The most popular prepositions in English. Common prepositions and how they are used

What I love about English prepositions is the ability to completely change the meaning of the main word with the help of one such small word. It was "look" look at), and it became:

. "search" ( look for)
. "to have an opinion" ( look upon)
. "take care" ( look after)
. "forgive" ( look over)
. "track" ( look to).

Juggling with English prepositions is aerobatics. If you learn this art, you will enrich your vocabulary and cause a roar of approval with your speech.

Many English learners treat prepositions with some arrogance, believing that this is like a student repeating the English alphabet at night. Underestimated. But in vain. Yes, prepositions are considered official, they do not answer any questions, but they allow you to get different meanings from the same verb, form cases (yes, the same ones that are in Russian) and do other interesting things. There is only one problem: there are MANY prepositions in English. But this does not mean that you need to learn them all right here and now. It is enough to know the basic ones, as well as to understand the division into groups.

Let's not waste time on the fact that prepositions are simple monosyllabic, polysyllabic, consisting of several words, blah blah blah. Let's get straight to the point and provide not only tables of prepositions in English, but also illustrative examples in pictures. We will also consider the use of prepositions with examples.

1. Prepositions of place and direction (spatial)

2. Prepositions are temporary

Consider the most basic ones: about, after, at, during, for, in, on, till, within.

about	about (approximately, approximately)	It's about 6 p.m. (Now around 6pm)
after	after	Summer comes after spring. (Summer comes after spring)
at	in	Let's meet at 10 a.m. (Meet me at 10 am)
during	during	She was sleeping during the whole lesson. (She slept during the whole lesson)
for	during	He laughed for 5 minutes. (He laughed for 5 minutes)
in	through	I'll be home in 10 minutes. (I'll be home in 10 minutes)
on	on	I usually go shopping on Fridays. (I usually go shopping on Fridays)
till	before	I won't go shopping till Sunday. (I won't go shopping until Sunday)
within	during, for	You must do it within a month. (You must do it in a month)

3. Causal prepositions

because of- because;
on account of- due to, due to;
thanks to- thanks to;
in accordance with- according to, in accordance with.

As you can see, the same preposition can be in different groups (for example, in or on are both temporal and spatial). Moreover, if you open any dictionary (well, at least the same Yandex) and select any preposition, you will be surprised by the number of values. Let's say the most commonly used English preposition is to can have 13 values (do not be lazy, take a look).

Let's talk a little about the nuances before suggesting that you go into battle section "tests", where the first linguistic tests for knowledge of prepositions await you.

SUGGESTIONS SING IT!

Yes, yes, just sing or even read. Once you're familiar with the basic prepositions, try out Eminem, Timati, or any rapper you like. Not enough ideas for the text yet? Mix suggestions! Knowing small and remote prepositions is very cool. Check it out by watching the video and feel like a rising rap star.

ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS AND RUSSIAN CASES. We remember the second class.

Genitive case (of whom? What?) - preposition of
Show me the plan of the house.

Dative case (to whom? What?) - preposition to
Give it to me.

Accusative case (whom? what?) - without a preposition
Give me a pen.

Instrumental case (by whom? What?) - preposition with
She was cutting the letter with scissors.

Prepositional case (about whom? about what?) - preposition about
Don't speak about me.

PLACE OF THE PROPOSITION IN THE SENTENCE

Every pretext know your place!

In general, the preposition is supposed to be placed BEFORE the noun or pronoun (if the noun has an article or a definition, then it cannot be broken)

Put the book onthetable.
Give it to me.
The shop is behind the green house.
You must do it with in two months.

In interrogative sentences (which begin with what, where, etc.), the preposition is placed at the end:

What city do you live in?
Who are you waiting for?

The remaining cases are associated with the use of prepositions in subordinate clauses, passive constructions. All this will be more relevant to study in the "Syntax" section.

It is very useful to learn tablets where the preposition has already grown together with a certain noun. Useful for everyday communication.

by	By mistake By accident By chance By the way By bus/train/car Day by day step by step	by mistake accidentally by chance by the way by bus/train/car day after day step by step
for	For a walk/dance/drink/swim For breakfast/dinner	go for a walk/dance/drink/swim for breakfast/lunch
in	In fact In case In the future In love In time In the morning/evening/afternoon	in fact when in future in love in time morning/evening/afternoon
on	On-television On holiday/ a trip on foot	on TV on vacation / on a trip on foot
at	At home/work At night At present	at home/at work at night now

By the way, about the last three prepositions. They won a special place under the sun and formed their own caste - prepositions of place. Why it is necessary to collect a dossier on them no less than on a counterintelligence agent, the specially dedicated to them will tell and prove.

Just valuable advice: since it is impossible (and not necessary) to learn ALL prepositions at the first time of learning, when you write out the next new verb from the dictionary, mark yourself at least 2 options with different prepositions.

For example:

Put- put
Put on- to bet on (smth., smth.)
Put across- deceive

When it becomes a habit, you will one day be happy to find that the use of the verb comes out masterfully: in different meanings according to the situation. This will decorate your speech and get rid of any pauses and “mmm”, “uh”, “aah”. In the meantime, the problem exists, then you need to solve it, starting with passing a thematic test about prepositions.

Have you sorted the predogs into shelves in your head? There are spots even on the Sun, so we suggest once again (which is not superfluous at all) to go through the pretexts by watching a video tutorial on the topic. After watching and several years of practice, you can safely assign yourself the honorary title of "guru".

Prepositions in English are an official part of speech. They reflect temporal, spatial, causal or other types of relationships between two significant words. In Russian, cases are used for these purposes, while in English, word order and prepositions are used to build constructions. You should learn the rules for using prepositions in English in order to correctly compose sentences.

All English prepositions can be divided into:

Simple or simple;
Compound or complex;
Derived or production;
Composite or composite.

The form Simple has an overwhelming number of prepositions. These include, for example, against (against, from, on, to, under), the preposition in (in, for, on, on, at), about (about, about, on, about, about).

Compound include several components. These include whereupon (after which, as a result of which), within (in, inside).

Derived come from words of other parts of speech. These include, for example, concerning (about, by).

Composite uses when forming a phrase. They consist of a word from a different part of speech and one or two prepositions. These include, for example, because of (due to, due to), with regard to (in relation to). Any element from a compound preposition cannot be reduced or expanded - it is a single whole unit. The value of the Composite is directly dependent on the significant word that is part of it.

Adverbs and prepositions in English

Some English prepositions are spelled the same as adverbs. You can distinguish them from each other only by the role they play in the design. Adverbs carry their own meaning and in some cases define the verb. In addition, adverbs, as a rule, are logically stressed. Prepositions only reflect the relationship between significant parts of speech.

To better understand the difference, consider an example:

The guests were led above. The guests were taken upstairs. In this case, above is an adverb because it has its own meaning and answers the question “where?”.

There is only clear sky above me. “There is only clear skies above me. In this case, above is used as a preposition, as it expresses the spatial relationship between 2 words.

grammatical meaning

As mentioned above, in English, prepositions are used instead of cases. In this case, they are not translated, and the noun to which the preposition refers is put in the necessary case.

Preposition of- corresponds to the genitive case (“whom? what?”). For example, This is the hat of Mr. brown. This is Mr Brown's hat.

Preposition to- corresponds to the dative case ("to whom? to what?"). For example, You should give such a difficult task to a more experienced specialist. - You should give such a difficult task to a more experienced specialist.

Preposition by answers the questions "by whom? how?". This is the agentive instrumental. Nouns that are used in conjunction with this preposition are used to describe the actor or force that performs the action. For example, This book is written by a famous journalist. — This book is written by a famous journalist.

Preposition with answers the question "what?". This is an instrumental instrumental case. The noun with which this preposition is used characterizes the instrument of action. For example, Such toys are cut with a knife. These toys are cut with a knife.

Preposition about- corresponds to the prepositional case (“about whom? about what?”). For example, Anna likes stories about spies. Anna likes stories about spies.

The meaning of prepositions

Some English prepositions have several meanings, these include the preposition in, to, at. And others, on the contrary, only one, for example, till, among.

However, the same verbs in combination with different prepositions have different meanings. For example, take the suggestion to before verbs in English: to look for - “search” and to look after - “look after”.

Prepositions can have the following meanings, presented in the table below:

Used values	Construction in English	Translation
Separation relation	to tell something from something	distinguish something from something
Meaning of the course of action	in a positive way	optimistic
Similarity relation	You are like me.	You look like me.
Goals	I did it just for entertainment.	I did it just for fun.
The meaning of relativity	He is very smart for a kid.	He is very smart for a child.
Temporary relationship	after sunrise	after dawn
relationship relationship	to take part in the contest	to take part in the competition
causal relationship	dislike someone for being a coward	not loving someone because of their cowardice
Attitude to the field of activity	But I sing terrible!!	But I sing terribly!
Spatial relationships, including the meaning of movement	up the stream	upstream
Object relation (what the action is aimed at)	shout at somebody	yell at someone
Concession value	in spite of bad weather	despite bad weather
Origin, material	A table made of glass.	Glass table.
Relations corresponding to instrumental case in Russian. A noun with the preposition by is used to describe an actor or force, with the preposition with an instrument of action	Such kind of painting must be executed with a thin brush. This project was developed by one of our managers.	This type of painting is done with a thin brush. This project was developed by one of our managers.
The meaning of belonging to or part of something	a decline in sales	decline in sales
Definition value	people under threat	people are at risk

Where should a preposition be in a sentence?

As a rule, a preposition that expresses the relationship between 2 words stands between them.

For example: He plans to return in October. He plans to return in October.

If there are one or more adjectives, the preposition is placed before them. This is the basic rule for how adjectives are used with prepositions:

For example: She is sitting under a big old apple tree. She is sitting under an old big apple tree.

However, there are exceptions to this rule:

Special questions when the preposition is at the end of the sentence. For example, Who am I supposed to send it to? Who should I send this to? But some want to put a preposition before a question word. This is necessary to give the design a more formal sound. For example, To whom am I supposed to send it? Who should I send this to? Both of these options are correct.
In subordinate clauses with prepositions and in sentences that begin with relative and allied pronouns. For example, What I'm really surprised about is this nasty weather. “What I'm really surprised about is this terrible weather.
in passive structures. For example, This problem must be taken care of. – This problem needs to be solved.
In exclamatory sentences. For example, What a terrible thing to brag about! What a terrible thing to brag about!
In some constructions with gerudium or infinitive. For example, He is impossible to work with. - It's impossible to work with him. It's a too noisy place to live in. It's too noisy a place to live here.

Prepositions in English are quite easy to remember, and the rules of use are clear to everyone.

Common prepositions and how they are used

Below we will consider the most common prepositions and the meaning in which they should be used.

The first meaning of the preposition is place. For example, Jack is at school now. Jack is at school now.

The preposition at, used in English, can mean time. For example, We will be back at 5 p.m. We will return at 5 pm.

The preposition on can be used to indicate a place. For example, I love fresh snow on the ground. I love fresh snow on the ground.

Used to indicate time. For example, They forecast sunny weather on Tuesday. Sunny weather is forecast for Tuesday.

And also for on in English will be used to indicate the scope of activity. For example, After a short speech on modern ecology problems Mr. Litz answered several questions. – After a short speech on the topic of modern environmental problems, Mr. Litz answered a few questions.

It belongs to the group "prepositions of place". For example, I saw the remote in my room. I saw the TV remote control in my room.

Also, the preposition can mean a geographical location, but unlike at, which indicates a point on the map, in in English is used when talking about a large area with houses and streets.

For comparison:

We had a change of plane at Budapest on our way to Roma. – On the way to Rome, we had a change in Budapest.

Pete lives in New York. Pete lives in New York.

It is advisable to use these prepositions in English to indicate time. It is worth noting that in means a somewhat extended time period. For example, Gorky park is so beautiful in October. – Gorky Park is so beautiful in October. Here it is worth drawing a parallel with at, denoting a specific moment in time. For example, We leave at 6 o'clock. We leave at 6 o'clock.

The use of this preposition is useful when it is necessary to indicate the topic of conversation. For example, I would like to tell you about the harm of smoking. I would like to tell you about the dangers of smoking.

And also to indicate the direction or place where you should move. For example: Walk about the square and meet me in 10 minutes. – Walk around the square and meet me in 10 minutes.

If a rough estimate is given, this preposition is also used. For example, It must be about 2 o'clock. It should be about 2 o'clock by now.

This preposition conveys the meaning "above or above". For example, Our neighbor above is so loud. Our upstairs neighbor is so loud.

Its second meaning is “more than and above”. For example, Above 2000 visitors took part in the expo. – More than 2000 visitors took part in the exhibition.

This preposition is the opposite of Above and means "below, under". For example, I love flying on airplanes and seeing only clouds below me. - I like to fly on planes and see only clouds below me.

The preposition is used when talking about time in the meaning of "after". For example, After we finish packing the furniture it must be loaded on the truck. – After we finish packing the furniture, it will need to be loaded onto a truck.

It also belongs to the group "prepositions of place" and is used in the meaning of "behind something or someone." For example, Don't run, the dogs will run after us. Don't run or the dogs will run after us.

The preposition is the antonym of After and serves to denote time in English in the sense of "before, before", for example, You must tell me a tale before I go to sleep. Before I go to bed, you must tell me a story. And also to indicate a place in the meaning of "before", for example, You keep stopping before each shop window. “You always stop in front of every shop window.

A preposition that corresponds to the active force or person. In other words, it plays the role of the agentive instrumental in Russian. For example, This violin was made by a famous master. This violin was made by a famous master.

It can mean a period after which some action must be performed. For example, The plane will land by midnight. The plane will land before midnight.

The preposition is also used when talking about the way or means of doing some work. For example, I've started my business by selling oranges. I started my business by selling oranges.

In addition, the preposition can mean a place in the meaning of "near, at, near." For example, I know a lovely place by the lake nearby. I know a wonderful place near the lake nearby.

The preposition for is used in the sense of "for" when talking about a goal. For example, We've decorated the room for your return! We have decorated the room for your return!

Used when talking about compensation or price. For example, You did not even thank us for all our help. “You didn't even thank us for all our help. You must pay for the dinner in Euros. You must pay for lunch in euros.

A preposition is used when talking about a reason. For example, You were fired for always coming late. You were fired for being constantly late.

When talking about time in the meaning of "during". For example, I was on vacation for the last 2 weeks.- I spent the last 2 weeks on vacation.

The preposition is used when talking about an object in favor of which a certain action was performed. For example, I voted for another candidate. I voted for another candidate.

This preposition belongs to the group called “prepositions of movement in English”. It is used when talking about the direction of action in the sense of "from whom or from where." For example, I did not hear from him for 8 years. I haven't heard anything about him for the last 8 years.

It is also possible to use this preposition when it comes to the starting moment of performing an action. For example, This bank is working from 10 to 16. - This bank is open from 10 am to 4 pm.

This preposition acts as a genitive case, answers the questions “who? what?" and is not translated into Russian. For example, This is the dictionary of our teacher. This is our teacher's dictionary.

In addition, a preposition can single out one object from a group. For example, One of your children has broken my window. One of your children broke my window.

It is also suitable for use when talking about materials. For example, Such huts are made of clay. These huts are built of clay.

This preposition corresponds to the dative case in Russian and can mean direction. For example, Throw the ball to me! - Throw me a ball!

We have analyzed the rules and the use of basic English prepositions. To consolidate the material, you should independently compose several sentences with each preposition. In this way, one can learn to accurately use and arrange prepositions.

Today is just a world cheat sheet, friends. Another valuable find from DuoLingo.com. Thanks to the author for this valuable work.

Due to the fact that many prepositions in English are used differently than in Russian. The topic of prepositions is a sore point for almost all students.

This collection covers almost all usage rules with specific examples. The table is structured in such a way that you can use it to make your own sentences, guided by it as a reference. Brilliant! Personally, I will return to this table more than once, because. I'm not sure that even native speakers know all the rules outlined in it.

It is with great pleasure that I share this wealth with you, friends.

Practical part:
Prepositions, like phrasal verbs and idioms, need to be memorized not separately, but in conjunction with a specific verb. So act like I already do. Make 5-10 sentences with several different prepositions and work with them (with one group of prepositions) for a week. Speak each of the sentences in the past, present and future tense, build a question and a negative. Why this is so - you will kill two birds with one stone, tighten up prepositions and train yourself to use tenses correctly in speech, build questions and negatives on the fly.

Complete table of English prepositions with examples

That's all for me, friends.

Save this guide to your wall, share with friends. If you liked the release, I will be glad to your likes and reposts.

See you later,
Alex Ch.

One of the most important and at the same time difficult topics in English is the study of prepositions. It is not surprising that in foreign schools for the study of English, the topic - prepositions in english, ranks first in terms of the number of hours allocated for its study.

Even without a general knowledge of the topic of prepositions, it will be difficult for you to speak on the simplest everyday topic with native speakers. In order not to get confused in terms, remember that the concept - preposition in English means - a preposition. This is the topic we are going to study now.

So, let's begin!

Prepositions call service words that show the connection (relation) of nouns or pronouns with other words:

I need answer her at 10 o "clock - I need to answer her in 10 hours.

He began by beheading the king He started With king's beheading

they came from Dol Guldur- They came from Dol Guldur.

Prepositions are a part of speech have no independent function and are not part of the proposal. In Russian, in addition to prepositions, case endings are used, but as we know, English has practically no case endings.

In fact, the use of prepositions in English is the most important way of expressing the relationship of a noun to other words in a sentence.

Prepositions express:

1) Relationships in space:

On the wall- on the wall

In the garden in garden

2) space time:

In June- in July

At 10 o'clock - in 10 hours

3) Various abstract meanings: causes, goals, etc.:

They prayed fo r her life- They prayed per her life.

Types of prepositions

Prepositions can be classified:

1) according to the form of education on:

a) Simple

Simple prepositions in English consist of only one root:

at, in, for, on, with

b) Derivatives

Prepositions that contain suffixes and prefixes

across, below, behind, along

c) Complex

These are prepositions that have several roots.

inside, without, outside, within

d) Composite

Such prepositions consist of several words.

Because of, in accordance with, in front of

2) depending on their meaning for prepositions:

· Locations ( Place) - in, on, below, under, near, in front of

· Directions(Direction) – to, from, out of, into, in

· time(time) - after, before, at

· abstract relations(abstract relations) - by, with, because of, with a view to

In English, there is a category of prepositions that perform only a grammatical function, i.e. in combination with a noun or pronoun, they convey relations (It is new roof of our house is a new roof ( what?) of our house). In Russian, such an attitude is conveyed by indirect cases without prepositions.

Remember!! the use of prepositions in English in this sense means that they lose their lexical meaning and, accordingly, are not translated into Russian in separate words.

Here are the suggestions:

Genitive case (of whom? What?) - of

1) The preposition of, showing the belonging of an object or person to something. Represents a relationship between two nouns. In this sense, the combination of the preposition of with a noun or pronoun is equivalent to the genitive case in Russian:

the door of the car was broken Door ( what?) car was broken

Our name will be written at the first pages of the books- Our names will be inscribed on the first pages ( what?) books

Dative case (to whom? What?) - to

2) The preposition to before the noun and conveying the relation, in which the object (person) to whom the action is directed is designated. In Russian, this relation is expressed in the dative case (to whom? To what?)

She explained our plan to the manager- She explained our plan to whom?) manager

He showed the note to Jane- He showed a note to whom?) Jane.

Instrumental case - by whom? how? - with

3) The preposition by, if it is after the verb in the form of a passive voice before a noun, which denotes a person and an object. The preposition by in this case is equivalent to the relation, which in Russian is denoted by the instrumental case

The room was cleaned by maid- The room has been cleaned by whom?) maid

Instrumental case (by whom? by what?) - with

4) The preposition with, being in front of the entity, which denotes the object or instrument of action with which the action is performed. In this sense, the preposition with is equivalent to a Russian noun or pronoun in the instrumental case:

His wound was treated with hydrogen peroxide- The wound was treated how?) hydrogen peroxide.

Most prepositions may have more than one, and multiple values(The meanings of each of the prepositions will be discussed in more detail in the relevant sections). For example, the preposition at - can mean:

1) a place with a value of y, about

I saw your bag at window- I saw your bag at window

2) time with value in, when specifying the moment of time

The meeting will be at 9 o'clock - The meeting will take place at 9 a.m.

In English, in many cases, the choice of preposition depends only on the word(verb, noun, adjective), which preceded the proposal.

For example, the verb to laugh (to laugh). After it, the preposition at is needed:

Our enemies will be laugh at us- Our enemies will laugh at us

In some cases, one specific verb can have a different meaning if different prepositions are used:

Sara is looking at her cat- Sarah look at your cat

Sara is looking for her cat- Sarah looking for your cat

Saar is looking after her cat- Sarah takes care of to your cat

Prepositions are also used in stable combinations: after all - in the end, at all - in general, to the end - to the end

There is no 100% correspondence between Russian and English prepositions. This means that one English preposition can be translated into Russian by various Russian prepositions:

She will be here in two minutes - she will be here through two minutes

We've been living in USA since 2013 – we live in USA since 2013

Our company will make new branches in 1 year- our company will build new branches per 1 year.

I got a lot of tips for growing my business in one month - i learned a lot of tips for growing my business in one month

On the other hand, one Russian preposition can correspond to different prepositions in English:

I could not pick up the box because something was heavy on it- I couldn't lift the box because on the she had something hard

Hey! Why are looking at me? - Hey! Why are you look at me

I really want to go to trip- I really want to go in travel

The great battles were in the south- On the there were great battles in the south

There are cases when an English verb is used exclusively with a preposition, although the same verb in Russian does not require a preposition after itself:

Can you wait for me 5 minutes can you wait for me 5 minutes?

Listen to us - listen to us

In English there are verbs that do not require a preposition, while in Russian a preposition is required after the corresponding verb:

We entered the White House we entered in White House

James followed us James followed per us

He did not answer all questions he did not answer either on the one question

These rules of prepositions in English are the most common and learning them will allow you to speak confidently with foreigners.

Place of a preposition in a sentence

1) A preposition always comes before a noun or pronoun (there are exceptions, which we will consider later). Accordingly, if the noun has an object, then the preposition is placed before this object:

I am looking at my cat- I look on the my cat

I am looking at my fat cat I look on the my fat cat

But the exception mentioned above: the preposition is placed at the end of the sentence - after the verb, or if there is an addition - after the addition in the following cases:

1) In the so-called indirect and direct questions. In such questions, the preposition refers to the pronouns which, who, what, whom, or the adverb where. But also a preposition, can stand before a question word:

What did you look for when selecting a girlfriend? - what do you look for (what do you pay attention to) when choosing a girlfriend?

Who did Monica speak to? - Who was Monica talking to?

2) In subordinate attributive sentences. In such sentences, the preposition refers to the relative pronoun. However, a preposition can also be placed before a relative pronoun:

The flat which she lives in is very small (The flat in which she lives is very small) Flat, in where she lives, very small

3) In passive turns (passive). In such turns, the subject corresponds to the prepositional indirect object of the parallel real turn:

The police was sent for - Per police sent

4) In infinitive turns:

i don't have photo camera to photograph with - I don't have a camera that I can take pictures with

So the theory ended there. As you can see, the correct use of prepositions in English requires knowledge of not only the rules, but also vocabulary replenishment. After all, prepositions are used in stable phrases that just need to be learned. This can take a long time, but the use of prepositions in English is the most important topic that will help you achieve the result.