The document provides information and exercises about prepositions in English. It explains that prepositions are short words like "on", "in", and "to" that usually come before nouns or gerund verbs. Even advanced English learners find prepositions difficult since one preposition in their native language may have several translations depending on the situation. The document then gives rules for some commonly used prepositions of time and place and provides exercises for learners to practice using prepositions correctly in contexts like describing pictures, times, transportation, and people's biographies.

1. Prepositions
Exercises on Prepositions
Prepositions are short words (on, in, to) that usually stand in front of nouns (sometimes also in front of gerund verbs).
Even advanced learners of English find prepositions difficult, as a 1:1 translation is usually not possible. One preposition in your native language might have
several translations depending on the situation.
There are hardly any rules as to when to use which preposition. The only way to learn prepositions is looking them up in a dictionary, reading a lot in English
(literature) and learning useful phrases off by heart (study tips).
The following table contains rules for some of the most frequently used prepositions in English:
Prepositions – Time
English Usage Example
• on  days of the week  on Monday
• in  months / seasons  in August / in
 time of day winter
 year  in the morning
 
after a certain period of in 2006
time (when?)  in an hour
• at  for night  at night
 for weekend  at the weekend
 a certain point of  at half past nine
time (when?)
• since  from a certain point of  since 1980
time (past till now)
• for  over a certain period of
 for 2 years
time (past till now)
• ago  a certain time in the past 2 years ago

• before  earlier than a certain  before 2004
point of time
• to  telling the time  ten to six (5:50)
• past  telling the time  ten past six
(6:10)
• to / till /  marking the beginning  from Monday
until and end of a period of to/till Friday
time
• till / until in the sense of how long He is on holiday

something is going to until Friday.
last
• by  in the sense of at the  I will be back by 6
latest o’clock.

2. English Usage Example
 up to a certain time  By 11 o'clock, I
had read five
pages.
Prepositions – Place (Position and Direction)
English Usage Example
• in  room, building, street,  in the kitchen, in
town, country London
 book, paper etc.  in the book
 car, taxi  in the car, in a
 picture, world taxi
 in the picture, in
the world
• at  meaning next to, by an at the door, at
object the station
 for table  at the table
 for events  at a concert, at
 place where you are to the party
do something typical  at the cinema,
(watch a film, study, at school, at
work) work
• on  attached  the picture on
 for a place with a river the wall
 being on a surface  London lies on
 for a certain side (left, the Thames.
right)  on the table
 for a floor in a house  on the left
 for public transport  on the first floor
 for television, radio  on the bus, on a
plane
 on TV, on the
radio
• by, next to,
 left or right of somebody Jane is standing

beside or something by / next to /
beside the car.
• under  on the ground, lower  the bag is under
than (or covered by) the table
something else
• below  lower than something  the fish are
else but above ground below the
surface

3. English Usage Example
• over  covered by something  put a jacket over
else your shirt
 meaning more than  over 16 years of
 getting to the other side age
(also across)  walk over the
 overcoming an obstacle bridge
 climb over the
wall
• above  higher than something a path above
else, but not directly over the lake
it
• across  getting to the other side
 walk across the
(also over) bridge
 getting to the other side
 swim across the
lake
• through  something with limits on
 drive through
top, bottom and the the tunnel
sides
• to  movement to person or
 go to the
building cinema
 movement to a place or
 go to London /
country Ireland
 for bed  go to bed
• into  enter a room / a building go into the

kitchen / the
house
• towards  movement in the  go 5 steps
direction of something towards the
(but not directly to it) house
• onto  movement to the top of
 jump onto the
something table
• from  in the sense of where  a flower from
from the garden
Other important Prepositions
English Usage Example
• from  who gave it  a present from
Jane
• of  who/what does it belong
 a page of the book
to  the picture of a

4. English Usage Example
 what does it show palace
• by  who made it  a book by Mark
Twain
• on  walking or riding on  on foot, on
horseback horseback
 entering a public  get on the bus
transport vehicle
• in  entering a car / Taxi  get in the car
• off  leaving a public transport get off the train

vehicle
• out of leaving a car / Taxi  get out of the taxi
• by  rise or fall of something
 prices have risen
 travelling (other than by 10 percent
walking or horseriding) by car, by bus
• at  for age  she learned
Russian at 45
• about for topics, meaning what
 we were talking
about about you
Exercise on Prepositions – Place
Complete the exercise according to the picture.
1. the picture, I can see a woman.
2. The woman is sitting a table.
3. She is sitting a chair.
4. There is another chair the woman.
5. Her feet are the table

5. 6. The woman is holding a cup her hands.
7. the table are a laptop, a paper, a calculator, an appointment calendar, two pens and a muffin.
8. The woman is looking her laptop.
9. The woman's bag is the table
Exercise on Prepositions – Place
Fill the gaps with the correct prepositions.
1. We live London.
2. Would you like to go the cinema tonight?
3. No, thanks. I was the cinema yesterday.
4. We are going holiday next week.
5. There is a bridge the river.
6. The flight from Leipzig to London was Frankfurt.
7. my wall, there are many picture postcards.
8. Who is the person this picture?
9. Come the sitting room, we want to watch TV.
10. Munich lies 530 meters sea level.
Exercise on Prepositions – Time
Fill in the correct prepositions.
1. Peter is playing tennis Sunday.
2. My brother's birthday is the 5th of November.
3. My birthday is May.
4. We are going to see my parents the weekend.
5. 1666, a great fire broke out in London.
6. I don't like walking alone in the streets night.
7. What are you doing the afternoon?
8. My friend has been living in Canada two years.
9. I have been waiting for you seven o'clock.
10. I will have finished this essay Friday.
Exercise on »since« and »for«
- since - if the starting point is given (two o'clock, last Friday, 1998)
- for - if the period of time is given (twenty minutes, two days, one year)

6. Decide whether to use »since« or »for«.
1. I have been waiting 4 o'clock.
2. Sue has only been waiting 20 minutes.
3. Tim and Tina have been learning English six years.
4. Fred and Frida have been learning French 1998.
5. Joe and Josephine have been going out together Valentine's Day.
6. I haven't been on holiday last July.
7. Mary has been saving her money many years.
8. I haven't eaten anything breakfast.
9. You have been watching TV hours.
10. We have been living here 2 months.
Exercise on Prepositions – Buses
Complete the exercise with the correct prepositions.
1. If you want to go bus, you have to go the bus stop.
2. You look the time table.
3. Then you wait your bus.
4. When the bus arrives, you get the bus.
5. You buy a ticket the driver or show your ticket the driver.
6. When you arrive your destination, you get the bus.
7. Sometimes you even have to change buses another bus stop
Exercise on Prepositions – George Washington
Complete the exercise with the correct prepositions.
1. George Washington was born Virginia 1732.
2. the American Revolutionary War ( 1775 and 1783) he was the Commander-in-Chief the
American forces.
3. Washington played an important role the founding the United States.
4. He became the first President the United States.
5. He was President 1789 1797.
6. George Washington died the age 67, the 14th December 1799.
7. The capital the United States and one federal state are named George Washington.