Prepositions

 A preposition is a word that connects one thing with another and shows how they are related. It is usually followed by a noun or a pronoun.

Prepositions can tell us about place or position:

The book fell off the table.
My shoes are under the bed.
I jumped into the pool.
I keep my keys in my handbag.
Sarah is at school.

They can also tell us about time:

I wake up at 7am.
Craig's birthday is on Friday.
We waited until Melissa arrived.
She arrived after Tom.
It rained for ten days!

The best way to learn prepositions is through reading a lot, looking them up in a dictionary and learning common phrases by heart.

Lesson by Nasreen, teacher at EC Cape Town

Complete these sentences by choosing the correct option:

• 1. Many people were waiting _____ the bus stop.
  
  on
  in
  at
  
  
• 2. There's a fence _____ the garden.
  
  over
  up
  around
  
  
• 3. I sat _____ the President and the Vice-President.
  
  in
  at
  between
  
  
• 4. Mark climbed _____ the tree.
  
  at
  between
  up
  
  
• 5. Is Andrea still _____ bed?
  
  in
  over
  at
  
  
• 6. I received an acceptance letter _____ the university.
  
  behind
  on
  from
  
  
• 7. The dog jumped _____ the wall.
  
  at
  in
  over
  
  
• 8. Are you going to Carol’s party _____ Saturday?
  
  at
  in
  on
  
  
• 9. Your jacket's hanging _____ the door.
  
  between
  behind
  in
  
  
• 10. The beach is _____ my house.
  
  from
  in
  near