Grammar Notes

1. Prepositions

Prepositions of Time : at, on, in, for and since

We use at to designate specific times.

• The train is due at 12:15 p.m.

We use on to designate days and dates.

• My brother is coming on Monday.
• We're having a party on the Fourth of July.

We use in for nonspecific times during a day, a month, a season, or a year.

• She likes to jog in the morning.
• It's too cold in winter to run outside.
• He started the job in 1971.
• He's going to quit in August.

We use for when we measure time (seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years).

• He held his breath for seven minutes.
• She's lived there for seven years.
• The British and Irish have been quarreling for seven centuries.

We use since with a specific date or time.

• He's worked here since 1970.
• She's been sitting in the waiting room since two-thirty.

Prepositions of Place : at, on, and in

We use at for specific addresses.

• Grammar English lives at 55 Boretz Road in Durham.

We use on to designate names of streets, avenues, etc.

• Her house is on Boretz Road.

And we use in for the names of land-areas (towns, counties, states, countries, and continents).

• She lives in Durham.
• Durham is in Windham County.
• Windham County is in Connecticut.

Prepositions of Location : in, at, and on and No Preposition

* You may sometimes use different prepositions for these locations.

Prepositions of Movement : to and No Preposition

We use to in order to express movement towards a place.

• They were driving to work together.
• She's going to the dentist's office this morning.

With the words home, downtown, uptown, inside, outside, downstairs, upstairs, we use no preposition.

• Grandma went upstairs.
• Grandpa went home.
• They both went outside.

2. Prepositional Phrases

• Some nouns, adjectives or verbs tend to appear together with a particular preposition.

NOUNS and PREPOSITIONS

Examples :

(a) You need the approval of the Council to change the policy.

(b) There's still confusion about the number of victims in the fire.

(c) What's your interest in the company?

(d) What's the reason for writing the letter?

(e) You have little understanding of the problem.

ADJECTIVES and PREPOSITIONS

Examples :

(a) Johnny is afraid of dogs.

(b) No one is capable of working more than 15 hours a day.

(c) I am aware of the difficulties you face in your work.

(d) She is angry at the person who has stolen her new bike.

(e) Peter is quite familiar with Kowloon Tong. He goes there everyday.

VERBS and PREPOSITIONS

Examples :

(a) I apologize for stepping on your foot.

(b) Mrs Collins asked about his health.

(c) That file belongs to me.

(d) I won't tell you; you must find out for yourself.

(e) I look forward to hearing from you soon.