BETWEEN

TREES
THE

ARE YOU IN OR OUT?

ON THE ROAD
TO

PREPOSITIONS :)

JULY 2007
Rev 08/17 MISTER WONDERFUL
 Contents

What is a preposition? Page 1

Types of Prepositions Page 4
Prepositions of Time Page 7
Prepositions of Place Page 8
Prepositions of Movement Page 11
A quick preposition Summary page 13
The prepositions Workbook page 14
Exercise 1 George Washington page 15

The prepositions Workbook page 14

Exercises
1 George Washington page 15
2 page 15
3 page 16
4 time prepositions page 17
5 place prepositions page 17
6 page 18
7 Francis Macomber page 20
8 time prepositions page 21
9 time prepositions page 22
10 place prepositions page 24
11 place prepositions page 26
12 find the preposition page 27
13 what is the correct? Page 28
14 a family in the kitchen page 29
15 a conversation page 30
16 page 30

Mr. Wonderful Page 2

 What is a Preposition ?

Prepositions are usually used in front of nouns One preposition in your native language might
or pronouns and they show the relationship have several translations depending on the
between the noun or pronoun and other words situation.
in a sentence. There are hardly any rules as to when to use
which preposition. The only way to learn
prepositions is looking them up in a dictionary,
Even advanced learners of English find reading a lot in English and learning useful
prepositions difficult, as a 1:1 translation is phrases by heart.
usually not possible.

Think of a preposition as any word that describes the relationship between a

caterpillar and an apple. In this picture, all of the prepositions are underlined.

Mr. Wonderful Page 3

 Types of prepositions

There are 3 types of prepositions :

Time Prepositions : such as before, after, during, and until.

Place Prepositions : such as around, between, and against.

Direction Prepositions : such as across, up, and down.

Some of the most common prepositions

about beside near to

above between of towards

across beyond off under

after by on underneath

against despite onto unlike

along down opposite until

among during out up

around except outside upon

as for over via

at from past with

before in round within

behind inside since without

below into than

beneath like through

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 Some Examples

1. The last time I saw him he was walking down the road.
2. I’ll meet you in the cafe opposite the cinema.
3. It was difficult to sleep during the flight.
4. It was the worst storm since the 1980s.
5. Give that to me.

1. Position of something:

a) Her bag was under the chair.

b) The dog crawled between us and lay down at our feet.
c) His apartment was over the shop

2. The time when something happens:

a) They arrived on Sunday.
b) The class starts at 9 a.m.
c) Shortly after their marriage they moved to Colorado.

3. The way in which something is done:

1. We went by train.
2. They stared at each other without speaking.

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 Although most prepositions are single words, some pairs and groups of words operate like single prepositions:

The most common prepositions that consist of groups of words are:

ahead of except for instead of owing to

apart from in addition to near to such as

as for in front of on account of thanks to

as well as in place of on top of up to

because of in spite of out of

due to inside of outside of

Examples:

1. They were unable to attend because of the rain last night.

2. Jack will be playing in the team in place of me.

3. In addition to getting a large fine, both brothers were put in prison for three months.

4. I always get nervous when I have to speak in front of an audience.

5. We estimate that there’ll be up to 10,000 people at the concert.

6. They moved here because of the baby.

7. We sat next to each other.

8. The hotel is perched on top of a cliff.

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 Prepositions of Time

English Usage Example

• on • days of the week • on Monday

• months / seasons
• in August / in winter
• time of day
• in the morning
• in • year
• in 2006
• after a certain period of time
• in an hour
(when?)

• for night • at night

• at • for weekend • at the weekend
• a certain point of time (when?) • at half past nine

• from a certain point of time

• since • since 1980
(past till now)

• over a certain period of time

• for • for 2 years
(past till now)

• ago • a certain time in the past • 2 years ago

• earlier than a certain point of

• before • before 2004
time

• to • telling the time • ten to six (5:50)

• past • telling the time • ten past six (6:10)

• to / till / • marking the beginning and end • from Monday to/till

until of a period of time Friday

• in the sense of how long • He is on holiday until

• till / until
something is going to last Friday.

• I will be back by 6
• in the sense of at the latest o’clock.
• by
• up to a certain time • By 11 o'clock, I had read
five pages.

Mr. Wonderful Page 7

 Prepositions of Place (Position and Direction)
Usage Example
• room, building, street, town, • in the kitchen, in London
country • in the book
• in • book, paper etc. • in the car, in a taxi
• car, taxi • in the picture, in the
• picture, world world

• meaning next to, by an object

• at the door, at the station
• for table
• at the table
• for events
• at • at a concert, at the party
• place where you are to do
• at the cinema, at school,
something typical (watch a
at work
film, study, work)

• the picture on the wall

• attached
• London lies on the
• for a place with a river
Thames.
• being on a surface
• on the table
• on • for a certain side (left, right)
• on the left
• for a floor in a house
• on the first floor
• for public transport
• on the bus, on a plane
• for television, radio
• on TV, on the radio

• by, next • left or right of somebody or • Jane is standing by / next

to, beside something to / beside the car.

• on the ground, lower than (or

• under • the bag is under the table
covered by) something else

• lower than something else but • the fish are below the
• below
above ground surface

• covered by something else • put a jacket over your

• meaning more than shirt
• over • getting to the other side (also • over 16 years of age
across) • walk over the bridge
• overcoming an obstacle • climb over the wall

• higher than something else, but

• above • a path above the lake
not directly over it

• getting to the other side (also

• walk across the bridge
• across over)
• swim across the lake
• getting to the other side

• through • something with limits on top, • drive through the tunnel

Mr. Wonderful Page 8

 Usage Example
bottom and the sides

• movement to person or building • go to the cinema

• to • movement to a place or country • go to London / Ireland
• for bed • go to bed

• go into the kitchen / the

• into • enter a room / a building
house

• movement in the direction of

• go 5 steps towards the
• towards something (but not directly to
house
it)

• movement to the top of

• onto • jump onto the table
something

• from • in the sense of where from • a flower from the garden

Other important Prepositions

English Usage Example
• from • who gave it • a present from Jane

• who/what does it belong

• a page of the book
• of to
• the picture of a palace
• what does it show

• by • who made it • a book by Mark Twain

• walking or riding on
horseback • on foot, on horseback
• on
• entering a public • get on the bus
transport vehicle

• in • entering a car / Taxi • get in the car

• leaving a public transport

• off • get off the train
vehicle

• out of • leaving a car / Taxi • get out of the taxi

• rise or fall of something

• prices have risen by 10 percent
• by • travelling (other than
• by car, by bus
walking or horseriding)

• at • for age • she learned Russian at 45

Mr. Wonderful Page 9

 English Usage Example
• for topics, meaning what
• about • we were talking about you
about

Prepositions of Time: at, on, and in

1. We use at to designate specific times.
The train is due at 12:15 p.m.
2. We use on to designate days and dates.
My brother is coming on Monday.
We're having a party on the Fourth of July.
3. We use in for nonspecific times during a day, a
month, a season, or a year.
She likes to jog in the morning.
It's too cold in winter to run outside.
He started the job in 1971.
He's going to quit in August.

Prepositions of Place: at, on, and in

1. We use at for specific addresses.
Grammar English lives at 55 Boretz Road in Durham.
2. We use on to designate names of streets, avenues, etc.
Her house is on Boretz Road.
3. We use in for the names of land-areas (towns, counties, states, countries, and continents).
She lives in Durham.
Durham is in Windham County.
Windham County is in Connecticut.

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

IN AT ON NO PREPOSITION
(the) bed* class* the bed* downstairs
the home the ceiling downtown
bedroom the library* the floor inside
the car the office the horse outside
(the) class* school* the plane upstairs
the library* work the train uptown
school*

Prepositions of Movement: to and No Preposition

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 1. We use to in order to express movement toward a place.
They were driving to work together.
She's going to the dentist's office this morning.

2. Toward and towards are also helpful prepositions to express movement.

We're moving toward the light.
This is a big step towards the project's completion.

3. With the words home, downtown, uptown, inside, outside, downstairs, upstairs, we use no preposition.
Grandma went upstairs
Grandpa went home.
They both went outside.

Mr. Wonderful Page 11

 Prepositions of Place

Prepositions of place can be difficult ­ here's some help about using 'at', 'in' and 'on' when
you're talking about where things are.
Basics:

A. If something is contained inside a box or a wide flat area, we use ‘in’:

in the newspaper in a house

in a cup in a drawer
in a bottle in a bag
in bed in a car
in London in England
in a book in a pub
in a field in the sea
in my stomach in a river

B. If something is on a line or a horizontal or vertical surface, we use ‘on’:

on the table on the wall

on the floor on the window
on my face on a plate
on the page on the sofa
on a chair on a bag
on the river on a t­shirt
on the ceiling on a bottle
on a bike on his foot

C. If is at a point, (it could be a building) we use ‘at’:

at the airport at the door

at the table at the bus stop
at the cinema at the top
at the bottom at the pub
at the traffic lights at the front
at the back at school
at university at the window
at the hospital at the piano

D. Here are some more common ones that don't really fit:

on TV
on the bus
on a train
on a plane
on the radio
at home
at work

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 A Quick Preposition Summary

Here's a list of the time words that need 'on', 'in', 'at' and some that don't need any preposition. Be
careful, many students of English use 'on' with months (it should be 'in'), or put a preposition
before 'next' when we don't need one.

AT
• times: at 8pm, at midnight, at 6:30
• holiday periods: at Christmas, at Easter
• at night
• at the weekend
• at lunchtime, at dinnertime, at breakfast time

ON
• days: on Monday, on my birthday, on Christmas Day
• days + morning / afternoon / evening / night: on Tuesday morning
• dates: on the 20th of June

IN

• years: in 1992, in 2006

• months: in December, in June
• decades: in the sixties, in the 1790s
• centuries: in the 19th century
• seasons: in winter, in summer
• in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening

• next week, year, month etc

• last night, year etc
• this morning, month etc
• every day, night, years etc
• today, tomorrow, yesterday

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 The

Prepositions

Workbook

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 EXERCISE 1
George Washington
(Complete the exercise with the correct prepositions.)

1. George Washington was born _______Virginia _______ 1732.

2. In the American Revolutionary War ( ______1775 and 1783) he was the Commander-in-Chief of the American

forces.

3. Washington played _________ important role in the founding _________ the United States.

4. He became the first President _____________ the United States.

5. He was President __________1789 ______________ 1797.

6. George Washington died at the age of 67, _____________ the 14th ___________ December 1799.

7. The capital __________ the United States and one federal state are named after George Washington.

EXERCISE 2

a) I prefer to read ___________ the library.

b) He climbed ______________ the ladder to get _____________ the attic.
c) Please sign your name __________ the dotted line ____________ you read the contract.
d) Go ______________ the stairs and ______________ the door.
e) He swam ___________________ the pool.
f) Take your brother _____________________ you.

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 EXERCISE 3

Choose the correct general prepositions for this exercise.

1. The bone was _______ the dog.

1. About
2. For
3. After
4. Considering

2. We are going on vacation _______ August.

1. On
2. At
3. In
4. Since

3. Please put the vase ________ the table.

1. In
2. On
3. For
4. Over

4. I received a present ________ Janet.

1. From
2. Of
3. By
4. About

5. School begins ________ Monday.

1. In
2. On
3. From
4. Since

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 EXERCISE 4

Prepositions of Time. Fill in the blanks with the correct prepositions.

a) My birthday falls ____________ January.

b) Birds often migrate _________________spring and autumn.

c) My great-grandmother was born _______________ 1906.

d) Breakfast is a meal which is generally eaten_________________ the morning.

e) My parents grew up __________________ the 1960s.

f) My vacation ends _______________ Monday.

g) We’re going bowling ______________ Friday night.

h) My brother John was born ___________ September 3rd.

i) We always have a huge celebration _______________ New Year’s Eve.

j) Meet me _______________ 7:30.

k) The town is always well-decorated ___________ Christmastime.

l) Now that my grandfather is older, he no longer drives _____________ night.

EXERCISE 5
Prepositions of Place. Choose the correct preposition.

(a) Jessie waited for Jim ____________ the corner.

(b) The mall is located ___________ the intersection _____ Main Street and Third Avenue.

(c) We spent a quiet evening _________ home.

(d) I’m growing tomatoes _____________ my garden.

(e) Marie was born ____________ Paris, France.

(f) I was so tired that I took a nap __________ the car.

(g) Please place the bouquet ___________ the table.

(h) I really wish you would stop throwing your dirty clothes _________the floor.

(i) What’s _____________ the menu this evening?

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 EXERCISE 6

Circle the correct answer

1. My best friend lives ______________ Miguel Allende Road.

a. in
b. on
c. at

2. I'll be ready to leave _________ about twenty minutes.

a. in
b. on
c. at

3. Since he met his new girlfriend, Juan never seems to be ___________ home.
a. on
b. in
c. at

4. The child responded to his mother's demands ____________ throwing a tantrum.

a. with
b. by
c. from

5. I think she spent the entire afternoon _______________ the phone.

a. on
b. in
c. at

6. I will wait _____________ 6:30, but then I'm going home.

a. from
b. at
c. until

7. The police caught the thief _________ the corner of Cascade and Plum Streets.
a. in
b. at
c. from

8. My fingers were injured so my sister had to write the note __________ me.
a. for
b. with
c. to

9. I am not interested ______________ buying a new car now.

a. to
b. for
c. in

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 ...Continued exercise 6

10. What are the main ingredients ___________ this casserole?

a. about
b. to
c. of

11. My best friend, John, is named _____________ his great-grandfather.

a. after
b. to
c. about

12. Grandpa stayed up _________________ two in the morning.

a. since
b. for
c. until

13. My parents have been married ________________ forty-nine years.

a. since
b. for
c. until

14. He usually travels to Philadelphia ___________________ train.

a. by
b. at
c. with

15. You frequently see this kind of violence ____________ television.

a. with
b. in
c. on

16. I told Mom we'd be home _____________ an hour or so.

a. to
b. in
c. at

17. I was visiting my best friend ___________ the hospital.

a. of
b. at
c. in

18. The professor ____________ South Africa amazed the American students with her stories.
a. from
b. of
c. in

19. I'll see you _______________ home when I get there.

a. in
b. by
c. at

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 EXERCISE 7

Read this passage and underline the prepositions you can find.

The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber

by Ernest Hemingway

Francis Macomber had, half an hour before, been carried to his tent from the edge of the camp
in triumph on the arms and shoulders of the cook, the personal boys, the skinner and the
porters. The gun­bearers had taken no part in the demonstration. When the native boys put him
down at the door of his tent, he had shaken all their hands, received their congratulations, and
then gone into the tent and sat on the bed until his wife came in. She did not speak to him when
she came in and he left the tent at once to wash his face and hands in the portable wash basin
outside and go over to the dining tent to sit in a comfortable canvas chair in the breeze and the
shade.

Total Prepositions ________________________

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 EXERCISE 8

Time Prepositions
Put in the correct preposition (choose in / on / at). If no preposition is needed put in “0”

1) There was a loud noise which woke us up ______________ midnight.

2) Do you usually eat chocolate eggs ______________ Easter?

3) What are you doing _________________ the weekend?

4) Last week I worked __________ 9pm ___________ every night.

5) My father always reads the paper ___________________ breakfast time.

6) She plays tennis _________________Fridays.

7) The trees here are really beautiful ______________the spring.

8) I'll see you ________________Tuesday afternoon then.

9) Shakespeare died _____________1616.

10) She studies ___________ everyday.

11) John is going to buy the presents __________ today.

12) In my hometown, the shops open early ______ the morning.

13) She met her husband __________ 1988.

14) The party is _______ next Saturday.

15) We are meeting _______ Friday morning.

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 ...Continued Exercise 8

16) I often get sleepy______ the afternoon.

17) His daughter was born ____________the 24th of August.

18) Mobile phones became popular__________ the nineties.

19) Luckily the weather was perfect ___________ her wedding day.

EXERCISE 9

Prepositions of Time

Put in the correct preposition (choose in / on / at). If no preposition is needed put in 0.

1) Lucy is arriving________February the 13th _____________eight o'clock ________the morning.

2) The weather is often terrible _____London_______January.

3) It's better to get taxi if you are out alone_______night.

4) She got married ___________September.

5) They usually go _______the south of France ________the summer.

6) Columbus sailed ____ the Americas __________the 16th century.

7) The Beatles were popular _______________the 1960s.

8) I graduated from university ______________2001.

9) His birthday is _________June.

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 ….Continued Exercise 9

10) I usually go to my parents' house _______Christmas. We eat turkey together _______Christmas Day.

11) The train leaves ___________tomorrow morning _________8:00 am.

12) I love going skiing ________January.

13) We met at the restaurant ___________ 8pm.

14) The class is __________9am ___________Monday mornings.

15) I like to drink coffee __________the morning and tea _________ the afternoon.

16) We went out for dinner ____________last Wednesday.

17) She left London ______________________ the 4th of March.

18) I had a party ______________ my birthday.

19) Lucy went to New York ________ New Year.

20) We're meeting _____________lunchtime _______next Tuesday.

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 EXERCISE 10

Prepositions of Place
Complete the sentences with the given information.

1) (He's swimming,the river)

________________________________________________________________________________

2) ( She's school, Where's Julie?)

________________________________________________________________________________

3) (The plant is the table.)

________________________________________________________________________________

4) ( the bath There is a spider)

_______________________________________________________________________________

5) (Please put – the bowl-those apples)

________________________________________________________________________________

6) (Frank is for three weeks vacation)

_________________________________________________________________________________

7) (There are two pockets this bag)

_____________________________________________________________________________

8) (the newspaper I read the story)

_____________________________________________________________________________

9) (the chair The cat is sitting)

______________________________________________________________________________

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 ...Continued Exercise 10

10) (Lucy was the bus stop standing)

______________________________________________________________________________

11) (I'll meet you the movie theater by the soda machine)

______________________________________________________________________________

12) (she hung the wall a picture)

______________________________________________________________________________

13) (the John is garden)

_____________________________________________________________________________

14) (There's nothing, TV tonight.)

_____________________________________________________________________________

15) (all weekend I stayed home)

_____________________________________________________________________________

16) (the bus she was when I called Lucy)

_____________________________________________________________________________

17) (There was a spider / the ceiling)

_____________________________________________________________________________

18) (Unfortunately, Mr Brown is hospital)

_____________________________________________________________________________

19) (Don't sit / the table! Sit / chair)

_____________________________________________________________________________

20) (the sofa, tthere are four cushions)

______________________________________________________________________________

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 EXERCISE 11

Prepositions of Place
Circle or underline the correct preposition

1) The wine is IN ON AT the bottle.

2) Pass me the dictionary, it's IN ON AT the bookshelf.

3) Jennifer is IN ON AT work.

4) Berlin is IN ON AT Germany.

5) You have something IN ON AT your face

6) Turn left IN ON AT the traffic lights.

7) She was listening to classical music IN ON AT the radio.

8) He has a house IN ON AT the river.

9) The answer is IN ON AT the bottom of the page.

10) Julie will be IN ON AT the plane now.

11) There are a lot of magnets IN ON AT the fridge.

12) She lives IN ON AT London.

13) John is IN ON AT a taxi. He's coming.

14) I'll meet you IN ON AT the airport.

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 ...Continued Exercise 11

15) She stood IN ON AT the window and looked out.

16) The cat is IN ON AT the house somewhere.

17) Why are you calling so late? I'm already IN ON AT bed.

18) I waited for Lucy IN ON AT the station.

19) There was a picture of a flower IN ON AT her T-shirt.

20) She has a house IN ON AT Japan.

EXERCISE 12

Find the Prepositions

Write on the line the prepositions you can find in the sentences.

Compare your answers with your partner. _______________________________

This key holder is very special for me. _______________________________
Apple and pears are in the same box. _______________________________
Write to me soon. _______________________________
Have you got a piece of paper? _______________________________
What’s the calculator for? It is for my exams. _________________________
I’m tall with black hair and brown eyes. _______________________________
We have a house with a big garden. _______________________________
I come from a big family. _______________________________
Match the pictures with the names. _______________________________
Is your house in the country? _______________________________
Guess what I have in my hand? _______________________________
I have two color pens. What about you? _______________________________

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 EXERCISE 13

What is the correct preposition?

Correct the sentences using the correct preposition

1. Nice for meet you.

2. Don’t be late to school.

3. Are you the new student since Portugal?

4. Are you a teacher on this school?

5. She is in vacation. She is at Italy now.

6. What is this word on English?

7. Look it the flowers.

8. Adam's birthday is by July.

9. Don’t run by the classroom.

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 EXERCISE 14

A family in the kitchen

Choose the right preposition of place:

1. ______the picture, I can see a family ___________ a kitchen.

2. There is a dish full of fruits ______ the counter top.

3. The mother is standing in front ___________ her son and daughter.

4. She is holding a vase ________________ her hand.

5. The son and the daughter are sitting __________ the worktop smiling _______each other.

6. There are beautiful cupboards ________ the wall.

7. There is a window ____________ the mother.

8. The woman is looking ___________ her daughter.

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 EXERCISE 15

Choose the right preposition of time in this conversation

Pavlov: What are you doing _______Saturday?

Andropova: I am going to the countryside ______the weekend.

Pavlov: I haven't been to the countryside ____________ December. What time are you leaving?
Andropova: I am leaving _____ the afternoon. May be ____ three o'clock pm. I am coming back ____Sunday
evening. I'll catch the half past _____ seven train ___ Sunday. I'll be here _____ nine o'clock.
Pavlov: So you'll be there _______ the whole weekend. I'll be missing you!

EXERCISE 16

Choose the correct preposition

1. Do you think it is a good idea to ban smoking _____ public places?

2. Look at the picture ________ the wall.

3. My house is __________ the end of the street.

4. I stopped __________ Nancy's house.

5. Do you like walking ________ the garden?

6. I found my keys _______ the desk.

7. I met him ________ Paris.

8. He was crying ____________ the back of the classroom.

9. I saw the film ______________ TV.

10.These people live _______________my hometown.

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Mr. Wonderful Page 31