Use of prepositions - Use of prepositions in English

The main three categories of prepositions according to lexical meaning (use):
1. Prepositions of time
2. Prepositions of place
3. Prepositions of direction
In its pure form, there are practically no only prepositions of time, place or direction. The lexical meaning of a preposition directly depends on its position in a sentence, so in most cases the same preposition can have two or more lexical meanings.

Table of prepositions in English

Table of lexical meaning (use) of English prepositions

Pretext	Lexical meaning of preposition		Example	Translation
at [æt]	time	in (in hours and minutes)	He came at 5 o"clock.	He came V five hours.
	place	on, at, around	You can buy the cabbage at the market.	You can buy cabbage on market.
			Let's meet at the car.	Let's meet at/near cars.
on [?n]	time	in (in days and dates)	We will visit Donald on Friday.	We'll visit Donald V Friday.
	place	on	The TV remote control is on the sofa.	The TV remote is lying on sofa
	about any topic	oh oh	I like magazines on fishing.	I love magazines O fishing.
in [?n]	time	in (in months and years); after (after a certain period of time)	Dorothy was born in June.	Dorothy was born V June.
			The examination will start in three hours.	The exam will begin through three hours, three o'clock.
	place	V	Mr. Milton is not in the office at the monent.	At this time Mr Milton is not V office.
to	direction	in, on; to (where?)	They are going to the theatre.	They are coming V theater.
			Philip is walking to work. Note: The word home is used without the preposition to. Philip is going home.	Philip is coming on work. Philip goes home.
			She is coming to his car.	She comes up To your car.
		Without translation	Give this pen to me.	Give me this pen ( to whom?) to me.
into [??ntu?]	direction	in (inside)	We are coming into the flat.	We're coming in V apartment.
from
	direction	from , from , from	My father is coming back from the theatre.	My father is coming back from theater
			Sylvia is coming back from work.	Sylvia returns With work.
			Samuel is coming back from his friends.	Samuel returns from friends.
		from	I have got a reprimand from the chief. I have got a letter from Lewis. What do you want from me?	I was reprimanded from boss I received a letter from Lewis. What do you want from me?
before	place	before, before	Lewis left the room before John.	Lewis left the room before John.
until till [?n?t?l]	time	before	She won't come back till the end of the month.	She won't come back before end of the month.
about [??ba?t]	time	near	Walter returns home at about seven o'clock in the evening.	Walter returns home near seven o'clock in the evening.
	place	about, around	Harry is wandering about the house.	Harry wanders around/near Houses.
		O	We are talking about a new movie.	We are talking O new movie.
for	time	during	Nicole has been learning Spanish for two years.	Nicole is learning Spanish during two years.
	direction	V ; to/without translation	The train left for London one hour ago.	The train has left V London an hour ago.
			My son has gone for a walk.	My son is gone on walk/( Where?) walk.
	dative case in Russian (to whom?, to what?)	for /without translation	I have bought a gift for my girlfriend.	I bought a gift For his girlfriend/( to whom?) to his girlfriend.
of [?v]	genitive case in Russian (whom?, what?)	Without translation	Malcolm was invited for a meeting of ex classmates.	Malcolm was invited to a meeting ( whom?) former classmates.
	prepositional case in Russian (about whom?, about what?)	o	We are talking of a new movie.	We are talking O new movie.
with	instrumental case in Russian (with whom?, with what?)	s/so ; together with/with	My husband is flying to Spain with his colleagues next week.	My husband is flying to Spain with/together with his colleagues next week.
	The action occurs with/with the help of something.	Without translation	I moved the cabinet with my hands.	I moved the closet ( how?/How?) by hand.
	Actions come from/because of something.	from, with	She has turned pale with fear.	She turned pale from/with fear.
			The teacher widely opened his eyes with amazement.	The teacher opened his eyes wide from surprise.
by	place	at /near (with) /near /about	Joseph stood for a while by the door and knocked.	Joseph stood for a while time near/at/near door and knocked.
	instrumental case in Russian (by whom?, what?) This includes cases where an action is performed in a certain way.	Without translation; with/without translation	Recently I have read a book that is written by a very famous writer.	I recently read a book written by a very famous writer.
			Her mother prefers traveling by car.	Her mother prefers to travel on car/( How?) car.
after [???ft?(r)]	time	after	Isabel usually walks after breakfast.	Isabella usually walks after breakfast.
since [s?ns]	time	With	Daniel has been learning Chinese since he graduated from school	Daniel is learning Chinese With graduation.
during [?dj??r??]	time	in continuation, during. The use of this preposition in the lexical meaning of time resembles the preposition for. The difference is that for indicates the duration of an event, while during indicates the period of time during which the action occurred.	Mark was sleeping during the film.	Mark was sleeping during film.
between	place	between	My house is between the grocer and the parking.	My house is located between grocery store and parking.
near nearby / [?n??(r)?ba?]	place	about, near, at	My house is nearby the parking.	My home is near/at /near parking.
in front of [?n fr?nt ?v]	place	in front, opposite, in front	A school bus stopped in front of my house.	The school bus stopped against of my house/ before my home.
behind	place	behind, behind, behind, after	He is behind the door.	He behind the door
			Sharon is walking behind us.	Sharon is coming behind/behind us.
			I am behind the woman in this queue.	I am standing behind woman/ behind women in this line.
across [??kr?s]	place	through	Why is your dog looking across the road so wary?	Why is your dog staring? through the road so warily?
above [??b?v]	place	above, above	There are thousands of dragonflies above our heads.	They fly over our heads thousands dragonflies
			Neighbors above we are Portuguese migrants.	Neighbours above we are migrants from Portugal.
over [???v?(r)]	place	above	Look! Our aircraft is flying over the sea.	Look! Our plane is flying by above by sea!
under [??nd?(r)]	place	under	My dog ​​likes sleeping under the table.	My dog ​​loves to sleep under table
below	place	under, below	Her flat is below Michael's.	Her apartment is located under apartment/below Michael's apartment.
along [??l??]	place	along, along	Anthony is driving along the highway.	Anthony is coming By/along highway.
round around / [??ra?nd]	place	behind, around	Robbers turned round the corner.	The robbers turned the corner.
			Alan is driving around the parking looking for some free place.	Alan rides around parking, looking for free space.
past	place	by	Lewis went past a flower shop and didn't buy flowers.	I passed by flower shop and didn't buy flowers.
through [θru?]	place	through, through	Postman pushed the letter through the door gap.	The postman slipped a letter through/through door crack.
out of	direction	from	Ann has just gone out of the room.	Ann just left from rooms.

As you can see, prepositions in English- It is not so difficult.

This lesson will cover in detail the topic: Using the preposition of to express the genitive case in English.

Theoretical part.

In Russian, in order to express certain relationships between words in a sentence, we use cases. Very often in speech we use the genitive case. To use it in English, you need to use the preposition of.

You can use this preposition with nouns that denote both animate and inanimate objects.

Example:
the roof of that building – the roof of that building.
the wall of the room – the wall of the room.

As you can see, the preposition of comes before a noun with all its determiners.
The theoretical part of this lesson is short and ends here. To make it easier to understand the topic, carefully study the practical part.

Practical part

1) Let's study the lyrics of the song by the German disco group Boney-M - Rasputin (Rasputin).

…He could preach the Bible like a preacher
Full of ecstasy and fire
But he also was the kind of teacher
Women would desire...
Translation:
... He could read the Bible like a real preacher
He was full of ecstasy and fire.
But he was also one of those teachers
Which many women desire...

In this example, pay attention to the second line. Full of ecstasy and fire - full of ecstasy and fire. Full (of what?) – genitive case.

2) Consider the lyrics of the song by American musician Ben Moody - Wishing Well.

…Enforce the years of hatred
For everything I know to be
The part of me…
Translation:
...All the years of hatred
For everything I know they will be forced
Be a part of me...

In this example, the preposition of is contained in the third line. The part of me - part (who?) of me.

3) Let's turn to the words of the song by the American hip-hop group The Black Eyed Peas - Don't Lie (Don't lie).

… I admit that I have been a little immature
Fucking with your heart like I was the predator
In my book of lies I was the editor
And the author…
Translation:
...I agree that I was a little inexperienced
And played with your heart like a predator
In my book of lies I was the editor
And by the author...

In this example, the preposition of is contained in the third line: In my book of lies - in my book of (what?) lies.

4) Let's study the lyrics of the song by the German group Helloween - I Want Out (I want to break out).

… There's a million ways to see the things in life
A million ways to be the fool
In the end of it, none of us is right
Sometimes we need to be alone…
Translation:
…There are many ways to perceive things in life
Many ways to be stupid
At the end of this, none of us will be right
Sometimes we need to be alone...

In this example, the preposition of is contained in the combination In the end of it - at the end (of what?) of this.

5) The last example is based on the lyrics of the song We Are The Fallen - I Am Only One.

…I"m on my own here and
No one's left to be the hero of
This fairy tale gone wrong…
Translation:
...I'm here alone and
There's no one left to be a hero
This fairy tale that ended...

In these lines the preposition of is contained in the following combination: the hero of this fairy tale - the hero of this fairy tale.

This is where the practical part ends, repeat the theory again and remember the rule. Listen to your favorite songs and repeat the necessary rules. Combine business with pleasure.

From this lesson you need to remember the following words:

roof - roof, roofing
Bible ["baib(ə)l] - Bible
wall - wall
preacher ["pri"tʃə] - preacher
full - complete
desire - (passionate) desire
ecstasy ["ekstəsi] - ecstasy, frenzied delight
also ["ɔ:lsəu] - also
well - well
enforce - force, force (to do something), force
hatred ["feitrid] - hatred
to lie - to lie, to deceive
to admit - admit, agree
immature - immature
predator ["predətə] - predator
editor ["editə] - editor
author ["ɔ:θə] - author
fairy tale - fairy tale
right - right

Why I love English prepositions is the ability to completely change the meaning of the main word with the help of one small word. It was "watch" ( 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 English prepositions is aerobatics. If you learn this art, you will enrich your vocabulary and create a buzz of approval with your speech.

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

Let’s not waste time on the fact that prepositions can be 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 visual examples in pictures. We will also look at the use of prepositions using examples.

1. Prepositions of place and direction (spatial)

2. Prepositions are temporary

Let's look at the most basic ones: about, after, at, during, for, in, on, till, within.

about	about (approximately, approximately)	It's about 6 p.m. (It's about 6 pm now)
after	after	Summer comes after spring. (Summer comes after spring)
at	V	Let's meet at 10 a.m. (Meet me at 10 am)
during	during	She was sleeping during the whole lesson. (She slept throughout the 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	By	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 this in a month)

3. Causal prepositions

because of- because;
on account of- as a result, because of;
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 can be both temporal and spatial). Moreover, if you open any dictionary (well, at least Yandex) and select any preposition, you will be surprised by the number of meanings. Let's say the most frequently used English preposition to can have 13 values ​​(don't be lazy, take a look).

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

Sing the prepositions!

Yes, yes, just sing or even read. When you are familiar with the basic prepositions, try yourself in the role of Eminem, Timati or any rapper you like. Still lacking an idea for a text? Mix prepositions! Knowing small and remote prepositions is very cool. Make sure of this by watching the video and feeling like a rising rap star.

ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS AND RUSSIAN CASES. Let's remember the second grade.

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 (who? what?) - without preposition
Give me a pen.

Instrumental case (by whom? with 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 PREPOSITION IN A SENTENCE

Every excuse, know its place!

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

Put the book onthetable.
Give it to me.
The shop is behind 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 and 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 merged with a specific noun. Useful in 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 accidentally 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 during morning/evening/afternoon
on	On television On holiday/a trip On foot	on TV on vacation/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 in 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 will be told and proven by someone specially dedicated to them.

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

For example:

Put- put
Put on- bet on (someone, something)
Put across- deceive

When this becomes a habit, one day you will be pleased to discover 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 all sorts of pauses and “mmm”, “uh”, “ahh”. In the meantime, the problem exists, you need to solve it, starting with passing a thematic test on prepositions.

Have you sorted the predogs into shelves in your head? Even the Sun has spots, so we suggest once again (which is not superfluous) to go through the prepositions by watching a video lesson on the topic. After viewing and several years of practice, you can safely assign yourself the honorary title of “guru”.

One of the first topics with which learning English begins is articles. Unfamiliar and, at first glance, having no analogues in Russian, they force beginning students to frantically abandon their textbooks, and with them their English studies. But are articles really that complicated? Let's focus on one of them and figure out when the article the is used in English.

The main purpose of articles is to provide additional information about the noun. This or that article can show whether the object or person in question is indefinite or definite. In simple words, the article indicates whether it is talking about an abstract (any) or concrete object or person. The article the is responsible for specificity.

The is the definite article in English, which is used for both singular and plural; with both countable and uncountable nouns. Some rules for using the article the have a logical explanation, others must be remembered and taken as an axiom. Let's consider each case separately.

When the article the is used in English:

1. The article the is used if in translation into Russian it can be replaced by a demonstrative pronoun. For example:

• When talking about an object or person that has already been mentioned earlier. Let's compare:

• When all interlocutors know what object or person we are talking about.

1. The article the in English is also used if a noun has a definition that distinguishes it from others.

• When a sentence contains a definition that is expressed by a subordinate clause or phrase.

• When the definition is expressed by an adjective in the superlative degree. Not to be confused with comparative degree.

• When the definition is expressed as an ordinal number.

• When the definition is expressed by a proper name.

The European quality of life is high enough.

The quality of life in Europe is quite high.

• When definitions are used that themselves indicate a specific object or person. These include:

central - central / main	The central idea was hidden in the title of the book. (The main idea of ​​the book was hidden in its title.)
main– main / main	The main rule you must follow is to keep silence. (The main rule you must follow is to remain silent.)
upcoming- upcoming	What is the location of the upcoming show? (Where will the upcoming show be held?)
same- the same / the same	She told me about the same thing over and over again. (She told me the same thing over and over again.)
previous- previous	The previous story was much more interesting. (The previous story was much more interesting.)
last- last	This Is It was supposed to be the last tour of Michael Jackson. (“This Is It” was to be Michael Jackson’s last tour.)

1. The use of the definite article is also necessary if one-of-a-kind items are mentioned.

1. In addition, the article the is used in classifying people and animals. It is worth noting that in the case of classifying people, the adjective becomes a role.

1. The is used in cases where a specific quantity of an uncountable item is spoken of:

1. Particular attention should be paid to the use of the definite article in English with. Articles are not always used when they are mentioned, therefore, in order to determine the need for their use, you need to know a number of rules.

• The article is used if the name of the country (organization) contains the words:

• The definite article is also used in the title:

• Articles are used in titles groups islands and mountain chains. Comparison table:

• The is also used with parts of the world:

The North	North
The South	South
The East	West
The West	East

• As with any rule, there are exceptions that you just have to try to remember. Here are some of them: the Netherlands (Netherlands), the Crimea (Crimea), the Caucasus (Caucasus), the Congo (Congo).

1. The use of the article the is necessary when mentioning an entire nation or using a surname when talking about one specific family:

1. The article the is used in the names of newspapers, magazines, hotels, cinemas and theaters. The article is often used in the names of musical groups.

1. Don’t also forget about stable phrases with the article the:

in the morning/afternoon/evening (morning / afternoon / evening)	We came home at 7 o'clock in the evening. (We came home at 7 pm.)
play the guitar/violin/piano (play guitar/violin/piano)	She plays the piano every day. (She plays the piano every day.)
to the theater/cinema (to theater/cinema)	Let's go to the theater (Let's go to the theater.)
on the one / other hand	On the one hand, this offer is tempting, but on the other (hand), the risk is too great. (On the one hand, the offer is tempting, but on the other hand, the risk is too great.)
to tell the truth - in truth, to be honest	To tell the truth, I didn’t make the presentation. (To be honest, I didn't make a presentation.)

You may initially have some difficulty deciding when to use the article the and when it is not necessary in English. Despite the fact that in practice in most cases you will be understood without using the definite article, its use will not hurt the ears of a native speaker and will make your speech natural. You can also practice and complete exercises on articles offered on our website.

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They act not only as a service part of speech, connecting parts of a sentence with each other, but also as a performer of the role of cases. The preposition of in English is - genitive case indicator. A noun preceded by the preposition of answers the questions of whom? what? The preposition itself is not translated into Russian.

This is the guitar of our grandfather— This is our grandfather's guitar.
We have finished The Big Book of Australian History— We have finished the Big Book of Australian History.
This is the nest of the yellow bird- This is the yellow bird's nest.

Functions of the preposition of

The preposition of is one of the most important prepositions in the English language; it serves many functions. We have compiled for you a list of the main functions of the English preposition of; it can be used when:

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The preposition of will be used when it is necessary to indicate ownership of something or belonging to someone:

Christopher is the owner of the museum fund— Christopher is the owner of the museum fund.
The garden of my neighbor is bigger than mine— My neighbors’ garden is bigger than mine.

The use of of is necessary when talking about one object from a group:

He is one of us- He's one of us.
One of her children has broken Bob’s green hedge— One of her children broke Bob's green hedge.
One of my classmates are owner of the water park now— Now one of my classmates is the owner of a water park.

Of will be used when talking about the material from which something is made:

This beautiful antique amphorae are made of ceramics— These beautiful antique amphorae are made of ceramics.
Such yurts are made of felt— Such yurts are made of felt.
My new coat is made of pure wool— My new raincoat is made of pure wool.

Will be placed when you need to indicate authorship:

The Jungle Book of Rudyard Kipling— The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling.
The Lord of the Rings of John Ronald Reuel Tolkien— The Lord of the Rings by John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.

The possessive and genitive cases are used together in a sentence:

She is a wife of Damon's- She's Damon's wife.
This is a film of Shyamalan's— This is a Shyamalan film.
Is she a worker of your uncle’s?“Is she your uncle’s employee?”

Of will be used when talking about an integral part of something:

The roof of our house is red— The roof of our house is red.
I just saw a big body of water— I just saw a large body of water.
The leg of the bench is broken— The bench leg is broken.

It's about age:

A breathtaking woman of forty— A stunning woman of forty.
A tall gray-haired man of seventy— A tall, gray-haired man of about seventy.
A turtle of ten years— A ten-year-old turtle.

We are talking about structure or content:

I have a big bunch of keys— I have a big bunch of keys.
The structure of our society is complicated— The structure of our society is complex.
You need to have your own collection of coins— You should have your own collection of coins.

We are talking about smell or taste:

I smell of chocolate pie— I smell chocolate cake.
There is a smell of corruption here“It smells like corruption here.”
My favorite smell is a smell of fried mushrooms— My favorite smell is the smell of fried mushrooms.

The use of of is necessary when you need to indicate a title or rank:

Doctor of Paleontology Ross Geller— Doctor of paleontology Ross Geller.
Finally I am Master of Arts- Finally, I am a Master of Arts.
Sigmund Freud was a Doctor of Medicine— Sigmund Freud was a doctor of medicine.

You need to indicate the distance, direction or distance from any point:

We live in the north of London— We live north of London.
You can find your family a mile east of the bay“You can find your family a mile east of the bay.”
She lives to the west of Reykjavik— She lives west of Reykjavik.

You need to indicate the name of the month after the date:

the first of May- may Day
the fourth of November- fourth of November
the seventeenth of March- March seventeenth
the thirty first of December- thirty first of December
the twelfth of September- September 12
the twenty-ninth of July- twenty ninth of July
the thirteenth of August- thirteenth of August

It's about filling something with something:

She is full of anger right now!- She's full of anger right now!
My cup is full of water— My glass is full of water.

We are talking about family, friendly, business and other ties that are expressed by the construction “noun in the common case + of + possessive pronoun in independent form”:

This baby elephant is a friend of this little hippopotamus— This baby elephant is the friend of this little hippopotamus.
Maggy is a friend of our family— Maggie is a friend of our family.
It's no business of yours- It's none of your business.

Video about the preposition of in English: