PREPOSITION COMBINATION 2 pptx

PREPOSITIONS
1. PREPOSITIONS OF TIME
A. In
• century ( in the twenty-first century)
• decade ( in the 1970s; in the nineties)
• year (in 2007)
• season ( in the summer)
• month ( in July)
• parts of the day ( in the morning; in the afternoon; in the evening)
• the past/ future
• amounts of time ( in/within an hour)
B. On
• date (on September 11)
• day (on Monday; on Sunday morning)
C. At
• time of day (at 9:20)
• night/ midnight/ noon /dawn/dusk/sunrise/sunset/the moment/the same
time/present/ first/last
D. During
 During is used with periods of time
• It snows a lot in Montreal during the winter
• His company grew rapidly during the 1980s
 During is NOT used with dates or days of the week.
E. Until
 Until is used with points of time to indicate that an action continues up to that point
• Helen practiced the piano until noon
• They won’t arrive until tomorrow
F. From …. To/until and between … and
 These phrases are used with starting points and ending points
• From 1990 to/until 1993, Mr. Nolan was in charge of the sales division.
• Between 1990 and 1993, Mr. Nolan was in charge of the sales division.

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G. Since/ For
 Since and for are generally used with a perfect tense
• We've been waiting here since two o'clock.
• The factory has been here since the 1970s.
• We had been talking for a good half hour.
2. PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE
A. In
• the world
• continent (in Asia)
• country ( in China)
• state/province (in California; in Ontario)
• in city ( in Munich)
• building (in the Empire State Building)
• room (in the living room)
B. On
• earth (the origin of life on Earth)
• street ( on Wall Street)
• coast ( on the East Coast)
• floor ( on the second floor)
C. At
• address (at 634 Sutter Street)
• building (at the museum)
• home/school/college/work
D. From … to and between … and
• They're building a new road between Manchester and Sheffield.
• They're building a new road from Manchester to Sheffield.
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3. OTHER COMMON PREPOSITION COMBINATIONS
A. In

• clothes ( in a gray suit)
• language ( written in Vietnamese)
• book ( in the Complete Guide to TOEIC)
• newspaper ( in the International Herald-Tribune)
• magazine ( in Times)
• department ( in the sales department)
• field ( in computer science)
• one’s opinion (in her opinion)
• a car / a taxi (I've left my bag in the car.)
• trouble (I think I'm in trouble with Dad.)
• danger of (The bridge was in danger of collapsing.)
• part (The failure of the project was due in part to his lack of leadership.
• front of (He walked along in front of me, holding the lantern.)
• the middle of (Jo was standing in the middle of the room.)
• the back of (Two men were sitting in the back of the car.)
• the rear (a passenger traveling in the rear of a car)
• line (The kids were standing in line waiting for their teacher.)
• the process of (The company is in the process of moving to new offices.)
B. On
• a vehicle ( on a bus; on a train; on a plane)
• foot (It takes about 30 minutes on foot, or 10 minutes by car.)
• a trip (We were all going on a trip.)
• business (She's in New York this week on business)
• holiday (I'm away on holiday until the 1st of June.)
• sale (These gloves were on sale for only $9.)
• the market (Handguns are freely available on the open market)
• schedule (The majority of holiday flights depart and arrive on schedule.)
• time (Jack was worried about whether he'd be able to get there on time.)
• (the) television/radio (Later that evening we watched it all on television again.)
• the phone (Bridget's on the phone all day long.)

• a farm (Joe had worked on the farm all his life.)
• the other hand (I'd like to eat out, but on the other hand I want to save money.)
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• purpose (Fire investigators believe the fire was set on purpose.)
C. BY
 By is used before a point of time to indicate the latest time. By, in this case, means
“no later than”.
• I will be home by noon.
 By can mean “next to”
• She is standing by her friend.
 By is used after passive verbs to identify the agent of the action.
• This report was written by Peter.
 By is used with means of transportation and communication
• by car/plane/e-mail
Note: in a/my car; on a plane
 Other
• By chance/ hand/ far/check/credit card/ means of
D. With
 With is used to express the idea of accompaniment or ownership
• I went to the restaurant with Andrea.
• The man with the briefcase is the vice-president.
 With is also used to indicate the tool or instrument used to complete something
• He opened the door with his key.
• He paid for the bill with a credit car
E. Without
 Without means “ not having, experiencing or showing something”; “not in the company
of someone” or “not doing the action mentioned”
• They had gone two days without food.
• He found the place without difficulty.
• She spoke without much enthusiasm.

• Don't go without me.
• I don't know what I'd do without you.
• The rest of the group set off without him.
• Don't go out without your coat.
• He left without saying goodbye.
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• You can't make an omelet without breaking eggs.
• Suddenly and without any warning, the army opened fire.
• He had gone out without his parents' permission.
F. Within
 Within can mean “during a particular period of time”
• We should have the test results back within 24 hours.
• He fell sick and died within a matter of weeks.
• Within an hour of our arrival, Caroline was starting to complain.
• Within the space of a year, three of the town's factories have closed down.
 Within can mean “less than a certain distance from a particular place”
• The invading troops came within 50 miles of Paris.
• We live within easy reach of (=close to) the shops.
• Adjust the driver's seat so that all the controls are within reach (=close enough to
touch)
 Within can also mean “ inside the range or limits of something”
• We have to operate within a very tight budget.
• Private security firms have to work strictly within the law.
• You can go anywhere you want within reason (=within reasonable limits)
• He finds it hard to live within his income.
G. Beyond
 Beyond can mean “more or greater than a particular amount, level, or limit”
• More people are choosing to work beyond retirement age.
• Inflation has risen beyond the 5% level.
• Such tasks are far beyond the scope of the average school kid.

• Expensive luxuries that are beyond the reach of ordinary people
 Beyond can be used to say that “something is impossible to do”
• Scott's equipment was damaged beyond repair.
• The town centre had changed beyond all recognition.
• Due to circumstances beyond our control the performance has had to be
cancelled.
• Why Joan ever married such an idiot in the first place is beyond me.
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