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Unit 7 Prepositions
Objectives
1. To be able to perceive what Prepositions are
2. To be able to apply Prepositions in various contexts
3. To be able to communicate in English with correct Prepositions in various
contexts

7.1 Prepositions: Places

Prepositions are words that show relationship between a noun or a pronoun and some
other word or element in the rest of the sentence.
There are many kinds of preposition of place like in, at, on and etc.
There are some books on the table.
I like working at this university.

Prepositions Usage Example

in To mean things enclosed in
something else such as
- town , country - I live in Bangkok.
- room, building - We are in the 35 Building.
- street - They are in the street.
- car, taxi - It’s in the car.
- picture, world - It’s the biggest building in the world.
- paper, book, etc. - The news in the paper is interesting.
on To mean things on the surface
or side of something such as
- surface - Apples are on the table.
- a certain side - On the left side there is a library.
- wall - The picture is hanging on the wall.
- river - Bangkok lies on the Chaopraya River.
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- island - There are a lot of trees on this island.

- floor - Our office is on the second floor.
- public transport - We are on the bus.
- television, radio, etc. - It’s on TV, but not on the radio.

Prepositions Usage Example

at Use with a place such as
- object - We are sitting at the dinning table.
- event - I’m at the concert now.
- a place you are doing - They are at the cinema, but we are still
something typical at school.
by To mean left or right of - They are standing by the river.
next to somebody or something - My house is next to the park.
beside - I’m standing beside the table.
under - to mean covered by - I keep a lot of books under my bed.
something else - Look it up in the dictionary under
- other phrases ‘physic’
- Children under 5 enter for free.
below To lower than something else - The rock is below the surface of the
often found in phrases such as sea.
- below zero - The temperature is below zero.
- below average - Your score is below average.
beneath To mean ‘exactly under’ and - We are sitting beneath/ under the tree.
can be used in place of ‘under’
over - to mean higher than - My mother put a blanket over me.
something in the way of
covering or touching (opposite
of under)
- more than - Children over 8 must pay the fee.
- overcoming an obstacle - I walk over the bridge.
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above To mean higher than - Put your hands above your head.
something else, but not - There is a castle over the village.
directly over it or touching it

Prepositions Usage Example

inside To mean something in a room, - My father is inside the house.
building, etc. (often the
speaker is outside)
outside To mean something out of a - My daughter is outside the house.
room, building, etc. (often the
speaker is inside)
behind To describe the position at or - The teacher was sitting behind a large
towards the back of a thing or desk.
person
in front of To describe the position - He is standing in front of the house.
further forward than someone
or something
near To tell a short distance from a - He sat near the window.
person or thing

opposite To describe the position when - There’s a hospital opposite the post
one thing or person is opposite office.
another, they are facing each
other
between To describe the position in or - I sat down between Jane and Jordan.
through the space that
separates two things, people,
or places
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Exercise 1 Complete each of the following sentences using at, in or on.

1. Our headquarters are ______ ABC Street.

2. You can see all of our staff ______ this photograph.

3. The man sitting ______ the sofa in the living room is waiting for you, is my boss.

4. I didn't have time to read the whole book. I just finished its first chapter while I was ______

the plane.

5. The address mentioned ______ this booklet is our recent one. You can use it.

6. Have you seen the letters I left ______ my desk?

7. I saw a mistake ______ the beginning of the essay.

8. What time did you arrive ______ the airport?

9. What time did you arrive ______ Bangkok?

10. Turn left______ the next corner and you'll see my office ______ the right.

Exercise 2 Look at the picture and complete the sentences with proper prepositions.

(1) ____________the picture (2) ____________the left, there is a

glass of iced Americano (3) ____________ the table. The flowers
are (4) _________ the bottle vase. Three pillows are (5)
__________ the sofa. There are some hanging (6) ____________
the wall.

(1) ____________ the picture (2)

____________ the right, there are
4 tubes of bathroom kits. The bath
gel is (3) ____________ the far
left while the shampoo is (4)
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____________ the far right. The body lotion is (5) ____________ the bath gel while the
conditioner is (6) ____________ the shampoo. The conditioner is (7) ____________ the
shampoo and the body lotion, and the body lotion is (8) ____________ the bath gel and the
conditioner.

There are two Buddha images (1) ____________ this

picture. They are located (2) ____________ each
other and (3) ____________ the big tree. The tree is
(4) ____________ these Buddha images. There is a
board showing prayers located (5) ____________ the
two large Buddha images.

(1) ____________ the picture

(2) ____________ the right, there is a
bed (3) ____________ the wall and (4)
____________ the wooden floor. Two
pillows lie (5) ____________ the bed.
Two chair are (6) ____________ the
small table. The curtain is hanging (7)
____________ the ceiling. The chairs
and the bed are (8) ____________ each
other.
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Exercise 3 Complete the sentences with in, at, on or to.

1. Columbus and his three ships started on

the voyage ______ America in August

1492.

2. They stopped first ______ one of the

Canery Islands.

3. On 12 October they came ______ the coast

of the Bahamas.

4. From there they went ______ Cuba,

where one of the ships, the Pinto, left in

search of gold ______ an island called ‘Babeque’.

5. Columbus continued with the other two ships and they came ______ Hispaniola on 5

December.

6. Unfortunately, the flagship Santa Maria ran aground ______ a reef on Christmas Eve, and

sank the nest day.

7. Columbus built a fort ______ the shore and left some of his men there, because there was not

room for all the men ______ the tiny Niña, the other ship.

8. While he was on his way back ______ Spain, Columbus found the Pinto again.

9. The two ships left together, but were parted by a storm ______ the North Atlantic.

10. Both ships arrived ______ Lisbon on 15 March within a few hours of each other.

Note. From Macmillan English Grammar in Context (p.154), by V. Micheal, 2008, Oxford: Macmillan.

Exercise 4 Underline the correct preposition in each sentence.

1. Did you see the man in / on /at the picture?

2. Bangkok is in / on /at the Chaopraya River.

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3. The man is standing in front of / across / to the building.

4. The teacher sat beside / besides / across her students.

5. There are a laptop and a few books on / over / with the table.

6. He kept the money in / on / over the box.

7. The dog was hiding behind / on / under the door.

8. Why do you wear that ring in / on / at your index finger?

9. Can you see the plane above / under / on the palace?

10. The birds were flying along / across / beside the ocean.

7.2 Prepositions: Time

There are many kinds of preposition of time. Here are some examples and usages.
Prepositions Usage
in Use ‘in’ with year, month,
seasons, morning, afternoon,
evening
on Use ‘on’ with date, days and
expressions with days
at - Use ‘at’ with clock time,
midday, midnight, night,
Christmas, Easter, New Year
- Expression with definite
times: at present / at the
moment, at the end of,
Example
- They were born in 2000.
- It is very hot in April.
- It rains a lot in rainy season.
- I have breakfast in the morning.
- I’ll meet you on Tuesday.
- My brother was born on October 27.
- I’ll have dinner with my family on my
birthday.
- This project is due on the last day of
November.
- We have breakfast at 6 o’clock.
- I’ll call you back at midday.
- We’ll go to New York at Christmas.
- They’re having dinner at the moment/
at present.
- I’ll see you at the end of the day.

at the time of, etc.
next Use for the future with week,
month, year, summer, etc.
last Use for the past with week,
month, year, summer, etc.
since Use with a certain point of
time (past till now)
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- We were sleeping at the time of the
accident.
- We’ll meet again next Monday.
- They are moving to London next
summer.
- Last week we spent time together with
our best friends.
- Last winter was the coldest.
- We’ve studied English since we were
5 years old.
- I’ve left school since 2010.
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Prepositions Usage Example

for Use with a period of time
(past till now)
ago Use to measure time in the
past
from…to / till / Use to mark the start and
until finish of a period of time
till / until Use to mean in the sense of
how long something is going
to last (‘till’ is informal form
of ‘until’)
to Use to tell the time
past Use to tell the time
by - To mean before or not later
than a particular time
- Use to mean up to a certain
time
- I’ve been waiting for three hours.
- He went to London two years ago.
- We have a class from 8 o’clock to 11
o’clock.
- We were waiting for your call until
midnight.
- It’s ten to midnight.
- It’s fifteen past eleven.
- I’ll get home by 11 o’clock.
- The subway will be completely built
by
the end of this year.
- By the time we got home we were
tired
and hungry.
- I’ve written 2,000 words by 11
o’clock.

during To mean ‘ in a period of time’ - During the summer she worked as a

either ‘at one point’ or for ‘the lifeguard.
whole period’. - My uncle was killed during the war.
after - To mean when a particular - I go swimming every day after work
event or time has happened, or
when someone has done
something
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- To mean when a particular - After ten minutes remove the cake

amount of time has passed from the oven.
before To mean earlier than a certain - He had arrived before the play ended.
point of time

Exercise 1 Put the correct preposition (in, at, on) into each space. If you think there should be no
preposition, type - in the space.
1. Sophia goes to work _________ the morning.
2. Many tourists shop _________ Pattaya shopping street _________ the summer.
3. The students should be_________ the classroom _________ 8:00.
4. Bella went _________ home _________ this morning.
5. Jimmy went _________ hiking _________ 2007.
6. Laura watches a series _________ TV _________ every Wednesday.
7. I met Patrick _________ a Halloween party_________ Tuesday night.
8. When I’m _________ bed, I usually listen to music _________ the radio.
9. I will go to Phuket _________ April 2018.
10. She will call you back _________ a few days.

Exercise 2 Complete the sentence using on, at, in, past, since, for or by.

1. What are you doing _________ Sunday?

2. I am going to the mountains _________ Sunday.

3. I haven't been to the mountains _________ August.

4. What time are you leaving? - I am leaving _________ the morning, at six o'clock, I think.

I am coming back _________ the evening. I'll catch the half _________ eight train ________

that evening. I'll be back _________ nine thirty. It takes about an hour to get here.

5. So you'll be there _________ the whole day.

Exercise 3 Underline the correct preposition in each sentence.

1. We planned to stay in Bangkok for / by /until / before ten days but they need us back at work
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immediately.

2. Could you deliver the new assembling machine until / during / over / by the end of next

week? We need them before / during / over / by next Friday at / in / on / until the latest.

3. I waited for her call until / during / over / for 6 p.m. but she didn't return my call.

4. No one was allowed to use mobile phones for / during / over / by the exam.

5. They said they would be here until / during / over / by six but they haven't arrived yet.

6. The currency has risen by 5% for / during / over / by the last year.

7. They had a break until / during / over / for a while before continuing with their work.

8. My cousins from New Zealand arrived on / in / at / by Wednesday and they'll be here until /

during / for / over the end of next week.

9. For / During / Over / By 8 p.m. I was completely tired but I hadn’t done a lot of things yet.

10. I met him for / during / over / by my holidays in Korea.

Exercise 4 Complete the text with next, last, since, for and ago.

Visitors from space

Scientist believe that the (1) _________ time a large object from out space hit the Earth was in
1908. Luckily it landed in a sparsely-populated area of Siberia, but people 60 km away from the
crash site were thrown to the ground. When it happened, just over a hundred years (2) ________,
scientists thought the explosion might have been caused by part of a comet. (3) _________ then,
research has shown that it was a stone meteorite which exploded in the atmosphere. Objects of this
kind have been striking the Earth (4)_________ millions of years, but serious explosions are rare.
Astronomers are trying to predict when the (5) _________ serious impact might be.

The Transit of Venus

A Transit of Venus is an astronomical event, when the planet Venus is exactly between the Earth
and the Sun, so it is seen crossing the face of the Sun as a small black disc. The (6) _________
Venus transit took place in 2004 and the (7) _________ one will occur in 2012. Nearly 400 years
(8) _________, the astronomer Kepler predicted the event would take place in 1631, but did not
realize it could not be seen in Europe.
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(9) _________ then, there have been transits in 1639, 1761, 1769, 1974, 1882 and 2004. Obviously
such events have been taking place (10) _________ millions of years, but the event was not seen
by astronomers until 1769, when two astronomers in England both observed it. It you missed it in
2004, and miss it in 2012, there will be another Venus Transit in 2117, but that is a long time to
wait!

Note. From Macmillan English Grammar in Context (p.158), by V. Micheal, 2008, Oxford: Macmillan.

7.3 Prepositions: Movement

There are many kinds of preposition of movement. Here are some examples and usages.

Prepositions Usage Example

from To mean in the sense of - He comes from Canada.
where from
to - Use with verbs of - We want to go to the cinema.
movement, change, etc. but (We want to go home)
not with home - I’ll go to bed.
- Use for bed
from… to Use to describe two points of - This bus goes from Bangkok to
movement Pattaya.
into Use to describe in and out - The teacher is coming into the room.
movement.
out of Use to describe in and out - The teacher is going out of the room.
movement.
off To mean away from a place - He got into his car and drove off.
onto To show the movement to the - A cat jumps onto the table.
top of something
towards To show the movement in the - Two policemen were coming towards
direction of something him.
across To mean getting to the other - We’ll have to swim across the river.
side
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through Use to describe the movement - We need to drive through the tunnel.
from one side of an area to the
other, between a group of
things or something with
limits on top, bottom and the
sides

Exercise 1 Complete the sentences with onto, down, across, out of or into.

1. I don’t know how I got _________ this trouble.

2. I hope you won’t run _________ any obstacles.

3. I tried to throw the rock _________ the roof.

4. Walk _________ the street and turn right. You’ll see the building you’re looking for.

5. That man going _________ the hospital is my doctor.

6. She ran _________ the room immediately when she realized the time.

7. I took the wallet _________ my bag.

8. I sat in my bed room staring _________ the window.

9. Jill wants to get _________ purchasing.

10. You must walk _________ the bridge to get to the other side of the town.

Exercise 2 Complete the sentences with through, into, down, to, towards, over, out of, along or

from.

1. I moved _________ Bangkok in 2010.

2. As I was walking _________ the beach, he called.

3. We sailed _________ the canal.

4. The teacher is going _________ the classroom.

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5. They walked _________ the bridge to get to the other side of the river.

6. He rode a bike _________ the mountain.

7. The car is coming _________ the garage.

8. Get away ______the fire! It can be very dangerous.

9. My cat jumped ______ my bed in the morning. Then it lay on the bed all day, sleeping.

10. We drive ______ the tunnel, get ______ it and finally run ______ it.

Exercise 3 Find and correct the mistakes in each sentence.

1. He comes to Poland. He is a Polish man.

___________________________________________________________________________

2. The train went on the tunnel.

___________________________________________________________________________

3. The paint fell into the floor.

___________________________________________________________________________

4. The thief made a big mistake when he ran onto the policeman.

___________________________________________________________________________

5. I got on the bus when it had reached my stop.

___________________________________________________________________________

6. The dog jumped under the fence to get out of the house.

___________________________________________________________________________

7. We drove into the river for an hour before we reached the destination.

___________________________________________________________________________

8. He almost fell on the river.

___________________________________________________________________________
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9. They jumped at the stage and danced at the party.

___________________________________________________________________________

10. We took the bus that was heading along the park.

___________________________________________________________________________

Extension Activity

Write a sentence with each word.

1. beneath __________________________________________________________________

2. below __________________________________________________________________

3. through __________________________________________________________________

4. from …to __________________________________________________________________

5. over __________________________________________________________________

6. in __________________________________________________________________

7. during __________________________________________________________________

8. before __________________________________________________________________

9. next __________________________________________________________________

10. by __________________________________________________________________

Test Yourself

References