Prepositions - Part 1

​Prepositions

A preposition is a word or group of words used before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, time, place, location, spatial relationships, or to introduce an object. Some examples of prepositions are words like "in," "at," "on," "of," and "to."

Prepositions in English are highly idiomatic. Although there are some rules for usage, much preposition usage is dictated by fixed expressions. In these cases, it is best to memorize the phrase instead of the individual preposition

Prepositions of Direction

To refer to a direction, use the prepositions "to," "in," "into," "on," and "onto."

• He drove to the store.

• Don’t ring the doorbell. Come right in(to) the house.

• Drive on(to) the grass and park the car there.

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​Rules

Prepositions of Time

To refer to one point in time, use the prepositions "in," "at," and "on."

Use "in" with parts of the day (not specific times), months, years, and seasons.

• He reads in the evening.

• The weather is cold in December.

• She was born in 1996.

• We rake leaves in the autumn.

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​Rules

Use "at" with the time of day. Also use "at" with noon, night, and midnight.

• I go to work at 8:00.

• He eats lunch at noon.

• He often goes for a walk at night.

• They go to bed at midnight.

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​Rules

Use "on" with days.

• I work on Saturdays.

• She does laundry on Saturdays

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​Rules

To refer to extended time, use the prepositions "since," "for," "by," "during," "from…to," "from…until," "with," and "within."

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Extended time

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• I have lived in Malaysia since 2017. (I moved there in 2017 and still live here.)

• He will be in Tabuk for 3 weeks. (He will spend 3 weeks in Tabuk.)

• She will finish her homework by 6:00. (She will finish her homework sometime between now and 6:00.)

• He works part time during the summer. (For the period of time throughout the summer.)

• I will collect data from January to June. (Starting in January and ending in June.)

• They are in school from August until May. (Starting in August and ending in May.)

• She will graduate within 2 years. (Not longer than 2 years.)