Prepositions

What do prepositions do? Tell Location: under, above, on, behind Tell Direction: to, toward, around Introduce a Time: in, on, at Tell Purpose: for, about, with Almost always followed by a noun or a pronoun: This present is for you. The book is about George Washington. Their house is around the corner.

Some common prepositions: About, above, across (from), against, along, among, around, at Behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by Down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into Near, of, off, on, onto, outside, over, past Through, to, toward, under, up, with, without

In, On, At … Three Little Words… Three Big Headaches In, on, at + location In (inside) On (on the surface, touching) At (physically present, but not necessarily inside)

What is correct? In, on, or at? ________ room 104 ________ the first floor ________ MiraCosta College ________ Mission Avenue ________ 1831 Mission Avenue ________ Oceanside ________ California ________ the United States ________ North America ________ planet Earth ________ the world ________ work ________ church ________ school ________ home

General rules for In, On, At + location In + A room A city A state A country A continent On + Floor Street At + Buildings Events Address Familiar places (home, school, work)

In, On, At + Time What is correct? In, on, or at? __________ 6 p.m __________ Friday __________ January __________ Friday, Jan. 13 __________ the morning __________ night __________ the evening __________ midnight __________ noon __________ 2006 __________ a few minutes __________ two days __________ the 21st Century __________ the summer __________ the weekend

General rules for In, On, At + location In + length of time Month Year Season Century On + a more specific time At + most specific point in time Clock time Day Date

Tricky ones… What is the correct preposition? I had a funny dream (with, about) you last night. The book was written (for, by) a famous author. I like to talk (in, on) the phone. I am (in bed, on the bed). He is mad (at, about) his girlfriend. She is (in, at) the hopital. I am (in, at) school. Please throw that book (at, to) me.

A word about phrasal verbs A phrasal verb is a verb + a preposition Many are idiomatic expressions Some examples: I put on my shoes. = They put off studying. = We put up with her annoying behavior. = She took off early. = He got stood up by his blind date. = **