PREPOSITIONS
Most controversial prepositions
PREPOSITION USAGE EXAMPLE
IN - Room, building, street, town, - We sleep in our bedroom. We
country. live in Texas.
- Book, paper, etc. - I read about it in Hunger Games.
- Transportation - We are going in a bus to the
- Parts of the day (not specific shopping centre.
times), months, years, seasons. - My cousin was born in 2008/He
reads in the evening.
AT - Next to an object. - Leave my book at the lamp.
- For events. - I will meet you at the football
- Place where you are doing match.
something. (At a point) - We are studying at the library.
- With the time of the day (hours) - I go to English lessons at 9:00.
or with noon, night and midnight. - He often goes for a walk at
night.
ON - Attached. - The clock is on the wall.
- For things that are on the surface - The keys are on the table.
of something. - My mate is on the right side.
- For a certain side. - I live on the first floor.
- For a floor in a house. - I saw it on Twitter.
- For media. - I went to the cinema on Friday.
- With days of the week.
Other prepositions:
• Over/above = por encima
• Below/beneath/under/underneath = debajo
• By/near/next to = cerca (objeto cercano a un punto)
• Between = algo que está entre objetos individuales
• Among = algo que está entre un grupo de cosas o personas no definidas
• Against= contra
• Ahead of = delante de
• Along = a lo largo
• Around = alrededor
• Behind = detrás
• Through = a través de
• Toward = hacia
• Within = dentro de
• About = sobre
Prepositions following verbs (collocations)
About: worry, complain read
- He worries about the exam
- She complained about the housework
- I read about the environment in a magazine
At: arrive (a building or event), smile, look
- She arrived at home at 3:00 p.m
- The little girl smiled at the dog
- She looked at him
From: differ, suffer
- The final project differs from my first idea
- He suffers from dementia
For: search
- They are searching for a file in the laptop
In: occur, result, succeed
- The same problem occurred in the other class
- Remodelling the house resulted in a higher sales price
- She will succeed in doing the exam
Of: approve, consist, smell
- I approve of the idea
- The task consists of grammar
- The air freshener smells of candy
On: concentrate, depend, insist
- She is concentrating on his homework
- They depend on each other
- The teacher insists on following this rule
To: belong, contribute, lead, refer
- Dolphins belong to the family of mammals.
- I hope to contribute to the future research.
- My investigation will lead to a better medicine.
- Please, refer to my previous explanation.
With: (dis)agree, argue, deal
- I (dis)agree with you.
- She argued with his boyfriend.
- They will deal with the situation.
Prepositions following adjectives
- Accustomed to - Familiar with
- Aware of - Grateful for/to
- Beneficial to - Interested in
- (In)capable of - Happy about/for/with
- Characteristic of - Opposed to
- Composed by/to - Proud of
- Different from - Responsible for
- Disappointed in/with - Similar to
- Employed at/by - Sorry about/for
- Essential to - Annoyed about
- Terrified of - Upset about
- Ashamed of - Delighted with/at/by
- Scared of - Bored with/at/by
- Afraid of - Pleased with/at/by
- Jealous of - Good/bad/excellent at/for
- Surprised at/by - Similar to
- Amazed at/by - Different from/to
- Shocked at/by
EXERCISE: AT-FOR-IN-OF-ON-TO-WITH
1. to be excellent __________ something 13.keen __________ going to the cinema
2. he is experienced __________ writing emails 14.sorry __________ having done something wrong
3. ashamed __________ having failed 15.provide her __________ everything she needs
4. concentrate __________ something important 16.responsible __________ employing new workers
5. an answer __________ the question 17.an expert __________ astronomy
6. proud __________ his son 18.fond __________ romantic films
7. famous __________ breath-taking sights 19.congratulate him __________ his success
8. supply the customers __________ the right products 20.interested __________ pursuing a career
9. succeed __________ making a lot of money 21.capable __________ getting to the top
10.similar __________ mine 22.to take pride __________ what you do
11.respected __________ being an honest politician 23.to be short __________ money
12.deal __________ the problem later 24.praise her __________ doing such a good job
25.cooperate __________ the competitor
