Do you know how to use these 10 Prepositions correctly?
Prepositions are short words (for example in, on, with, after), which in English always come in front of nouns and connect nouns with other words in the sentence. Their spelling never changes and they are always short words. Learning to use prepositions correctly takes practice. These prepositions can mean space, position, direction and time depending on how they are used and which words they are put with. Here are my 10 prepositions that confuse even advanced English students:
Prepositions of time which include at, on and in
The preposition at is used to tell us a specific time
For example: the train is due to depart at 12.30 pm
The preposition on is used to conjunction with specific days and dates
For example: My sister is coming on Monday
We are having a party on Sunday
The preposition in is used for non-specific times of a day or month or year
For example: She likes to go running in the evening
He started the job in 2015
He is going to leave in July
They live in Bristol
Prepositions of time, which include for and since
The preposition for when we measure time whether in seconds, minutes, hours, days, months or years.
For example: He swam under water for six minutes
She lived in Paris for 10 years
They have been quarrelling for the last hour
The preposition since is used to determine a specific time or date
For example: They worked there since 1999
We have been sitting in the waiting room since 12.30
Prepositions marking the sense of time including to, till and until
Examples: I am working from Tuesday to/till/until Saturday
He is on vacation until Monday
The work will not be finished until Friday
Prepositions of position, which include on top of, next to, by, above, beside, below
Examples: The bus stop is next to the station
The book is on top of the table
The chair is next to the table
The dog is sitting under the table
The whales are swimming below the surface of the water
She is standing by the car
Prepositions of direction using across and over
Examples: We will walk over the bridge
We will climb over the wall
She will swim across the lake
Prepositions using time using since, for, ago and past
Examples: I went to Paris two years ago
The time is ten past six (6.10)
We will be there for two months
She went there for 3 weeks
They have been there since 2015
Prepositions using off, out of, about, and from
Examples: He will get off the bus, which arrives in 5 minutes
We are talking about you
She started learning English from the age of 35
I got out of the taxi at the station
This is a present from Jenny
Prepositions of position using outside and inside
Examples: The garden is outside our house
The case has been left inside the car
Prepositions toward and towards which expresses movement
Example: We are moving toward the sun
We are walking toward the light
This is a step towards the completion of your project
Preposition using throughout and through
Example: The virus spread throughout England
The River Thames runs through London
Know all these Prepositions but still can’t speak English fluently? Try our award winning Conversational method
Related resources:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/594/01/
