BASIC PREPOSITIONS
Prepositions show the relationship between different parts of a
sentence. Compare the difference in meaning of the sentences
below. We are drivingin Montreal.
We are driving to Montreal.
We are driving into Montreal.
We are driving out of Montreal.
We are driving through Montreal.
We are driving around Montreal.
We are driving by Montreal.
IN
IN is used for
positions.
Locations
Cities/towns
Provinces/states
Countries
Study these
uses of the preposition IN.
The water is in the cup.
We’re in the classroom.
Shania lives in Timmins.
Jane is swimming in the lake.
There is a Royal family in Monaco.
Other uses:
The bird is flying in the sky.
The baby is looking in the mirror.
On Saturdays, I like to stay in bed late.
IN is used for
times.
Months
Years
Seasons
Times of
day
Future time
Study these
uses of the preposition IN.
My birthday is in August.
The Olympic Games will be held in Sydney.
We usually take our vacation in the summer.
She never eats in the morning.
I will see you again in a few weeks.
Technology has progressed rapidly in the past 10 years.
IN follows some
verbs and adjectives: confide in, participate in, engage in, succeed in, result
in, deficient in, etc.
She confided in her boyfriend because she trusted him.
Alain participated in the Montreal Marathon.
He succeeds in everything he tries.
ON
ON is used for
position.
Locations
Streets
Study these
uses of the preposition ON.
We’re sitting on the floor.
My books are on the table.
There is a McDonald’s on Prince Street.
Her picture is on page 25 of the Gazette.
There’s chocolate on your nose.
She’s standing on the corner of the street.
Here are
some other uses of ON.
The washroom is down the hall, on the right.
We went fishing on Lake St-Pierre.
ON is used for
times.
Dates
Days
Study these
uses of ON.
Canada Day is on July 1st.
We have our English class on Wednesday.
Paula arrived on time.
They usually go to the country on the weekend.
ON also follows
some verbs and adjectives: base on, depend on, count on, insist on, work on,
etc.
The TV movie “The Burning Bed” is based on a true story.
Whether we go on a picnic depends on the weather.
You can always count on your parents for good advice.
AT
Places
Buildings
Events
Addresses
Study these
uses of AT.
There’s a
party at Martin’s house.
I saw
James at the movies.
The Prime
Minister’s residence is at 24 Sussex Drive.
She
works at Sears.
Turn
right at the traffic light.
Let’s
meet at the restaurant.
AT is used for
times.
Hours
Times
Holidays
Noon,
midnight, night
Study these
uses of AT.
People in
Canada usually eat dinner at noon.
We get
up at 6 o’clock in the morning.
I like to
go out at night.
The phone
rang at midnight.
We went to
New York at Easter.
AT follows some
verbs: glance at, look at, stare at, laugh at, smile at, yell at, etc.
I didn’t
really study; I only glanced at my notes before the exam.
Look at me
when I’m talking to you!
Stop staring
at me! It’s not polite.
I
always laugh at your jokes.
TO
TO follows all
verbs of movement. A verb of movement involves changing your position of
having a direction.
We come,
go, travel (etc.) to a place or event.
I live in
Montreal.
I go to Montreal.
Live is not
a verb of movement, however, go is a verb of movement and must be followed
by to. Some verbs of movement are in the following examples.
I came to school without my books.
Mike ran to the store for milk and bread.
My grandmother flies to Florida every fall.
Andrea has travelled to many foreign countries.
Her best friend moved to Winnipeg.
Let’s drive to P.E.I. this summer.
Certain
verbs can be followed by either a direct object or an indirect object or
both. When the indirect object receives the direct object, TO is
sometimes used. Study these uses of TO.
Marge gave the money to the cashier.
Teresa described her house to me.
We plan on giving a present to our friend for his birthday.
You will have to explain your version to the principal.
The
following verbs are often used with TO: offer to, pay to, sell to,
send to, show to, sing to, take to, tell to, hand to, pass to, bring to, listen
to, object to, reply to, respond to, subscribe to, yield to, explain to.
We pay our taxes to the municipality.
I sold my guitar to John.
Why don’t you show your drawing to the
teacher?
The following
adjectives are also often used with TO: inferior to, kind to,
similar to, close to, next to.
I sometimes
feel inferior to my teammates.
I am
really close to my sister.
Rita is
sitting next to Sandra.
OF
OF is used to
signify units of nouns.
Cups of
coffee
Loads of
laundry
Pounds of
meat
Pieces of
furniture
OF is used to
show possession.
I didn’t read the end of the book.
What’s the title of the movie?
OF is used with
dates.
It is the 12th of July.
The
following verbs and adjectives are often used with OF:
convince
of, remind of, warn of, approve of, beware of, consist of, smell of, dream of,
speak of, talk of, think of, accuse of, suspect of, afraid of, aware of,
certain of, critical of, envious of, fond of, guilty of, jealous of, innocent
of, proud of, tired of, in charge of, instead of, on top of, in front of, etc.
Study these
examples.
The defendant tried to convince the judge of his
innocence.
I must remind you of the consequences.
Beware
of the bears when camping in that area.
Regis asked: “Are you certain of your answer?”
The parents were so proud of their son’s accomplishment.
FROM
FROM gives the
origin or beginning of.
Jean
Charest comes from Sherbrooke.
School
is from 8 o’clock to 4 o’clock.
The
following verbs and adjectives are often used with FROM.
Differ
from, come from, escape from, flee from, recover from, retire from, borrow
from, buy from, hide from, protect from, rescue from, absent from, far from,
etc.
Study these
examples.
The new
model differs in colour from the old one.
Many
prisoners tried to escape from Alcatraz.
Mr.
Burns retired from teaching after 35 years.
He tried
to hide from me by jumping behind the bush.
FOR/SINCE
FOR is used to
express a duration of time. It answers the question How long?
I lived in Toronto for 6 years.
“How long have you known Greg?”
“I’ve known
him for about 11 years.”
SINCE is used to
say when an action began.
I have worked here since 1986.
He has been studying since 9 o’clock.
Note:
With FOR and SINCE the present perfect tenses
are often used.
The
following verbs and adjectives can take FOR.
Blame for,
reprimand for, ask for, call for, hope for, substitute for, look for, pray for,
wait for, watch for, wish for, pay for, good for, responsible for, ready for,
sorry for, apologise for, etc.
Study these
examples.
Mr. Ross blames the weather for his poor golf
score.
Should we call for a pizza?
The wedding is tomorrow, let’s pray for sunshine.
I would like to apologise for my bad behaviour.
BEFORE
BEFORE indicates
what precedes.
Monday is before Tuesday.
I’ll call you before I leave.
Before coming
to class, I had lunch downtown.
AFTER
AFTER indicates
what follows.
Thursday is after Wednesday.
I’ll see you after school.
After seeing
the price, I changed my mind.
DURING
DURING is
used with a noun to say “in what period” or “at what time”
The fire broke out during the night.
During our
trip to Calgary, we spent a lot of money.
Many people were employed during the war.
BY
BY is used to
introduce a method of transportation or communication.
I
came to school by bus.
We
got in contact by telephone.
BY means close
to.
He
lives by the shopping centre.
I
like to take my vacation by the sea.
BY means to pass
someone or something.
Maria
walked by me without seeing me.
We
drove by “South of the Border” on the way to Florida.
BY expresses how
to do something and is followed by a gerund (-ing form).
“How
did you learn to use your new VCR?”
“By reading the instructions.”
You
can find the number by looking in the phone book.
BY means “no
later than”
He’ll
be here by midnight for sure.
We
should leave by 7 o’clock at the latest.
BY is used in
some idioms.
By
mistake, by chance, by choice, by cheque, by hand.
WITH
WITH means two
things are together.
Peter
works with Anne.
I
like to walk with my dog.
We’re
going out with the Robinsons tonight.
WITH shows what is
needed (a tool or a procedure).
Bob
carved the roast with a sharp knife.
I
cut the grass with a lawn-mower.
ABOUT
ABOUT expresses an
approximation.
“What time is it?”
“Oh, it’s about 3:30, but I’m not sure.”
Carole lives about 10 miles from Bromont.
ABOUT refers to a
topic.
Tell me all about your trip to Venise.
I know about your secret love.
Of course,
many other prepositions do exist. They are most commonly placed in one of
four categories: Prepositions of Time, Prepositions of Place, Prepositions of
Direction or Prepositions of Manner. Here is a short list for each
category:
Prepositions of
Time :
After,
around, about, at, before, by, during, for, from, to, in, on, since, until.
Prepositions of
Place :
Above,
across, after, against, among, around, behind, below, beneath, beside, between,
by, in front of, inside, near, outside, over, through, under.
Prepositions of
Direction :
By way of,
into, out of, forward.
Prepositions
of Manner :
By, like,
on, with
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