Prepositions of Place: at, in, on

In general, we use:

• at for a POINT
• in for an ENCLOSED SPACE
• on for a SURFACE

Look at these examples:

• Jane is waiting for you at the bus stop.
• The shop is at the end of the street.
• My plane stopped at Dubai and Hanoi and arrived in Bangkok two hours late.
• When will you arrive at the office?
• Do you work in an office?
• I have a meeting in New York.
• Do you live in Japan?
• Jupiter is in the Solar System.
• The author's name is on the cover of the book.
• There are no prices on this menu.
• You are standing on my foot.
• There was a "no smoking" sign on the wall.
• I live on the 7th floor at 21 Oxford Street in London.

Notice the use of the prepositions of place at, in and on in these standard expressions:

The following words are the most commonly used prepositions: about below excepting off toward above beneath for on under across beside(s) from onto underneath after between in out until against beyond in front of outside up along but inside over upon among by in spite of past up to around concerning instead of regarding with at despite into since within because of down like through without before during near throughout with regard to behind except of to with respect to It is useful to locate prepositional phrases in sentences since any noun or pronoun within the prepositional phrase must be the preposition’s object and, therefore, cannot be misidentified as a verb’s direct object. To the store is a prepositional phrase. Store is the object of the preposition to, not the direct object of the verb drove. Car is the direct object of the verb drove. To the grocery store is a prepositional phrase. NOTE: A word that looks like a preposition but is actually part of a verb is called a particle. To avoid confusing prepositions with particles, test by moving the word (up) and words following it to the front of the sentence: If the resulting sentence does not make sense, then the word belongs with the verb and is a particle, not a preposition. Note the difference: The resulting sentence makes sense. Therefore, up is a preposition. The resulting sentence does not make sense. Therefore, up is a particle in this sentence. The following examples illustrate the difference between prepositions and particles: Some other examples of particles: give in turn in pull through wore out broke up go in for put in for bring up found out blow up look up make up look over

Location	Time	Action and Movement
above	at	at
below	on	by
over	by	from
under	before	into
among	from	on
between	since	onto
beside	for	off
in front of	during	out of
behind	to
next to	until
with	after
in the middle of
on
in
at

Prepositional Phrases Quiz II Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositional phrases 1. She was ———————– of tears. a) At the verge b) On the verge c) In the verge d) Above the verge 2. ———————- the weather everything was fine. a) With the exception of b) At the exception of c) With exception of d) On the exception of 3. ——————— John, everyone was present. a) Except in b) Except for c) Except of d) Except with 4. I was ——————– leaving when she arrived. a) On the point of b) With the point of c) In the point of d) On point of 5. ——————– you don’t get the job, do you have a backup plan? a) In case b) In the case c) On case d) In the case of 6. ——————— his untimely death, we will have to elect another chairman. a) In event b) In the event of c) In event of d) In consequence of 7. He started in the morning ———————- he would reach his destination by evening. a) In order to b) In order that c) In order d) In order for 8. He returned home early ——————- help his wife in the kitchen. a) In order that b) In order to c) So that d) In order for 9. I have nothing to say ——————- this matter. a) In regard to b) In regard of c) In regard with d) In regard 10. We have a few questions ———————– to your application. a) With regard b) Regard c) In regard of d) As regard 11. He went abroad ——————— a good job. a) In search of b) In search c) With search of d) With search to 12. He started saving money ——————— going abroad for higher studies. a) With a view to b) With a view c) In a view to d) With a view on 13. She was ——————- a nervous breakdown. a) At the brink b) On the brink of c) On brink of d) In the brink of 14. There was no fault ——————— the servant. a) On the part of b) In the part of c) With the part of d) On the part 15. He broke his leg ——————– his carelessness. a) On account b) Owing to c) With regard to d) Owing to the Answers 1. On the verge 2. With the exception of 3. Except for 4. On the point of 5. In case 6. In the event of 7. In order that 8. In order to 9. In regard to 10. With regard 11. In search of 12. With a view to 13. On the brink of 14. On the part of 15. Owing to Phrases A PHRASE is a group of words which contains neither a subject nor a verb. (It may, however, contain a verbal form such as an infinitive, a participle, or a gerund.) Prepositional phrases can be used as adverbs or adjectives: In a flash, she realized that the tofu had been underneath her chair all along. After midnight, Egbert's mother was on the roof dancing with a Ukranian bullfighter. Infinitive phrases consist of an infinitive (to dance, to fly, to circumnavigate, etc.) plus an object. They are usually used as nouns, but they can also be used as adjectives or as adverbs. As noun (subject): To see him suffer is my dearest wish. As noun (object): Cordelia longed to eat the last tamale. As adjective: Franklin had brought nothing to give his mother-in-law. As adverb: To satisfy this mysterious craving, she was willing to try almost anything. Participial phrases begin with a participle. Participles are adjectives formed from verbs. They come in two tenses: present and past. present participle: an -ing word like bellowing, waltzing, singing, prancing, analyzing, fretting, sharpening, sneezing, etc. past participle: usually an -ed word like bellowed, waltzed, pranced, analyzed, believed, but sometimes an irregular form like written, sung, lost (from "to lose"), wept, frozen (from "to freeze"), Participles can be used as adjectives all by themselves: bellowing hyena flying trapeze tortured soul lost love Participial phrases consist of a participle plus an object. They are used as adjectives. The creature suffering in the dungeon was once beautiful. Surprised by the intensity of her disgust, Felicity stared at the cockroach scurrying across her omlet. Irving, screaming like a banshee, went careening from the room. Gerund phrases begin with a gerund (an -ing word which looks exactly like a present participle, but which is used as a noun.) A gerund phrase can be used in any way a noun can: As subject: Playing canasta has been her downfall. As direct object: He loves embarrassing his relations. As subjective complement: One of his milder vices is carousing until dawn. As object of preposition: She amused herself with bungie-jumping from helicopters. Independent Clauses A clause is a group of words containing at least a subject and a verb (the baby ate), and frequently it lets its hair down by containing some kind of a complement as well (the baby ate the goldfish). There are two kinds of clauses: independent and dependent. Like John Wayne, an independent clause can stand alone. I shall haunt you till your dying day. It may, however, become part of a larger sentence if it is connected to other clauses and phrases by a semicolon or by a coordinating conjunction. I shall haunt you till your dying day; I shall haunt your friends and relations after that. I shall haunt you till your dying day, and I shall haunt your friends and relations after that. If you try to join two independent clauses with a comma, grammatical purists among your readers will regard you with horror as the perpetrator of a comma splice. While it's true that other crises, such as global warming, are more important than this, have pity on the purists. Use a semicolon or a coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses. The coordinating conjunctions that join independent clauses include and, but, or, nor, neither, yet, for, or, and so. The coordinating conjunction does not belong in either clause, but merely joins them together. Put a comma before the coordinating conjunction (but note that this particular punctuation rule is so commonly ignored -- particularly in short sentences -- that it is in danger of disappearing). He fondled his iPhone, and he checked his email. Fanny Dooley likes sunbathing, but she loves mooning. She had lost her castanets, so she used her uncle's dentures. The cat had broken their Ming vase, yet it did not seem to care. Dependent clauses and the conjunctions they need A dependent clause has a subject and a verb, and looks exactly like an independent clause except for one small thing: it is introduced by either a relative pronoun or a subordinating conjunction, which makes the clause grammatically "dependent" on the rest of the sentence. He fondled his iPhone before he checked his email. If you're very sweet to me, I'll let you see my collection of exotic tofu sculptures. Relative pronouns include who, whom, which, that, what, whoever, whatever, and whichever. They "relate" the material in the clause to an antecedent that appears elsewhere in the sentence. In "the bag of potato chips that I ate," the "that" introducing the clause relates back to "bag of potato chips." Subordinating conjuctions are best classified according to the kind of relationship they express between clauses: Time: before, after, when, until, while, as soon as, as long as. Place: where, wherever Purpose: so that, in order that, so Cause: because, since Condition: if, unless, provided that, except Contrast: although, though, even though, despite, in spite of What to do with a dependent clause Dependent clauses like to make themselves useful within their sentences; they may act as nouns, as adjectives, or as adverbs. Dependent clauses as nouns: Dependent clauses used as nouns can be introduced either by a relative pronoun or by a subordinating conjunction (that, whether). I wonder whether ontology recapitulates phylogeny. [direct object] Whatever is lurking under the bed has started to snore. [subject] She knew that her fiancé had an irrational fear of accordions. [direct object] Dependent clauses as adjectives: Dependent clauses used as adjectives can be introduced by relative pronouns. Fred, who had long adored her from a distance, finally proposed as their canoe plunged over the waterfall. [modifies Fred] The wrestler who is being tossed out of the ring is wearing the toupé that he found under his couch. Dependent clauses as adverbs: A dependent clause introduced by subordinating conjunction can act the same way as a one word adverb. Put a comma after the dependent clause if it precedes the main clause; do not use a comma if the dependent clause comes after the main clause. Time: As soon as they were married, she began to miss her bulldog. Place: The salesman swore to follow Egbert wherever he might go. Purpose: He only ate the Doritos so I wouldn't eat them myself. Cause: She married him because he looked just like her bulldog. Condition: If our guests hear loud screams coming from the tower, they may begin to suspect that Uncle Hubert is still alive. Concession: Although Stanley believed he had taken every possible precaution, he had forgotten to clean the bloodstains from the boathouse floor. Restrictive vs. non-restrictive clauses An adjective clause can be either "restrictive" or "non-restrictive." A restrictive clause gives information needed to identify the person or thing it is modifying. Do not use commas to set off a restrictive clause from the rest of the sentence. Only someone who truly loves Twinkies™ will eat them by the truckload. [The clause tells us which kind of person will indulge herself in this way.] The old woman who is ogling the waiter is my aunt Edna. [The clause tells us which old woman is aunt Edna.] A non-restrictive clause gives information which is not strictly essential. The information may be very interesting, but the reader does not need it to be able to identify the person or thing that the clause modifies. You MUST use commas to set a non-restrictive clause off from the rest of the sentence. Anastasia, who has started to go bald, was passing out deviled eggs and cocktail franks to the refugees. [modifies Anastasia, but you don't need the clause to know which Anastasia of all possible Anastasias.] Compare the following restrictive and non-restrictive clauses: Non-restrictive: The brawl, which had begun in a dispute over spelling, lasted until dawn. Restrictive: The brawl that began in a dispute over spelling lasted longer than the brawl that began after an argument about Wittgenstein. Non-restrictive: The saxophone player, who wore spats, launched into a big cadenza. Restrictive: The saxophone player who wore spats was chosen to appear in GQ. What are Prepositional Phrases? Prepositional phrases are made up of a preposition and what we call the object of the preposition. The object of the preposition can be a noun, pronoun, gerund, or even a clause. The objects of the preposition can also have modifiers to help describe it and give additional information. Example: The ball is behind the white car. 'Behind the white' car is a prepositional phrase where 'behind' is the preposition and car acts as the object of the preposition. The adjective 'white' acts as a modifier giving additional information about the object of the preposition which is the noun, 'car.' If the above seems a little complicated, don't worry, what follows is meant to help clarify any confusion you might have about this particular grammar item. It might help to know that prepositional phrases basically act as adjectives or adverbs in a sentence. When essentially functioning as adjectives, they answer the question, 'which object?' Example: The gloves on the radiator are wet from making a snowman. Which object? The gloves on the radiator. Example: The bags in the kitchen are filled with groceries. Which object? The bags in the kitchen. When functioning as adverbs, prepositional phrases answer the questions; where, when, and how? Example: Feeling adventurous, we rode the corkscrew roller coaster at the amusement park. Where did we feel adventurous? At the amusement park. Example: After school, Jane asked me for a ride home. When did Jane ask? After school. Example: Terry is sore from yesterday's workout. How did Terry get sore? From yesterday's workout. You should also know the basic structures of these phrases so that you can recognize them more readily. Basic patterns for prepositional phrases are as follows: preposition + noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause preposition + modifiers + noun, pronoun, gerund, or clause What do Prepositional Phrases do in a sentence? For the most part, they act as adjectives and adverbs. That is, they give additional information regarding nouns, pronouns and verbs. In short, prepositional phrases answer the questions which, what kind, how much, why, how, where and when. They do this by adding extra information. You can find prepositional phrases anywhere in the sentence and sometimes you can even find prepositional phrases more than once in a sentence. A few examples follow to help make things clear. The answers that follow the examples are there to help you identify the types of questions answered so you can spot prepositional phrases more easily in a sentence. Prepositional Phrases = Examples of Prepositional Phrases A.) The curtains in the bedroom need changing. B.) The house near the park needs painting. C.) A large fire was burning near the outskirts of the city. D.) An old woman with white hair and blue eyes sat at the front of the bus. E.) The small children listened carefully to their mother. Questions Answered? A.) in the bedroom modifies curtains. It answers the question... which curtains? B.) near the park modifies house. It answers the questions... which house / where is the house? C.) near the outskirts modifies was burning answering where and how / of the city modifies ouskirts answering where? D.) with white hair and blue eyes modifies old woman telling what kind / at the front of the bus modifies sat telling where? E.) to their mother modifies listened answering the question how did the children listen? Some common prepositional phrases follow below. I've included them according to the list of prepositional phrases beginning with.... AT at (a) high speed at (the) risk (of) at / by one’s side at / for a fraction of at / from the outset at / in the end at / on sight at / on the double at a / one time at a disadvantage at a discount at a distance at a glance at a guess at a loose and at a loss at a low ebb at a moment’s notice at a price at a rate of at a speed of at a standstill at all costs at all events at an advantage at any cost at any rate at breakfast at ease (with) at face value at fault at full strength at hand at heart at home (with) at issue at large at least at length at liberty at most at night at noon at odds with at once at one’s best at one’s discretion at one’s disposal at one’s leisure at one’s request at peace / war (with) at play at present at random at sea at the / in front of at the age of at the beginning at the expense of at the foot of at the hands of at the height of at the latest at the mercy of at the peak of at the same time at the thought of at the time of at the top of at this juncture at times at war with at work behind the scenes List of prepositional phrases beginning with BY by (any) chance by / under the name of by / with luck by accident by air /sea /land by all accounts by all means by any standard by appointment by birth by check by coincidence by courtesy of by definition by degrees by design by dint of by far by force by hand by heart by law by marriage by means of by mistake by my watch by nature by no means by oneself by order of by process of by profession by reason of by request by rights by sight by surprise by the side of by virtue of by way of FOR for / in a good cause for / to the benefit (of) for a (good) reason for a change for certain / sure for fear of for good for granted for hire for lack of for life for love for my / your, etc. part for real for the good of for the sake of for want of from experience from memory IN in (no) time in / at the forefront of in / on demand in / out of focus in / out of one’s element in / out of prison in / out of season in / out of stock in / out of touch (with) in / out of use in / with difficulty in / within sight (of) in a deep sleep in a flash in a heap in a hurry in a mess in a pile in a sense in a temper in abeyance in abundance in accordance with in action in addition to in advance in agony in agreement with in aid of in all likelihood in an instant in an uproar in answer to in anticipation of in arrears in awe of in blossom in brief in bulk in cash in character in charge of in code in collaboration with in combination with in comfort in command of in common in comparison with in compensation for in conclusion in confidence in confinement in confusion in conjunction with in connection with in consequence of in contact with in contrast with / to in control of in convoy in custody in danger in debt in decline in defense of in detail in disgrace in disguise in disorder in dispute in distress in doubt in due course in duplicate in earnest in effect in error in essence in excess of in exchange for in existence in fact in fairness to in favor of in fear of in flames in flower in full in future in gear in general in good / bad condition in good faith in hand in harmony (with) in haste in hiding in high spirits in honor of in horror (of) in ink / pencil in isolation in its infancy in jeopardy in keeping with in labor in league with in length in line with in love with in memory of in mid-air in mind in moderation in mourning (for) in name in office in one’s absence / presence in one’s spare time in operation in opposition to in origin in other words in pain in Parliament in particular in person in pieces in place of in possession of in poverty in practice in preference to in preparation for in principle in private in progress in proportion to / with in public in pursuit of in quantity in question in reality in recognition of in relation to in reply to in reserve in residence in respect of in response to in retrospect in return in revenge for in reverse in ruins in safety in sb’s interest in sb’s opinion in search of in secret in self-defense in settlement of in short in silence in small change in store for in succession in support of in suspense in sympathy with in tears in terms of in terror in the absence of in the aftermath in the balance in the case of in the course of in the distance in the event of in the extreme in the eyes of in the flesh in the form of in the habit of in the interests of in the lead in the light of in the long run in the making in the meantime in the midst of in the mood for in the name of in the night in the open in the process of in the right in the seclusion of in the shade in the space of in the wake of in the way of in the wrong in theory in time for in times of in town in trouble in tune with in turmoil in turn in two minds in twos / threes / tens in uniform in unison in vain in view of in vogue in words of the opinion off / on duty ON on (the) watch (for) on / behind schedule on / off the record on / off the road on / under oath on / under pain of on /of the air on /off balance on a diet on a journey / trip / cruise on a large / small scale on a pension on a regular basis on a spree on account of on an expedition on an island on approval on average on bail on behalf of on board on business on condition that on credit on display on edge on end on file on fire on foot on good terms on guard on hand on horseback on impulse on leave on loan on no account on occasion on one’s (own) terms on one’s own on one’s own initiative on order on paper on parade on patrol on principle on purpose on reflection on remand on sale on second thoughts on show on strike on suspicion of on the agenda on the assumption on the brink of on the dot on the edge of on the eve of on the grounds of on the horizon on the hour on the increase on the job on the move on the off-chance on the outskirts on the part of on the phone on the point of on the run on the strength of on the stroke of on the tip of on the top of on the understanding that on the verge of on the way to on time on tiptoe on trial on vacation OUT out of / in fashion out of / in print out of / in step out of breath out of context out of control out of curiosity / jealousy / love /hatred out of date out of doors out of hand out of ideas out of one’s mind out of order out of pity out of place out of practice out of reach out of respect for out of sight out of spite out of the ordinary out of the question out of work through no fault of TO to / on the contrary to an extent to date to excess to one’s astonishment to one’s credit to one’s dismay to sb’s face to the / this day to the accompaniment of to the best of to the detriment of to the exclusion of to the full to the satisfaction of UNDER under / in the circumstances under age under arrest under consideration under construction under cover of under discussion under lock and key under one’s protection under orders under pressure under regulations under repair under strain under stress under suspicion under the command of under the impression that under the influence (of) under the misapprehension under treatment WITH / WITHIN / WITHOUT with / in reference to with / without success with a view to with an eye to with regard to with regret with respect to with the aid of with the compliments of with the exception of with the help of with the intention of within / out of earshot within / without reason within limits within one’s budget within one’s power within one’s rights within reach (of) within walking / striking distance without (a) doubt without a break without a hitch without delay without exception without fail without foundation without precedent without question without respite without warning Although nouns and noun phrases are the most frequent grammatical form that function as the direct object of sentences, four grammatical forms can perform the grammatical function of direct object in the English language. Both native speakers and ESL students must learn and understand the four grammatical forms that can function as the direct object in order to correctly and completely use direct objects in spoken and written English. The four grammatical forms that can function as the direct object are: 1. Noun phrases 2. Prepositional phrases 3. Verb phrases 4. Noun clauses Direct objects are words, phrases, and clauses that follow a transitive verb and receive the action of the verb. Noun Phrases as Direct Objects The first grammatical form that can perform the grammatical function of direct object is the noun phrase. Noun phrases are defined as phrases formed by a noun or pronoun and any modifying words, phrases, and clauses. For example, the following the following italicized noun phrases function as direct objects: * A toddler is eating a banana. * I sometimes give my cat fish. * The mother dog disciplined her very naughty litter of puppies. * A young couple will have bought the house that we are selling. Noun phrases are the most frequent grammatical form that function as direct objects. Prepositional Phrases as Direct Objects The second grammatical form that can perform the grammatical function of direct object is the prepositional phrase. Prepositional phrases are defined as phrases formed by a preposition directly followed by a prepositional complement such as a noun phrase. For example, the following italicized prepositional phrases function as direct objects: * My mom cleaned under the bed. * Your father will be decorating on the roof. * I have organized in the refrigerator. * Our brother is painting behind the couch. Prepositional phrases functioning as direct objects can also be analyzed as adverbials. If the prepositional phrase answers the question "what?" about the verb, then the prepositional phrase can be analyzed as the direct object. If the prepositional phrase answers any of the questions "when?," "where?," "why?," or "how?" about the verb or clause, then the prepositional phrase can be analyzed as an adverbial. Verb Phrases as Direct Objects The third grammatical form that can perform the grammatical function of direct object is the verb phrase in the form of present participles and infinitives. Verb phrases are defined as phrases formed by a verb plus any modifiers, complements, particles, or infinitive markers. For example, the following italicized verb phrases function as direct objects: The Form-Function Method for Teaching Grammar The following article describes the Form-Function Method for teaching grammar with English grammar as an example. * Most librarians enjoy reading. * My children prefer to eat vegetables. * The baby likes listening to music. * The cleaning staff appreciates our picking up our messes. Traditional grammars usually use the term gerund for present participles functioning as direct objects. Noun Clauses as Direct Objects The fourth grammatical form that can perform the grammatical function of direct object is the noun clause. Noun clauses are defined as subordinate clauses formed by an independent clause preceded by a subordinating conjunction. A clause is defined as consisting of a subject and a predicate. For example, the following italicized noun clauses function as direct objects: * Your mom appreciates that you cleaned the house. * I admire how you work full time and attend graduate school. * The puppy hates when I slam the door shut. * Word order determines whether a noun phrase is a subject or an object in English. Noun clauses can also perform almost all the other functions as noun phrases. The four grammatical forms that can function as the direct object in the English language are noun phrases, prepositional phrases, verb phrases, and noun clauses. Both native speakers and ESL students must learn and understand the four grammatical forms to properly and fully construct sentences with direct objects in both spoken and written English.

"On" is used with days, such as, • on Monday • on Sunday. "At" is used with noon, night, midnight, and with the time of day, such as, • at noon • at 6 p.m. "In" is used with other parts of the day, with months, with years, with seasons, such as, • in the afternoon • in August • in 1999 • in spring. "For" can be used to express how long or duration. "Between" can be use to express from the beginning to the end of a period, the action can be taking place several times / continuously during. "From...To" can be used to express reference to the beginning and ending. "Before" can be used to express something happening earlier than a particular time or event. "After" can be used to express something happening later than a particular time or event. "From" can be used to express reference to the beginning of a period of time. "Till/Until" can be used to express something happening and then ending at a particular time. "Beyond" can be used to express point of time after a particular period or date has passed. "Since" can be used to express something happening at some time or continuously after a particular time or event.

Write the correct prepositions into the gaps. Example: Look! The people are getting ___ the train. Answer: Look! The people are getting on the train. 1) She was born ______ 2004. 2) They are waiting ______ the bus. 3) Don't forget to bring some flowers ______ you. 4) I haven't smoked ______ ages. 5) You can look up the word ______ a dictionary. 6) She is allergic ______ insect stings. 7) I'm looking ______ my keys. Have you found them? 8) The song was written ______ Madonna. 9) He likes to travel ______ Spain in summer. 10) The _____ _____ chased the ______ ______ the streets. 1) She was born in 2004. 2) They are waiting for the bus. 3) Don't forget to bring some flowers with you. 4) I haven't smoked for ages. 5) You can look up the word in a dictionary. 6) She is allergic to insect stings. 7) I'm looking for my keys. Have you found them? 8) The song was written by Madonna. 9) He likes to travel to Spain in summer. 10) The ______ ______ chased the ______ through the streets.

Prepositions and idioms in English - Exercise Explanation: Prepositions Choose the correct preposition. 1) I'm tired _____ waiting for you. 2) He hasn't smoked _____ ages. 3) Nina is good _____ running. 4) I'm looking _____ my keys. Has anyone found them? 5) They dream _____ moving to South Africa. 6) This song was written _____ Madonna. 7) You can look the word _____ in a dictionary. 8) I can't come to the party. Don't wait _____ me. 9) She had problems _____ reading the instructions. 10) The police car chased the robbers _____ the streets. 1) I'm tired of waiting for you. 2) He hasn't smoked for ages. 3) Nina is good at running. 4) I'm looking for my keys. Has anyone found them? 5) They dream of moving to South Africa. 6) This song was written by Madonna. 7) You can look the word up in a dictionary. 8) I can't come to the party. Don't wait for me. 9) She had problems in reading the instructions. 10) The police car chased the robbers through the streets.

Prepositions - in, on, at

Type in, on or at in the boxes below.

1. _______ 1978 in 2. _______ October in 3. _______ 5 o'clock at 4. _______ Monday on 5. _______ 10 July on 6. _______ the afternoon in 7. _______ Tuesday afternoon on 8. _______ summer in 9. _______ Christmas at 10. _______ the weekend at 11. _______ 1960 in 12. _______ 2.30 pm at 13. _______ 25 March on 14. _______ Thursday morning on 15. _______ April in 16. _______ winter in 17. _______ night at 18. _______ Sunday night on 19. _______ New Year's Day on 20. _______ 9 October on

Prepositions of Location: in, at, and on
and No Preposition

* You may sometimes use different prepositions for these locations.

approval of
awareness of
belief in
concern for
confusion about
desire for

fondness for
grasp of
hatred of
hope for
interest in
love of

need for
participation in
reason for
respect for
success in
understanding of

• days of the week

• on Monday

• 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

• for night
• for weekend
• a certain point of time (when?)

• at night
• at the weekend
• at half past nine

• from a certain point of time (past till now)

• since 1980

• over a certain period of time (past till now)

• for 2 years

• a certain time in the past

• 2 years ago

• earlier than a certain point of time

• before 2004

• telling the time

• ten to six (5:50)

• telling the time

• ten past six (6:10)

• marking the beginning and end of a period of time

• from Monday to/till Friday

• in the sense of how long something is going to last

• He is on holiday until Friday.

• 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.

• 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

• 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

• 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

• left or right of somebody or something

• Jane is standing by / next to / beside the car.

• on the ground, lower than (or covered by) something else

• the bag is under the table

• lower than something else but above ground

• the fish are below the surface

• 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

• higher than something else, but not directly over it

• a path above the lake

• getting to the other side (also over)
• getting to the other side

• walk across the bridge
• swim across the lake

• something with limits on top, bottom and the sides

• drive through the tunnel

• movement to person or building
• movement to a place or country
• for bed

• go to the cinema
• go to London / Ireland
• go to bed

• enter a room / a building

• go into the kitchen / the house

• movement in the direction of something (but not directly to it)

• go 5 steps towards the house

• movement to the top of something

• jump onto the table

• in the sense of where from

• a flower from the garden

• who gave it

• a present from Jane

• who/what does it belong to
• what does it show

• a page of the book
• the picture of a palace

• who made it

• a book by Mark Twain

• walking or riding on horseback
• entering a public transport vehicle

• on foot, on horseback
• get on the bus

• entering a car  / Taxi

• get in the car

• leaving a public transport vehicle

• get off the train

• leaving a car  / Taxi

• get out of the taxi

• rise or fall of something
• travelling (other than walking or horseriding)

• prices have risen by 10 percent
• by car, by bus

• for age

• she learned Russian at 45

• for topics, meaning what about

• we were talking about you