English Grammar Guide for ESL

PREPOSITIONS

On this page: Description, Exercises

Description

Prepositions

Prepositions are small words that show the relationship between people, places, things, actions, and time.

They can tell us about:

  • location

  • direction

  • time

  • origin

  • possession

Examples:

  • I live in Canada.

  • She arrived at 7:00.

  • The book is on the table.

  • This gift is for you.

Common Prepositions

Some common English prepositions are:

  • to

  • at

  • from

  • for

  • between

  • among

  • of

  • in

  • on

  • about

  • with

  • without

  • before

  • after

  • during

  • by

  • toward

  • against

In, At, and On

These prepositions are often used for place and time.

In

Use in with:

  • cities

  • provinces/states

  • countries

  • months

  • years

Examples:

  • I live in Edmonton.

  • She lives in Alberta.

  • They live in Canada.

  • School starts in January.

  • He was born in 1963.

At

Use at with:

  • specific places

  • specific times

Examples:

  • We met at the restaurant.

  • She is at school.

  • He is at my house.

  • The class starts at 7:00 PM.

On

Use on with:

  • streets

  • buses, trains, planes, and other forms of transportation

  • television and radio

  • days of the week

Examples:

  • I met her on the bus.

  • I saw it on TV.

  • We talked on the radio.

  • I will see you on Sunday.

  • They live on Main Street.

For and Since

For

Use for to show a period of time (duration).

Examples:

  • I worked for eight hours.

  • She studied for two weeks.

Since

Use since to show the starting point of an action.

Examples:

  • I have been working since this morning.

  • They have lived here since 2020.

From and Of

From

Use from to show where something comes from (origin).

Examples:

  • I took it from the car.

  • She comes from France.

  • This letter is from my friend.

Of

Use of to show possession or a part-whole relationship.

Examples:

  • A friend of mine called me.

  • The front of the house is blue.

  • The cover of the book is damaged.

Common Mistake: Could Of

Do not use of after modal verbs.

❌ I could of done that.
✅ I could have done that.

❌ She should of called.
✅ She should have called.

❌ They would of helped.
✅ They would have helped.

Special Expressions

Remember these common expressions:

✅ in the morning
✅ in the afternoon
✅ in the evening
✅ at night

Examples:

  • I study in the morning.

  • We usually watch TV at night.

Remember

  • Use in for cities, countries, months, and years.

  • Use at for specific places and times.

  • Use on for days, streets, and transportation.

  • Use for to show duration.

  • Use since to show a starting point.

  • Use from for origin.

  • Use of for possession and part-whole relationships.

  • Write could have, not could of.

Exercises

Choose the correct form:

She lives (in, on, at) Canada.
We will meet (at, in, on) 7:30 p.m.
My birthday is (in, on, at) July.
I usually stay home (on, in, at) Sundays.
The children are playing (in, on, at) the park.
He has worked here (since, for, during) 2022.
They stayed in Spain (for, since, from) two weeks.
She comes (from, of, at) Brazil.
The picture is (on, in, at) the wall.
We had coffee (at, in, on) the airport.
The keys are (in, on, at) my bag.
I will see you (on, at, in) Monday.
He walked (to, at, from) school this morning.
We always have dinner (at, in, on) night.
This gift is (for, to, from) my sister.

Translate the following and look up the answer in a dictionary (French answers provided):

between .
without .
with .
toward .
behind .
during .
since .
under .
underneath .
according to .
as for .
approximately .
about .
beside .
before .
after .
until .
among .
against .
in front of .

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