Prepositions

Exercises on Prepositions

Prepositions are short words (on, in, to) that usually stand in front of nouns
(sometimes also in front of gerund verbs).

Even advanced learners of English find prepositions difficult, as a 1:1 translation is

usually not possible. One preposition in your native language might have several
translations depending on the situation.

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, reading a lot in English (literature)
and learning useful phrases off by heart (study tips).

The following table contains rules for some of the most frequently used prepositions
in English:

Prepositions – 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
 in an hour
time (when?)

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

 from a certain point of

 since  since 1980
time (past till now)

 over a certain period of

 for  for 2 years
time (past till now)

 a certain time in the

 ago  2 years ago
past

 before  before 2004

 earlier than a certain
 English Usage Example
point of time

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

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

 marking the beginning

 to / till /  from Monday to/till
and end of a period of
until Friday
time

 in the sense of how long

 He is on holiday until
 till / until something is going to
Friday.
last

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

Prepositions – Place (Position and Direction)

English Usage Example
 in the kitchen, in
 room, building, street,
London
town, 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

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

 attached  the picture on the wall

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

 left or right of
 by, next to,  Jane is standing by /
somebody or
beside next to / beside the car.
something

 on the ground, lower

 the bag is under the
 under than (or covered by)
table
something else

 lower than something  the fish are below the

 below
else but above ground surface

 covered by something
else  put a jacket over your
 meaning more than shirt
 over  getting to the other side  over 16 years of age
(also across)  walk over the bridge
 overcoming an  climb over the wall
obstacle

 higher than something

 above else, but not directly  a path above the lake
over it

 getting to the other side

 walk across the bridge
 across (also over)
 swim across the lake
 getting to the other side

 something with limits

 drive through the
 through on top, bottom and the
tunnel
sides

 movement to person or
building  go to the cinema
 to  movement to a place or  go to London / Ireland
country  go to bed
 for bed

 enter a room / a  go into the kitchen / the

 into
building house

 movement in the
 go 5 steps towards the
 towards direction of something
house
(but not directly to it)
 English Usage Example
 movement to the top of
 onto  jump onto the table
something

 in the sense of where  a flower from the

 from
from 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
 off  get off the train
transport vehicle

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

 rise or fall of something  prices have risen by 10

 by  travelling (other than percent
walking or horseriding)  by car, by bus

 she learned Russian at

 at  for age
45

 for topics, meaning what  we were talking about

 about
about you