PREPOSITIONS 1

Prepositions of time, place, movement

Grammar

We use prepositions before a noun or a noun phrase.

at home in the big, white house

Some prepositions can have several meanings.

I have a family photograph on my desk at work. (=physical location)
I saw the report on community services. (= about)
I made the power point presentation on my laptop. (= using)
I am on the advertising committee. (= a member of)

1. Prepositions of time
At, in, on
The prepositions at, in, and on often show time.

at a specific time in a period of time on a day or date

at 10:00 in December on Wednesday
at noon in 2002 on June 15th
at night in the summer on my birthday

By, until
- The prepositions by and until indicate an end point in time.
- By indicates an action that can continue up to a point in time, but not after that time. The
action can end anytime before that point in time.
E.g. We need to have the report ready by 10:00. (The report can be completed at any
time before 10:00, but not later than 10:00.)
- Until indicates an action that continues up to a point in time, but not after that time.
E.g. We will work on the project until 10:00. (We will work continuously and at 10:00 we
will stop working.)
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 E.g. We can't work on the project until Jim arrives. (We will not work now and when Jim
arrives we will start working.)

In, for, during

In indicates how soon the action will take place.
E.g. The meeting starts in ten minutes.
For indicates how long the action lasts.
E.g. We were at the conference for two days but left sometime during the last day.
During indicates a period of time within which an action happens.
E.g. During the rainstorm we stood under the tree {or two hours.

2. Prepositions of place
We use some prepositions to show where something is.

In, at, on
We use in to describe when something is inside something else.
E.g. I hear the sound of people talking in the background.
E.g. Do you work in a large office building?

We use at for a specific location or event.

E.g. The annual meeting will be at the Belcrest Hotel.

We use on for a point on a surface or along a line.

E.g. The noise from machinery on the factory floor doesn't reach up here.
E.g. The invoices are on the desk.

Over, above
Over and above mean higher than something else.
E.g. I put some tape over the tear in the paper. (= directly on top of)
E.g. The light above my desk has stopped working.(= higher than, but not on top of)

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 In some cases over and above are the same.
E.g. Please hang the picture on the wall over / above the piano.

Under, below
Under and below mean lower than something else.
E.g. My office is one floor below the manager's office. (=in a lower position)
E.g. The paper is under all those files. (= covered or concealed)

Beside / by, between, among

Beside / by, between and among all indicate a position of one or more people or things in
relation to other people or things.
E.g. The speaker was standing by / beside the president of the company. (= next to)
E.g. What should you do if there is a fire between you and the escape route? (= two
things)
E.g. My desk is among the ones on the south side of the building, near the fire escape. (=
more than two)

Behind, in front of, opposite

Behind, in front of, and opposite indicate a position of facing or not facing a person, place, or thing.
E.g. The outlet is on the wall behind the desk. (= in the back of)
E.g. I parked in front of the building.
E.g. I parked on the opposite side of the street. (= on the other side of the road)

3. Prepositions of movement or direction

Some prepositions show movement from one location to another.

From, to

From and to indicate movement in leaving and arriving at a place.

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 E.g. We walked from the office to the restaurant.

Into, out of

Into and out of indicate movement to or from an enclosed area.

E.g. We went into the factory area. (= move to the inside of an area)
E.g. I took the files out of the filing cabinet. (= move to the outside of an area)

Onto, off
Onto and off indicate movement to or from the outside or surface of an area.
E.g. The CEO stepped onto the stage to make his speech. (=move to the top of)
E.g. Peter tell off the ladder while he was trying to change a light bulb. (= move from a place)

Across, over
Across and over indicate movement from one side of an area to another side.
E.g. We went across the street to a pizza place. (= movement from one side to another)
E.g. We saw the thief jump over the wall. (= movement from one side to another by going above
something)

Along, through
Along and through indicate movement following one point in a line to another point.
E.g. We walked along the road. (= movement following a line)
E.g. We walked through the tunnel. (=movement from one end to the other inside something)

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Grammar exercises

Task 1. Underline the correct preposition

Place
1. Is there enough office space with / from / in the building?
2. The supply room is at /from / after the far end of the building.
3. When I am at / from / for work, I usually eat in the staff cafeteria.
4. I would like to have a seat between / on / beside the window, please.

Time
5. Hina comes to work every day at / for / on 9:00 exactly.
6. Inventory will take place in / at / on Monday and Tuesday.
7. Julie is going to take her vacation time in / at / on August.
8. We have to turn this proposal in until /by / in 10:00.

Movement
9. The noise along / from / about the factory can be annoying.
10. I took the file out of / towards / among the filing cabinet for Mr. Simmons.
11. The firefighter had to break onto / out / into the building to put out the fire.
12. Every year many people are injured by falling through / over / at a household pet.

Task 2. Some of the prepositions in this memo are wrong. Find and correct them.

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2- correct 3-on 4-correct
5-on 6-beside 7-behind
8-in 9-in front of

Task 3. Read this email from Sara to her friend Alena about her accident at work. Fill in the
blanks with a suitable preposition. Some blanks can have more than one answer.

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2-on 3-in 4- on 5-up 6-off 7-in 8-into 9-at 10-in
11-with 12-at 13-under

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 KEY