Prepositions of Cause, Reason or Purpose / Prepositions of agent/manner / Prepositions of source / Prepositions of measurement/standard/value / Prepositions of possession
Prepositions are words or 'groups' of words used in front of nouns and pronouns to tell us about the relationship between things.
He put his cards on the table
'On' is a preposition. In, at, from, near, of, around, behind and over are more examples of prepositions.
It is often argued the fundamental and most important prepositions in English are In, On and At, especially as they can indicate a relationship to time and place.
The word preposition literally means something that is placed before and they are normally placed before nouns or pronouns. The role they play is to demonstrate where one thing is in relation to another. Some expressions can be used as prepositions and are often called complex prepositions.
Fundamental Prepositions
Prepositions of Time
Prepositions of time show the relationship between two ideas in reference to time. As a general understanding, they work in one of the following ways:
to indicate an unspecified amount of time (e.g in)
to indicate a specific time (e.g. at)
to indicate a specific date (e.g. on)
to indicate a span of time (e.g. from... to...)
to indicate something takes place prior to something else (e.g. before)
to indicate something happening while something else is also happening (e.g. during)
The three fundamental prepositions of time in English are: in, at and on
In
​years | They were married in 1977 |
months | My birthday is in May |
decades | I was a teenager in the 90s |
centuries | This happened in the 20th century |
seasons | I was able to study in the summer |
periods of the day: morning/afternoon/evening | We have breakfast in the morning |
At
times | I will finish work at 6:00 o'clock |
holiday periods | I will see my family at Christmas |
at night | I do my best work at night |
at the weekend | They like to go hiking at the weekend |
at lunchtime/dinnertime/breakfast time | Daddy normally comes home at dinnertime |
On
Days | We will see you on Monday |
Days + period | There is a staff meeting on Monday morning |
Dates | The holidays start on the 20th of July |
An article on the use of in, at and on as prepositions of place and time can be found here.
No prepositions
Some expressions are used with NO prepositions:
next week/month/year etc | ​ |
last night/week/month/year | ​ |
this morning/week/month/year | ​ |
every day/night/week/month/year | ​ |
today/tomorrow/yesterday | ​ |
Prepositions of Place
There are three fundamental prepositions of place in English: at, in & on:
AT - We use at when something as a specific point or location:
at the airport | at the top |
at university | at the bottom |
at the hospital | at the front/back |
at school | at the table |
at the window | at the cinema |
at the traffic lights | at the piano |
at the train station | at the match |
at the pub | at the door |
IN - We use in when something is contained inside something else, with barriers or frontiers. This can be a physical or abstract enclosure:
in a field | in the classroom |
in a cup | in Zaragoza |
in the sea | in a/the river |
in England | in the car |
in bed | in a magazine |
ON - We use on to refer to something on a line or surface:
on the wall | on the table |
on the page | on a chair |
on the plate | on a sofa |
on my face | on the river |
on a bike | on the screen |
An article on the use of in, at and on as prepositions of place and time can be found here.
Prepositions of Movement
Prepositions of movement (or sometimes called prepositions of direction) show movement from one place to another. They always describe movement and are normally used with verbs of motion.
The most common preposition of movement is to.
Further Prepositions
Prepositions of Cause, Reason or Purpose
These prepositions are used to provide us the answer to the question why. They give us the reason in a sentence.
To
Usually used to show the purpose of a noun, connecting the noun to a verb.
We use the kettle to boil the water
They ran to catch the bus
My sister would always ask our mum to lend her money
For
Also used to show the purpose of a noun. It usually joins the noun to another noun or an adjective. If it joins the noun to a verb, the gerund form is usually used.
I need good grades for the placement I want
Thank you for doing the washing up
Sit at the table for your dinner
Prepositions of Agency/Manner
Prepositions of manner are all about how something happened. They include on, by, like, with etc.
The most common examples of this type of preposition are by and with.
They are used to connect an activity and the actor, the doing and the doer. Building a connection between the noun and the verb.
Sometimes they may be called Prepositions of Method or Instrument.
By
Most commonly used to show the means or method used to do something:
We went to Glasgow by train
I got home by taxi
It can be used to indicate who is doing an action
Often seen in passive sentences.
The Harry Potter books were written by J.K. Rowling
My favourite shirt was given to me by my mother.
We can also use it to indicate how something is done:
By giving him money, you only encourage him to ask for more.
Did you think you could get the job by lying about your qualifications?
We can also use by to express what caused something to happen not just how something happened
She explained everything to me by email
She gothome by catching the bus
An alternative to by in this form is to use via. This is a little formal and not as common:
He broke up with her via Whatsapp
By is used in different structures, such as: by + noun or by + -ing + noun
With
Usually used to represent the doing of an action. Often called a preposition of instrument.
He ate the soup with a spoon
We cleaned the car with a hose
Can also be used to indicate a person or organisation accompanies the subject doing the action. With is used as follows: with + noun
I was advised to attend the meeting with my lawyer
I used to wash the car with my brother
With can also be used as a preposition of method to show how an action was done:
She showed me how angry she was with a menacing stare
I handled the precious object with care
For
Used for purpose
I made a cake for her birthday
Of
to associate a measure
I would like a pint of beer
Like
to show a similarity
He looks like his father
He eats like a pig!
As
Used to show a role
He works as a teacher