Learn English Prepositions: An Introduction for English Language Learners
This course is designed to be simple to learn English for Chinese students.
It includes articles that explain the different parts of speech such as prepositions. Here the different types of preposition of place, preposition of time and others are included.
- listening exercise: Prepositions – Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds by the Beatles
- reading exercise: English reading practice – reading text #1
Prepositions
- A preposition is a word used with a noun (or pronoun).
- It shows how that noun (or pronoun) relates to something else.
- He is in the garden.
- She is fond of music.
where – when – how
- in the book
- after the lesson
- for learning
Prepositions are word that show the relationship between nouns (or pronouns) and other words in a sentence
Normal use
- The cat is in the room
- It is on the mat
- I arrived at 9am
- It is under the table
- He was beside the desk
- Mary is between two statues
- The light is over the table
Other use
- I’m in a good mood
- See you on Monday
- Where are you at?
- He is under performing
- She is beside herself
- I’m between two jobs
- Are you over the moon?
Prepositions of Place
- on
- in
- at
- under
- below
- above
- beside
- near
Prepositions of Movement
Prepositions of movement describe movement such as “through,” “across,” “up,” “down,” “over,” and “around”
- She walked to the store.
- The cat jumped over the fence.
- They ran across the field.
- He climbed up the tree.
- The ball rolled down the hill.
Prepositions can be related to place and / or movement depending on the context of their use.
Prepositions of Time
Prepositions of time are words that tell us when something happens, like “in,” “on,” or “at”
- I have class at 3 pm
- I go to the gym in the morning
- My birthday is on May 20th
Prepositions in Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs are special phrases in English where we combine a verb with a preposition or an adverb – it changes the meaning of the verb
Prepositions of time are words that tell us when something happens, like “in,” “on,” or “at”
- I have class at 3 pm
- I go to the gym in the morning
- My birthday is on May 20th
- Please wake up
- wake up = “to stop sleeping and get out of bed“
- Turn on the computer
- turn on = “to make something start working”
- give up
- get on
- take off
- look after
- Turn off: To deactivate or stop a device.
- Turn up: To arrive or appear.
- Break up: To end a relationship.
- Bring up: To mention or introduce a topic.
- Set up: To establish or arrange something.
- Give in: To surrender or yield.
- Hold on: To wait or keep something for a short time.
- Make up: To create a story or compensate for something.
- Look after: To take care of someone or something.
- Run into: To encounter someone unexpectedly.
- Call off: To cancel something.
- Carry out: To complete or perform a task.
- Come across: To find or encounter something unexpectedly.
- Go on: To continue or happen.
- Give up: To quit or stop doing something.
- Look up: To search for information.
- Take off: To remove clothing or leave the ground (for a plane).
- Put off: To postpone or delay something.
- Run out of: To deplete or exhaust a supply.
- Turn on: To activate or start a device.
More practice? Return to the main page of parts of speech to find out about other exercises ans worksheets.