not to smoke anymore. as for, as to 1. use at the beginning of a clause 2. to introduce another subject that is related to the previous one I don't mind Jim, but as for Tim, he has been very rude to me. No decision was made as to how the project should be done. as well as in addition to You can come, as well as Lily. at relates to price or rate They are driving at 70 miles per hour.

among, between, against Preposition/ Prepositional Phrase Meaning Examples among / amongst be part of a group, belong to a group, be included 1. The State Department is unique among government agencies for its lack of public supporters. 2. This should be included among his best plays. between involving two sides or participants 1. This is between Lily an me, it doesn't concern anyone else. 2. The fight between Mohammed Ali and Sonny Liston only lasted 7 rounds. between + plural reflexive pronoun involving only the parties concerned, not others This is a matter just between ourselves. This argument is just between themselves. against a game, match or competition between two rivals West Ham have been drawn to play against Manchester United.

because of, besides, but, by because of due to, by reason of The flight was cancelled because of bad weather. besides in addition to Besides the main character, there are several lovely roles. but except Nobody but Cissy has finished all the homework. but for 1. contains the idea " if something had not taken place" - a form of 3rd conditional 2. 'but' cannot be used instead of 'but for' at the beginning of a clause 3. except for But for that accident, we would have got there thirty minutes ago. by express agency, instrument or means of transport "Women in Love" was written by D.H.Lawernce. by means of by making use of For years radar was operated by means of  pressing buttons and using dials.

because of, besides, but, by because of due to, by reason of The flight was cancelled because of bad weather. besides in addition to Besides the main character, there are several lovely roles. but except Nobody but Cissy has finished all the homework. but for 1. contains the idea " if something had not taken place" - a form of 3rd conditional 2. 'but' cannot be used instead of 'but for' at the beginning of a clause 3. except for But for that accident, we would have got there thirty minutes ago. by express agency, instrument or means of transport "Women in Love" was written by D.H.Lawernce. by means of by making use of For years radar was operated by means of  pressing buttons and using dials.

concerning, considering concerning indicate the subject matter of something that is said, written or thought I want to ask several questions concerning this point. considering take certain fact into account Considering the lateness, the chairman decided to close the meeting.

except except excluding All students passed the exam except Patrick. except for 1. excluding 2. except cannot substitute except for at the beginning of a clause Except for Patrick, all students passed the exam.

for, from for 1. purpose 2. exchange This report is for your reference only. from indicates the origin or source of something I bought it from the supermarket.

in, instead of in relates to a medium of expression He explained that phrase in Cantonese. instead of do the first thing but not the second, although the second is expected or preferable I've got a mango today instead of  an apple.

like, as  like 1. of the same nature, appearance, or quality 2. a gradable preposition Bonnie looks like her mother. Being in love is  like floating on a cloud.  She's quite like her mother. as (adjective) as (noun) Links something of the same nature, appearance, or quality She's as tall as her mother. He's as blind as a bat.

notwithstanding notwithstanding 1. although a particular thing exists or occurs 2. a formal word They seem to get on well notwithstanding their differences in cultural background.

of, on, out of, over, owing to of 1. the substance of which something is composed 2. membership of a (larger) body 3. the subject towards which thought, speech or writing is directed 4. a connection between something and an action in which it is involved 1. This pen is made of metal. 2. Hong Kong is part of  China. 3. I'll be dreaming of you tonight. 4. The Department of English is expanding. on 1. relates to the subject of speech and writing 2. a more systematic treatment than about Chris is speaking on the VLC Project. out of lacking She is out of  breath. over relates to argument The children were fighting over  the new toy. owing to indicate the cause of a particular thing Owing to  the bad weather, the flight is cancelled.

rather than, regardless of rather than in preference to Rather than that, I'd sooner die. regardless of without regard of We have to go to work, regardless of  personal problems.

than than links two parts of a comparison This one is cheaper than that one. This is more expensive than the other one.

through through relates to means or cause He got full marks through  his hard work.

unlike, upon, up to unlike not like Mimi is unlike her sister. upon sometimes replace on in formal and fixed expression The little girl climbed upon her pony. up to indicate responsibility for future action It's up to  you what we do next.

with, without with 1. express instrument 2. having 1. Please check the meaning with  a dictionary. 2. The girl with the red dress is my sister. without not having I can't live, if living is without you.

Fixed Expressions

Many commonly used phrases or idioms feature prepositions.

Relating to places or institutions Pattern Underlying Meaning go to bed to sleep be in bed / stay in bed sleeping, resting get out of bed get up go to school / come to school to study go to lunch / dinner to have lunch / dinner be at lunch having lunch be in class giving or having a lesson go to church for worship be at church worshipping in the church be at home in one's own house go in(to) hospital for medical treatment be in hospital receiving medical treatment (a patient) be in office holding an official position be out of office ceasing to hold that position go to prison as a punishment be in prison as a prisoner go to university to study be at university be a student

Relating to means of transport ( travel, send goods) Pattern Example by air Most mail goes by air from England to Hong Kong. by bus We can go by bus to Wan Chai. by car The best way to go to Clearwater Bay is by car. by ship / boat Most people travel by boat to Discovery Bay. by land But you can now get to Lantau Island from Kowloon by land since they built the Tei Ma bridge.  by plane I don't like to travel by plane in China as you miss seeing so much of the country. by sea In the last century the only way to reach America from Europe was by sea. on foot We can either get a taxi or go on foot as it's not far.

Relating to means of dispatch (sending a message) Pattern Example by hand The exam paper has to be delivered by hand. by letter You have to send a confirmation by letter - a fax won't do. by post I'll send the cheque to you by post. by radio Taxis usually communicate by radio, although many drives use mobile phones now. by cable Some TV channels are are only available by cable. by telegram You can send an urgent message by telegram.

Phrases that begin with "at" at sea When the ferry is at sea you cannot go out on deck. She felt at sea on the first day of school. (= confused, perplexed) at hand The end of the world is at hand. (= near, close in time) at least We need at least $20,000 dollars for the furniture. at work Phone me at work later. at war When Britain and Germany were at war, Sweden remained neutral.  at last After several attempts we at last got the operating system installed correctly. at peace Most of the countries of Western Europe have been at peace since 1945. at sight The horses  went crazy ar sight or smell of a bear.  at ease I don't feel at ease with this kind of music. at heart He likes living in the city, but at heart he's still a country boy. at length He described his accident at length to everyone. at once Don't leave it, do it at once. at first I didn't like it here at first, but now I've grown to appreciate it. at play There must be an adult on duty when the children are at play. at rest His explanation did not put our minds at rest, and we weren't satisfied. at present I'm living in Discovery Bay at present, but not for much longer.

Phrases that begin with "by" Phrase Example by accident It wasn't clear if the fire started by accident or on purpose. by chance We met by chance several years later in Hong Kong.  by day Badgers don't come out by day, they're nocturnal. by design It wasn't done by design, it was unintentional. by degrees You can only learn this by degrees, step by step, you can't rush it. by heart An actor needs to learn his lines by heart - you can't read them during a performance. by mistake I'm sorry, I put the memo in your pigeon hole by mistake - it's for Mary. by name The headmaster called out the wrondoers by name at the morning assembly. by rights By rights this should be John's job, but I'll do it for now. by sight I know Mr Brown by sight, but we've never been introduced. by surprise The police caught the burglar by surprise while he was trying to break in. by + reflexive pronoun This is often used to mean doing something alone, often meaning "without any help". eg You can't move all these books by yourself - let me help you. She often goes out for a walk by herself. by + the time + verb This phrase is often used as a time conjunction, similar to "when", and it is used with a verb to mean "not later than when something happens". It is often used with the past perfect tense.   eg We were delayed by traffic and by the time we arrived the concert had started. I'll probably be in bed by the time you get home. By the time the police had realised what was happening, the robbers had escaped.

Phrases that begin with "in" in brief In brief, the prosecution's case is based on the fact that he lied. in case Take an umbrella in case it rains. in common He's my brother, but we don't have many interests in common.  in danger We are in danger of losing the contract. in debt Most of the farmers are in debt to the banks.  in difficulties Helicopters were scrambled after reports from a North Sea oil rig that it was in difficulties. in due course They will have an answer for you in due course, but you have to be patient.  in fact I thought he was about 50, but in fact he's only 45. in half If you divide the room in half, you would still be able to get all the desks in. in general The British are eating less food in general and less junk food in particular. in love She is secretly in love with another man. in name Gone are the days when this tournament was international in name only. in need The government thinks this is an opportunity to reassess how those most in need can be helped. in order They need a higher grade in order to be accepted on the course. in particular The British are eating less food in general and less junk food in particular. in pieces He knocked over the vase and it broke in pices on the floor. in private I have something to tell you in private. in public Kissing in public is not usually done, although holding hands is common. in reply In reply to your question, the answer is yes. in secret They believe the government is carrying out research in secret.  in sight When the island of Tioman came in sight the view was fantastic. in stock We don't have this model in stock, but we can order it for you. in turn Let us consider each of those points in turn. in time You won't understand it now, but in time you will. in tears The exhibition attracted a lot of people off the streets, many in tears and unable to speak. in short Good accommodation was in short supply.

Phrases that begin with "on" on business He has gone to China on business. on duty (off duty) My brother is a policeman, and he usually has to be on duty at weekends. on fire Many people escaped to the roof because the middle floors were on fire. on foot We'll go on foot as it's not far. on guard There are always some police on guard outside the American embassy. on holiday They are on holiday in Chiang Mai just now, but they'll be back next week on horseback You can tour the Grand Canyon on horseback if you can ride. on purpose It was no accident, he fouled the other player on purpose. on time The trains usually run on time, although they might be late if there is a lot of snow. on sale You can still find pirated software on sale if you know where to go.

on + possessive + own This is used to mean doing something alone, often meaning "without any help" and is similar to "by oneself". eg You can't move all these books on your own - let me help you. She often goes out for a walk on her own.

of + possessive + own This is used to mean owning or having something yourself, in contrast to having something which belongs to someone else. eg She really wants a house of her own - she's tired of living in a rented apartment. It's time he found a girlfriend of his own. He doesn't seem to have any ideas of his own - just what he's got from other people.

Phrases that begin with "out of" out of control Some of the pupils in that school are just out of control.  out of danger The typhoon has changed direction so it looks as if Hong Kong is out of danger. out of date You need to check the milk to see that it's not out of date. out of doors In summer the children can play out of doors and have more things to do. out of hearing I could see they were talking about me but they were out of hearing so I don't know what they were saying. out of order I'm afraid the lift is out of order so you'll have to use the steps. out of sight They stood watching the plane until it was out of sight. out of place I feel out of place there, everyone seems to be dressed so formally. out of reach The price of a house in Central London is far out of reach of most ordinary workers. out of stock We are out of stock of this model just now. out of turn Government ministers who speak out of turn are likely to be reprimanded.  out of work More than 7% of the work force is out of work now.

Phrases that begin with "within" within hearing Don't say anything about it while he's within hearing.  within reach The championship is now within reach for Liverpool if they can beat Manchester United. within sight I live within sight of the Kowloon coast and Hong Kong island.

Word Combinations

Many commonly used words have associated preposition combinations as right collocates. 

Verbs Pattern Example accuse someone of doing (û: for) He was accused of stealing the money. agree with someone or an idea I agree with you. I don't agree with capital punishment. agree about  a discussion topic My wife and I agree about most things. agree on a decision We agreed on a date for the meeting. agree to a suggestion / price etc I wouldn't agree to such a high price. apologise to someone She apologised to everyone. apologise for doing something  She apologised for coming late. arrive at / in somewhere (û: to) When does the plane arrive in London? ask for something They asked for a pay rise. believe in someone / something / doing Do you believe in God? She doesn't believe in dieting. I believe in you - I know you'll help me. (= trust) belong in / on somewhere (= be in the proper place) The plates belong in the cupboard. belong to someone (= be owned) Those books belong to me. belong to something (= be a member of) She belongs to a tennis club.  care about something He doesn't care about the money. care for someone (= like, love) I don't think she she cares for him. congratulate someone on / for doing He congratulated the team on winning the match. (for winning) crash into something  The bus crashed into a lorry. depend on something / someone I'm not sure if we'll go, it depends on the weather. He depends on his parents to pay the fees. die of / from Many people have died of AIDS in the past 20 years. ( from AIDS) divide into Lord of the Rings is divided into several books. dream of (= imagine, want) He dreamt of becoming a singer. dream about (while sleeping) Last night I dreamt about you.  dress in (û: with) She's the woman dressed in red. drive into (û: against) The taxi drove into the back of a bus. enter into an agreement, discussion China has entered into an agreement with Russia to buy corn. explain something to someone I tried to explain the rules to him. fight / struggle with For years he has had to struggle with drug addiction. get into / out of a car etc She must have dropped her scarf when she got into the taxi. get onto / off a bus, train etc All the passengers had to get off the train when it broke down. insist on doing George insisted on paying for everyone. be lacking in She is lacking in good manners. laugh at  The audience didn't laugh at his jokes. laugh about This isn't something to laugh about - it's a serious matter. listen to Listen to the tape and answer the questions. look at Don't look at me like that. look after Can you look after my cat while I'm away? look for I've been looking for my keys, but I can't find them anywhere. make something of / be made of This watch is made of plastic. be married to someone I've been married to Jenny for two years. operate on someone  They operated on him yesterday. pay for I'll pay for the drinks. be pleased with She's not very pleased with you at the moment. be pleased about / at She's very pleased about passing the exam. prevent someone from doing The noise from the storm prevented me from sleeping. run into someone (= meet) I ran into Bill Brown the other day. search for I searched for my keys but couldn't find them. be shocked at / by I was shocked at the news of his death. shout at (= aggressive, angry) Please don't shout at me like that. shout to someone (= call) She shouted to the children to come indoors. smile at someone When she smiled at me I realised she wasn't angry. be sorry about (= sympathy) I'm very sorry about his accident. be sorry for (= apologise) I'm sorry for being late. be sorry for someone I'm so sorry for John - he's had a terrible time. speak to / with someone I'll speak to him about it. (with him) suffer from She suffers from insomnia and depression. surprised at / by I was so surprised at him getting a high grade. take part in (û: at) I have to take part in the meeting. think of / about doing (û: to) (= not decided) I'm thinking of studying for an MA degree. (about studying) throw something at someone (= aggressive, angry) The angry crowd through bottles at the referee. throw something to someone (= in a game) Throw the ball to me. translate into This needs to be translated into Chinese. trip over He tripped over the cat when he came in.

Nouns Pattern Example details of I'll give you the details of the proposal later. difficulty with something He seems to have a lot of difficulty with the students. difficulty in doing The taxi driver had some dificulty in finding the right street. discussion about We had an interesting discussion about politics. example of (û: for) The Tei Ma bridge is a great example of suspension engineering..  (the) idea of doing I don't like idea of going there for a holiday. increase in There has been a serious increase in violent crime this year. independence from America won its independence from Britain in the American Revolution.  interest in I really have no interest in classical opera. lack of There is a general lack of support for the suggestion. marriage to Henry VIII's marriage to Ann Boleyn only lasted 2 years. proof of You can see a proof of the theorem in your textbook. reason for What is the reason for his disappearance? responsibility for They must bear some reponsibility for the accident. the thought of doing (û: to) I hate the thought of having to do it all again.

Adjectives Pattern Example afraid of  (û: by) My daughter is not afraid of spiders. angry with / at someone I'm very angry with her for not telling me. angry about something They're very angry about the penalty decision. anxious about something They're very anxious about the test tomorrow. anxious for something We're anxious for an end to the violence. anxious to + infinitive She's anxious to find a better job. bad at something (û: in) I'm not bad at chess, but I haven't played for sometime. blue with  My hands were blue with cold without my gloves. clever at I'm not very clever at writing exercises. disappointed with someone / something I'm very disappointed with the new teacher. We are disappointed with the latest sales figures. dependent on someone He is dependent on his parents for financial support. different from My brother is different from me in lots of ways. frightened of I've been frightened of dogs ever since I was attacked by one. frightened by  She was frightened by a big spider in the bedroom. good at I used to be quite good at chess.  ill with a disease She's been ill with flu this week. impressed with / by The boss is very impressed with your work. (by your work) independent of She left home so she could be more independent of her parents. interested in She's very interested in classical opera. kind to someone She's been very kind to my daughter. nice to someone (û: with) Mr Brown isn't very nice to his pupils. polite to someone (û: with) Please be polite to our guests. responsible for You are responsible for getting the coffee this week. responsible to someone You will be responsible to Mr Brown. rude to someone (û: with) She was very rude to me the other day. tired of doing I'm tired of eating noodles - I want something different. tired of something I'm tired of noodles - I want something different. typical of (û: for) This food is typical of Szechuan. wrong with Something is wrong with this computer

    Are you ready for the TEST?  Yes!

Source: http://www.edict.com.hk/vlc/GrammarCourse/Lesson2_Preposition/Lesson2Index.htm