PREPOSITIONS

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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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For and Since

For

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

Examples:

• I worked for eight hours.

• She studied for two weeks.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.