Prepositions – Time
Preposition: | Usage: | Example: |
on | days of the week | on Monday |
in | months / seasons time of day year after a certain period of time | in August / in winter in the morning in 2006 in an hour |
at | for night for weekend a certain point of time (when?) | at night at the weekend at half past nine |
since | from a certain point of time (past till now) | since 1980 |
for | over a certain period of time (past till now) | for 2 years |
ago | a certain time in the past | 2 years ago |
before | earlier than a certain point of time | before 2004 |
to | telling the time | ten to six (5:50) |
past | telling the time | ten past six (6:10) |
to / till / until | marking the beginning and end of a period of time | from Monday to/till Friday |
till / until | in the sense of how long something is going to last | He is on holiday until Friday. |
by | in the sense of at the latest up to a certain time | I will be back by 6 o’clock. By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages. |
Prepositions – Place (Position and Direction)
Preposition: | Usage: | Example: |
in | room, building, street, town, country book, paper etc. car, taxi picture, world | in the kitchen, in London in the book in the car, in a taxi in the picture, in the world |
at | meaning next to, by an object for table for events place where you are to do something typical | at the door, at the station at the table at a concert, at the party at the cinema, at school, at work |
on | attached for a place with a river being on a surface for a certain side (left, right) for a floor in a house for public transport for television, radio | the picture on the wall London lies on the Thames. on the table on the left on the first floor on the bus, on a plane on TV, on the radio |
by, next to, beside | left or right of somebody or something | Jane is standing by / next to / beside the car. |
under | on the ground, lower than (or covered by) something else | the bag is under the table |
below | lower than something else but above ground | the fish are below the surface |
over | covered by something else meaning more than getting to the other side (also across) overcoming an obstacle | put a jacket over your shirt over 16 years of age walk over the bridge climb over the wall |
above | higher than something else, but not directly over it | a path above the lake |
across | getting to the other side (also over) getting to the other side | walk across the bridge swim across the lake |
through | something with limits on top, bottom and the sides | drive through the tunnel |
to | movement to person or building movement to a place or country for bed | go to the cinema go to London / Ireland go to bed |
into | enter a room / a building / a space | go into the kitchen / the house |
towards | movement in the direction of something (but not directly to it) | go 5 steps towards the house |
onto | movement to the top of something | jump onto the table |
from | in the sense of where from (origin) | a flower from the garden |
Other important Prepositions:
English | Usage | Example |
from | who gave it | a present from Jane |
of | who/what does it belong to what does it show | a page of the book the picture of a palace |
by | who made it | a book by Mark Twain |
on | walking or riding on horseback entering a public transport vehicle | on foot, on horseback get on the bus |
in | entering a car / taxi | get in the car |
off | leaving a public transport vehicle | get off the train |
out of | leaving a car / taxi | get out of the taxi |
by | rise or fall of something travelling (other than walking or horse riding) | prices have risen by 10 percent by car, by bus, by bike |
at | for age | she learned Russian at 45 |
about | for topics, meaning what about | we were talking about you |