Among the variety of prepositions in English, those that are used, perhaps somewhat more often than others, and are capable of conveying more than one meaning deserve special attention. In this article we will look at the prepositions in at on, which are used in several categories at once and carry different contexts. It is the peculiarities of using the prepositions at, in and on that will be discussed further.
General characteristics of prepositional structures
The words at, on, in, as already mentioned, can be included in several categories at once. The translation will depend on what type of preposition it is. So, for example, the preposition “on” in English can be expressed by any of these structures. This means that the key role is played not by translation, but by the context in which this or that preposition is used.
Thus, the described prepositions in English can belong to one of two categories: place or time. The rules of use allow the use of each of these structures in appropriate situations, and here it is important to remember that one or another form does not always coincide with the Russian language and often differs from the usual translation.
Use in time category
As temporary indicators, the described prepositions can be used in different situations. So, the table can help describe the prepositions of time in English at, in, on, but first you should describe all the possible meanings of each of these prepositions.
The preposition at in English as a time indicator is often used to show the exact time: at 5 o’clock, at 7:45 a.m., etc. The pronunciation of at in the British version of the language looks like [æt], and in the American version this preposition is pronounced as [ət].
In addition, at can be used not only with time frames, for example, at the weekend (on the weekend) or at once (immediately), but also with some fixed phrases, for example, at last (in the end).
The preposition in in the context of time is usually written in situations where you need to display some time of day, month or season, for example: in December, in spring, in the evening. Preposition in is also used in the construction in time - on time, and we are talking about a certain amount of time.
The preposition on as a time indicator is always used with days of the week: on Monday, on Wednesday, etc.
Use to display place
In addition to being used in the category of time, the prepositions in at on are quite often used as prepositions of place in English. The main differences are only in context and meaning.
So, for example, at as an indicator of place is used to display location either in some relatively abstract place (at work - at work, at school - at school, i.e., studying), or on the territory of some area (at the crossroads - at the crossroads). Also included in the construction of some set phrases. Examples of such expressions are at the beginning (at the beginning of something), at dusk/dawn (at sunset/dawn), etc.
In in the context of a place, as a rule, is very unambiguous, and there is usually nothing complicated in its use, unless we are talking about set expressions. The standard translation is “in”, that is, inside something: in the box, in the house.
On in English shows location on something, implying a surface. For example, on the table (on the table), on the road (on the road), etc. The phrase on time is translated as “on time,” but in the meaning “minute per minute.”
Set phrases with at, in, on
Below is a small table with examples of some expressions that cannot be explained from the point of view of the rule, but only need to be remembered:
Thus, there is a difference between these three prepositions, and often choosing the right option even from such a small number of prepositions is not easy. It is important not only to understand their meaning, but also to study special methods and cases of use; otherwise, you won’t be able to hone your skills in using them, and sooner or later errors will still appear.
As you probably already understood, the English language differs significantly from Russian in that it very, very often uses prepositions in English to connect words in a sentence. This often confuses Russian-speaking students, because English prepositions in English do not always correspond to their counterparts in Russian.
In order to get rid of any misunderstandings in this regard once and for all, you need to understand a few simple rules.
Prepositions of Place
The greatest confusion with prepositions of place occurs precisely in relation to prepositions at, in And on. Compare:
- in= in (inside, i.e. closer in meaning to inside),
- on= on (literally on something),
- at= in, on (when we are not talking about a literal location in or on something).
For example:
I study at school. - I study at school.
In this sentence we mean about, in, next to the school, or even just on the school grounds. Those. the point is not that I study exclusively in the school building (within the school), but this is a more abstract concept.
Here's another example:
The point here is not that the person will physically stand on the corner itself, but that he will be next to the corner of a building, road, or the like. Those. again a more abstract concept.
So, in all these cases, when the speech is NOT literally “in or on something”, the preposition is used at.
At the same time, you can say “I"ll meet you on the corner,” but in this case, this will mean that you are standing directly on the corner itself.
Prepositions of time
Prepositions of place may be quite difficult to understand and master. But in prepositions of time you should not make mistakes, since there is a simple rule on how to remember when and how to use each preposition.
Remember:
There are three main prepositions for determining time (prepositions of time).
At- if you are talking about a period of time less than a day
(time< 24 hours.)
For example:
At 8 o'clock, at midnight at night, at noon at daytime, at 5.30 pm at Christmas (since Christmas is the moment at 12 at night - less than a day), etc.
Exceptions: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening
On- if you are talking about a period of time less than a week, but more than a day.
(24 hours< time < week.)
For example:
On Monday on April day, on Halloween, on 21 May - since all these words indicate one day, that is, a period of less than a week.
Exceptions: at weekend, at the weekend.
In- if you are talking about a period of time longer than a week. This includes indications of the month, season, year, century, etc.
(week< time)
For example:
In April, in lifetime, in XX century, etc.
If you have several time periods in your sentence, for example, “At 8 am, May 15, 2006,” then you need to put the preposition that refers to the smaller period. Compare:
- At 8 am, May 15, 2006
- On May 15, 2006
- In 2006, XXI century.
Regarding time, sometimes you still need to indicate that something will happen after a certain period of time. In this case, you need to use the preposition in.
For example:
In 5 hours/5 days/5 years etc - in 5 hours/5 days/5 years, etc.
Due to the fact that this does not at all correspond to the similar construction of similar phrases in Russian, many students make mistakes here. So try to remember this rule when we use at, in and on and not translate such phrases literally.
Prepositional phrases
In English, prepositions are often predetermined by the verb you use. These are the so-called Prepositional phrases. It is advisable to teach them right away with the pretext with which it should be used, this will save you from mistakes and difficulties in the future. For example, expressions such as look at, stare at, at a good price, at our convenience should always be used with a preposition at.
Regarding the pretext in in English, it is always used in the following phrases: succeed in, result in, interested in, in general, in time, in advance.
Expressions with the preposition are also used very often on. Here are some of them: insist on, depend on, congratulate on, spend time/money on.
Of course, if you make the mistake of using the wrong preposition, in most cases you will still be able to be understood correctly by native speakers, but naturally, gaps in your knowledge will immediately become apparent. Don’t despair, because the EnglishDom online school team is doing everything possible so that during English lessons via Skype you can eliminate all the “irregularities” in your speech.
Using prepositions correctly in English requires some skill and, of course, practice. Therefore, many students, even with a very high level of language proficiency, sometimes make mistakes here. But, there is no limit to perfection, and, knowing at least these basic rules, you can have no doubt in choosing the right preposition, at least in most cases.
Big and friendly EnglishDom family
A preposition is a function word that expresses the relationship of a noun or pronoun to other words in a sentence. There are about 150 prepositions in the English language, and for language learners, choosing the right function word can be a daunting task. The problem of choice stems from the fact that the same preposition in English can have very different meanings depending on the context.
Let's look at 4 sentences using the very common preposition "In".
- I visited London in July (I visited London in July)
- He’ll be there in 5 minutes (He will be there in 5 minutes)
- This is the first cigarette I "ve had in three years. (This is the first cigarette I smoked in 3 years)
- She is in the car (She is in the car).
As you can see, the same preposition can be translated in completely different ways and used in a variety of situations. Moreover, “In” is not the only preposition that has different meanings and functions. However, not everything is so scary. All prepositions in English can be sorted and classified. Conventionally, all their meanings can be divided into 3 groups: prepositions of time, prepositions of place and other prepositions. This article will look at prepositions of place and time.
Prepositions of place:
in(in, inside) - to denote “inside something”
I live in Russia (I live in Russia)
She is in her car (She is in the car)
at(in, about, on) - to denote specific places, various events, as well as for the phrase “at the table”
I met her at the bus stop (I met her at the bus stop)
She sat at the table (she was sitting at the table)
He is at a concert (He is at a concert)
on(on, on) - to indicate a location on something, “on the left” and “on the right,” “on TV and radio,” as well as for methods of traveling by bus, train, plane, etc.
Look at the picture on the wall (look at the picture on the wall)
The shop is on the left (the store is on the left)
My favorite program on TV (my favorite TV show)
I love traveling on a plane (I like traveling by plane)
by, next to, beside, near(near, next to) - to mean “close by”
The girl is by/next to/beside/near the house (the girl is standing next to the house)
between(between) - to indicate "between"
The knife is between a dish and a fork (the knife lies between the plate and the fork)
behind(behind) - to indicate "behind"
I hung my coat behind the door (I hung my coat behind the door)
in front of(in front) - to mean “in front of something”
She started talking to the man in front of her (She started talking to the man who was standing in front of her)
under(under, below) - to mean “under something”
The cat is under the chair (Cat under the chair)
below(Below, under) - to mean “below some object”
The plane is just below the cloud (the plane flies below the cloud)
over(through) - to mean “above something”, “more than something”, “through something”
Most of the carpets are over $100 (most carpets cost more than $100)
I walked over the bridge (I walked over the bridge)
She held the umbrella over both of us (She held the umbrella over us)
above(above) - to mean “above something,” but not necessarily above an object.
A path above the lake (path going above the lake)
across(through) - to indicate the intersection of an object
She walked across the field/road (she walked across the lake/road)
through(through) - to indicate the intersection of an object without clear boundaries
They walked slowly through the woods (They walked slowly through the forest)
to- to denote “towards”, as well as for the phrase “go to bed”
We went to Prague last year (Last year we went to Prague)
I go to bed at ten (I go to bed at 10)
into(c) - to indicate “in the direction to”
Shall we go into the garden? (Should we go to the garden?)
towards(k) - to indicate "towards"
She stood up and walked towards him (She stood up and walked towards him)
onto(on) - to indicate movement at a specific place
I slipped as I stepped onto the platform (I slipped the moment I stepped onto the platform)
from(from, from) - to indicate the place from which an action begins
What time does the flight from Amsterdam arrive? (What time does the plane arrive from Amsterdam?)
Prepositions of time:
on- used for days
Many shops don"t open on Sundays (many shops are not open on Sundays)
in- used for months, seasons, years, times of day and time periods
I visited Italy in July, in spring, in 1994 (I traveled to Italy in July, spring and in 1994)
In the evenings, I like to relax (in the evenings I like to relax)
This is the first cigarette I"ve had in three years (this is the first cigarette I smoked in 3 years)
at- used for precise time
There"s a meeting at 2.30 this afternoon / at lunch time (meeting at 2.30 in the afternoon)
since(c) - to denote “from some time”
England have not won the World Cup in football since1966 (England has not won the World Cup since 1966)
for- to indicate the amount of time
I"m just going to bed for an hour or so (I'm going to sleep for an hour or so)
ago- to indicate the past tense
The dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago (dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago)
before(before) To indicate precedence
She"s always up before dawn (She always wakes up before dawn)
to- to indicate information about how much time is left until a certain hour
It's twenty to six (twenty to six)
past- to indicate information about how much time has passed since a certain hour
Five past ten (five minutes past ten)
from(c) - to indicate information when something starts
The museum is open from 9.30 to 6.00 Tuesday to Sunday. (the museum is open from 9.30 to 6.00 from Tuesday to Sunday)
till/until(until) - until some point
We waited till / until half past six for you (We waited for you until half past six)
by(k) - at some point, no later than some point
She had promised to be back by five o"clock (She promised to be back by 5 o'clock)
You can read more about prepositions of time in our article
The topic of this article will be English prepositions, in particular those indicating a place in space. How important this part of speech is, where and how it is used, what types and nuances of using prepositions exist - you can find out about all this.
What are they needed for
Prepositions in English are function words that allow you to connect the components of a sentence and make its meaning more precise and specific.
Prepositions are placed before various parts of speech: nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and even gerunds. The word that follows the preposition is called its complement. There can be several such additions in a sentence in relation to one preposition. For example:
There is a small table between a sofa and a bookcase − There is a table between the sofa and the bookcase.
This article will examine in detail prepositions of place (English). Exercises for memorizing such grammatical material are usually based on filling in the blanks or choosing the appropriate option from two or three proposed ones. In general, this topic is not difficult if you pay enough attention to practice. In the process of performing the exercises, all prepositions, their use and translation into Russian will gradually be remembered. Now let's look at this topic in more detail.
Varieties
Prepositions of place in English can be divided into different groups. These are synonymous and antonymous (they will be discussed later in the article), as well as simple, complex and compound.
Simple prepositions are those that consist of one part. Examples: in, on, at, off.
Complex prepositions of place in English are those formed by compounding words. They consist of several parts merged with each other. Examples: between, above, beside, round.
Compound prepositions are those that consist of two or three separate words. Example: in front of.
Prepositions of place in English: table
Translation(s) | ||
The picture is hanging above the desk. − Karina is hanging over the table. |
||
across; on the other side | There is a shop across the street. - There is a store on the other side of the street. |
|
against | There is a shop against my house. − There is a store opposite my house. |
|
among; between | Can you find me on the photo among other people? − Can you find me in the photograph among other people? |
|
at, near, about; in, on | He is standing at the wall. - He is standing against the wall. |
|
There is a coffee table before the sofa. − In front of the sofa there is |
||
She is sitting behind me. - She is sitting behind me. |
||
I’m on a plane and see clouds below. − I’m flying on a plane and I see clouds below. |
||
nearby, near | Don’t worry, I’m beside you. - Don't worry, I'm next to you. |
|
behind; on the other side | It's beyond my understanding. - This is beyond my understanding. |
|
at, near, next to | There is my house by the river. - This is my house by the river. |
|
I live down the street. − I live down the street. |
||
Put your books in the bag. − Put the books in your bag. |
||
ahead, before | I see the shop in front of me. − I see a store in front of me. |
|
What is inside your pocket? - What's in your pocket? |
||
nearby, near | I stand near the pool. − I'm standing near the pool. |
|
nearby (in a row) | My room is next to yours. − My room is next to (next after) yours. |
|
The cat is on the chair. − The cat is on the chair. |
||
It's cold outside. − It’s cold outside (on the street). |
||
Birds are flying over the field. − Birds are flying over the field. |
||
There are chairs round the table. − There are chairs around the table. |
||
The dog is under the bed. − The dog is under the bed. |
||
The castle is up the hill. − Castle on the Hill |
Stable combinations
Some English prepositions of place are used in conjunction with certain words. For example:
- in the street - on the street;
- at the table - at the table;
- in the sun - in the sun;
- at home - at home;
- at work - at work;
- at school - at school.
You may notice that in the last three cases no articles are used. These variants are already entrenched in the language. In addition, when pointing to a place, the preposition at is usually used. The exception is situations when what is meant is simply a room, and not its purpose. Compare:
I study at school. − I study at school.
There is a big staircase in school. − There is a large staircase in the school (school building).
Synonymous prepositions
Prepositions of place in English can be You have probably already noticed some of them in the table.
There are several ways to say "nearby":
- near;
- next to;
- beside.
The meaning of "on the contrary" can be expressed:
- in front of;
- against;
- across.
The prepositions that mean “inside” are:
- inside.
The use of these synonyms depends on the context of the situation and the word (addition) to which the auxiliary part of speech refers.
Antonymous prepositions
Prepositions of place in English can also express opposite meanings. These words are very convenient to remember in pairs:
- before − behind (ahead − behind);
- in front of − beyond (before − behind);
- above − below (above, above − under, below);
- over − under (above − under);
- up − down (top − bottom);
- inside − outside (inside − outside).
Features of the use of prepositions
1. The preposition in means being in a limited space:
- in my room - in my room;
- in your bag - in your bag.
Also used to indicate a location in a geographic region, country, city, or street:
- in Europe;
- in Scotland;
- in Paris;
- in Green Street.
2. The preposition on denotes the presence of an object on a horizontal surface:
- on the floor - on the floor;
- on the desk - on the table.
There may also be stable combinations, for example:
- on page 5 − on page 5.
The preposition on is also used to indicate parties:
- on the right - on the right;
- on the left - left.
3. The preposition at can mean being near another object:
- at the door - at the door;
- at the table - at the table.
It may also mean being in a room where a certain action is taking place, in a small town or at a specific address:
- at the cinema - in the cinema;
- at Makeevka - in Makeevka;
- at 27 Green Street - on Green Street, 27.
In British and American English
Geographical and cultural differences leave their mark on the English language. Grammar (prepositions of place and direction, and in general the principles of constructing sentences) may vary somewhat depending on whether the language is British or American. Here are some examples of such differences:
- round (British) − around (American);
- at school/college/university/church (British and American) − in school/college/university/church (American only);
- in the street (British) − on the street (American).
Remember that mechanical memorization of prepositions alone does not produce tangible results. It is necessary to constantly practice using these parts of speech, using grammar exercises, multimedia resources and using what you have learned in speech (answering questions, composing dialogues, etc.).
In English, and today our attention will be focused on prepositions of place, of which there are not many.
It’s not difficult to remember them, but it’s still worth understanding the subtleties. Therefore, we begin to analyze “prepositions of place”.
You already know that the most frequently used prepositions are “in”, “at”, “on”. When should you use each of them?
Pretext "in" indicates the presence of an object (person) inside an object or space – in the wood, in her bag, in my arm, in the forest, in the sky, in the world.
The second meaning of this preposition is the presence of a person (object) indoors - in the flat, in the room, in the office, in the car, in the pocket.
Another case when the preposition “in” is used is the presence in a sentence of the words “picture” and “street” - in the street(On the street), in the picture(In the picture).
If the news is written in a book - in the book, in the newspaper - in the newspaper.
Another distinctive feature of the preposition “in” is its use with cities, countries, continents - in Russia, in Asia, in Miami, in the city.
Pretext “on” has many more meanings, and the main ones are the following:
- On a surface - on the surface, on the beach, on the table, on the board
- When specifying sides (left, right) – on the left, on the right
- When specifying floors - on the 4th floor
- When used with television, radio, Internet - on TV, on the radio, on the Internet
- When something is located on a river - on the Thames, on the Seine, on the Mississippi river
When traveling by transport - on the ship, on the plane, on the bus(most often in case it answers the question “what were you driving?”). If you want to emphasize the fact that someone is inside the car, use the preposition "in".
Pretext “at” also has its own characteristics. It is used in the following meanings:
- In the meaning of near, near, at – at the door, at the table, at the house
- If the address is specified - at the 122 Yellow Street
- When using a verb "arrive": Yesterday I arrived at Ben Gurion airport in time(yesterday I arrived at Ben Gurion airport on time).
- In case you are talking about places where you perform typical actions - at the cinema, at work, at the museum, at the library, at school, at the supermarket.
Remember that there are exceptions to every rule. Yes, it’s correct to say “to work on farm”– work on a farm, BUT “to work in a factory”- work in a factory.
In addition to the above-mentioned pretexts, there are also some that are less common. For example, between/among. They are very similar in meaning, but it cannot be said that they mean the same thing. Yes, an excuse "between" indicates the location of an object (face) between two other objects (faces). Here's an excuse "among" indicates the location of someone or something among several objects (persons).
His old townhouse is now squeezed between two giant skyscrapers.
His son was spotted among those riotous football fans yesterday.
The next four verbs beside, next to, near, by are interchangeable, which means that all of them can be used to mean “next to”:
I was sitting beside the river.
I was sitting next to the river.
I was sitting near the river.
I was sitting by the river.
The following prepositions are used to describe the location of an object (person) in relation to each other:
In front of- in front, in front
He looked at the dog in front of him and said “Hey, chap.”
Opposite- against
Tom and Emily were standing opposite each other, not daring to break the silence.
Behind- behind, behind
I hid behind the door so as not to be caught red-handed.
English and use prepositions in your speech. Good luck!
