ON used for location on a SURFACE:
roads, streets
things that resemble a line (e.g. rivers)
There is a book on the table.
There is a new roof on the house.
He put his head on my shoulder.
He had a stain on his shirt.
They live on the Humber River.
Exercise 17. Fill the proper prepositions in.
I’ll meet you _____ the Statler Hotel.
If you want to reach that shelf, you have to stand _____ a chair.
You will find some stamps ______ the drawer of the desk.
We live _____ Toronto, ____________ 157 Bloor Street.
The most important stories of the day are ______ the front page of the newspaper.
Please, play ______ the house; it is too cold outside.
The tax office is _____ the second floor.
We will wait for you ______ the lobby of the hotel.
Turn left _____ the intersection of Bloor and Bedford.
He was standing _____ the street corner.
ABOVE, OVER, UNDER, BELOW
above and over = higher than
The snow was so high it came over/above our knees.
We saw a flag flying over/above the house.
There are dark clouds over the entire city.
Below and under = lower than
You’ll find the box in the cupboard under/below the sink.
She was wearing a shirt under her sweater.
The whole basement was under /water.
FROM
(moving) away
origin
what substance is used to make something
difference
He moved from Toronto to Hamilton.
He was absent from class.
She is from Taiwan.
Bread is made from flower, water, and yeast.
Chinese food is very different from Canadian food.
Note: LEAVE, ENTER, ATTEND, DISCUSS are verbs which do NOT take a preposition.
I left Japan last August.
He entered the room.
She has been attending college for two years.
We discussed the problem.
BUT!!!
She left Japan for Toronto in August. (‘for’ is used with ‘leave’ for destination)
Exercise 18. Fill the prepositions in.
He is studying _____ the University of Toronto.
The plane flew _____ the town.
The boy hid the money _______ a rock in the garden.
I met Bill _____ the Pearson Airport ______ Toronto.
They are flying ______ Paris ______ Toronto, and they will arrive _____ Toronto tomorrow.
After Toronto, they will have a holiday _____ the south, so they will leave ______ Mexico next week.
She put the bedspread ______the bed.
I put the book _____ the box _____ the table ______ the living room.
He took an envelope ______ the drawer ______ his desk.
Other uses of AT, IN,ON
AT is used for:
specific temperatures, speeds, ages
The temperature was at 25 degrees.
He drove at 120 kilometres per hour.
He stared/looked/glanced at her.
He threw a plate at her.
be good/bad at something
works of art, printed material, publications
In his essay he discusses public transportation.
In the photograph/painting/picture there were three little girls.
to show what someone is wearing
The woman in the red dress is my cousin
to show how things are arranged or expressed
She planted the lilies in a circle.
In a dictionary words are arranged in the alphabetical order.
We spoke to them in Finnish.
He turned to me in anger.
with small private vehicles
In a taxi/car/jeep
have skill in something
I have no skill in languages
ON is used
to indicate the topic of an academic work
She made a presentation on Hieroglyphics.
His paper on the habitat of the flying squirrel was published in a journal.
to show that something is included on a list
His name was included on the list of winners.
There were several items on the agenda.
with public transportation and telephone communication
On the bus/plane/boat/train/streetcar
We spoke on the phone.
go on a trip/journey/holiday/picnic
Exercise 19. Fill the prepositions in.
The audience threw tomatoes ______ the horrible comedian.
He spoke ________me ________ a loud voice.
She is good/successful/skillful _________ chess.
Her skill ________ chess impressed me.
_________ this painting we can see Lawrence’s use of light.
She cried ________ the sight of the starving child.
She was glancing impatiently ________ her watch.
I laughed _______ her ability to talk _______ circles.
BY
Agent In this factory bicycles are made by robots.
How/through the means of by plane/bus/train
FOR
Length of time for two weeks
Purpose I came here for my studies.
This is the best medication for a cold.
Recipient I brought a present for my friend.
OF
Belonging to the mother of the child
Being part of the lid of the saucepan
Coming from a background of Italian descent
Showing a map of India
Concerning talk/dream/think of doing something
WITH
Accompanying She brought her children with her.
Having He wore a shirt with a button-down collar
By means of/using He tied it up with a piece of cloth.
Exercise 20. Fill the prepositions in.
She improved her vocabulary _______ using a monolingual dictionary.
Do you take medicine _______ your cold?
There was a picture ________ her boyfriend on the desk.
His family is ________ Japanese origin.
I spoke with him _______ the telephone.
He contacted me _______ telephone.
I came to see you _______some advice.
She wore a sweater ________ ѕ length sleeves.
She wiped the table ________ paper towel.
His name was ______ the list of candidates.
His articles ______ computer technology have appeared _______ many journals.
There is a message ______ you from the office.
You can make this soup better _______ adding some cream to it.
I feel sorry _____ you and _____ what happened.
I dream _____ marrying Bill _____ one day.
I dreamed ______ Bill _____ last night.
Butter is made ______ cream, and shoes are made _____ leather.
He is married ______ a lawyer.
We discussed _____ the problem.
I have not seen my friend ____ 6 months. ______ July she has been travelling _____ a station wagon _____ Canada ____Newfoundland ____British Colombia.
Unfortunately, her car broke _____ somewhere ______ Toronto and Winnipeg, so she had to return ____ train. She has been _____ the train ______ Tuesday.
Exercise 21. Fill in the gaps with in, at or on.
I have to be ...at... the airport two hours before my flight leaves.
I went to visit Joanne, but she wasn't … home.
There were so many dishes … the menu; I couldn't decide what to have.
I'd love to stay … a beautiful hotel near the sea.
Jason is … hospital with a broken leg.
The weather … Ireland is often cold and wet.
She waited … the platform to see the train come in.
It must be wonderful to live … an island, surrounded by water.
What did you learn … school today?
Suzy is the girl sitting … my left.
Exercise 22. Underline the correct preposition.
The children climbed under/over the wall to escape from the angry gardener.
She walked quickly past/along the shops without looking in the windows.
The current is very strong. It would be dangerous to swim through/across this river.
She got dressed quickly and ran up/down the stairs to the kitchen.
Fiona is going to come to the party by/in her car.
I saw a man walking from/towards me smiling, but I didn't recognize him.
We tried to push our way through/towards the crowds to see our favorite singer.
There was no way to cross the lake, so we had to walk through/round it.
The boy got over/out of bed and went to the window.
I put the bags onto/into the table, then I put the shopping away.
You will see the post office on your right when you go through/round the corner.
She looked along/into her crystal ball and told the girl her fortune.