Prepositions in English

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PREPOSITIONS 
The preposition is a word that links a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to another 
part of the sentence, to show direction, location, time or to introduce an object. 
 
 
 
To understand the general rule for the prepositions in, on and at we could take “on” as 
a parameter to talk about places and to talk about time. 
Everyplace bigger than a street, we have to use the preposition in, for example 
neighborhoods and cities: 
 
 I live in Cascatinha. 
 I will make a connection in Dubai 
 My cousins live in Rio de Janeiro 
 
IN
ON
AT
PLACES TIME 
Neighborhood, cities, 
countries, inside 
places 
 
Adress, specific location 
Day, specific dates 
Week, month, year, 
long and specific 
period of time 
Hours 
Street, avenues, surfaces 
 
 
 
 
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In addition, everyplace smaller than a street, we have to use the preposition at, 
like an address and a specific location. 
 
 When will you arrive at the office? 
 I will wait for you at the hospital. 
 
To talk about time, when the period of time is longer than a day, we have to use the 
preposition in, for example a month and a year. 
 
 In England, it often snows in December. 
 In the next century will have flying cars. 
 
However, if it’s shorter than a day, we have to use the preposition at, like an hour. 
 
 I have a meeting at 9am. 
 Jane went home at lunchtime.
 
 
Some moments we have to pay attention what prepositions we are going to use. Let’s 
see some specific points: 
 
 
Public places 
 (parks, market, university, 
school) 
In 
When we want to talk about general 
locations, we use in: 
I love to walk with my dogs in park 
At 
When we want to talk about a specific place, 
we use at: 
Every morning I run at the University near 
my house 
Transportation Facilities 
On 
When we can walk inside the vehicle, we use 
the preposition on: 
I got on the plain at 09:00am 
I’m going to get on the bus in a few minutes 
In 
When we can’t walk inside the vehicle, we 
use the preposition in: 
We get in the taxi to go to the cinema 
 
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Special Dates 
At 
To talk about events, we have to use the 
preposition at: 
at Rock in Rio, 
at the lecture about environmental 
at Christmas 
at New Year’s 
On 
When we want to talk about the day that 
happened the event, we have to use on: 
on Christmas day 
on Christmas eve 
Expression “the end” 
In 
In the end is an expression to deduce 
something: 
We have to do nice things to each other, 
because, in the end, we are brother of blood 
At 
At the end we use to localize something or 
somewhere: 
The supermarket is at the end of street 
The weekend 
On 
On weekend is usually used in the 
American English 
At 
At weekend is usually used in the British 
English 
 
 
➔ When we want to talk about digital thing, we must use the prepositions “on”, for 
example, “on Instagram” or “on the cellphone”; 
 
➔ To talk about a specific place that is at the street we have to use the preposition in: “The 
post office is in the Marechal street” , “The bakery is in Rio Branco Avenue” 
 
➔ With words like every, next, last, today, tomorrow, home, downtown and yesterday 
we DON’T use prepositions! 
 
 
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SPEAKING PRACTICE 
 
● When were you born? 
● What time is our class? 
● Do you know a street that there is a MC Donald? 
● When do you think that will finish the quarantine? 
● What is the time that starts your class at the university? 
● What is the best day of the week for you? 
● What was the best year for you? 
● What is the address of your house? 
● What is the country that you live? 
● When is your birthday? 
● What is the month that is your birthday? 
● What is the neighborhood that you live? 
EXERCISES 
 
➔ Do the following exercises: 
Exercise 1: Put the correct preposition. 
Exercise 2: Choose the correct answer. 
Exercise 3: Choose the correct answer. 
Exercise 4: Put the correct preposition. 
 
LISTENING 
 
➔ Learning with this series: 
Click here to see the video. 
 
HOMEWORK SUGGESTION 
 
➔ Download this app to practice and learn some news verbs: 
Prepositions Master - Play Store 
Prepositions Master – Apple Store 
 
➔ Do the following exercises: 
Exercise 1 
Exercise 2 
Exercise 3 
Exercise 4 
 CONGRATULATIONS! YOU DID IT! 
 
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/time-prepositions-exercise-2.html
https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/structures/prepositions_at_in_on_time.htm
https://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-prepositions-at-on-in.php
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/prepositions-of-place-exercise-1.html
https://youtu.be/t9S-tndzSLw?t=90
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.masterkeygames.prepmaster&hl=pt_BR&gl=US
https://apps.apple.com/br/app/preposition-builder-master/id1236551283?l=en
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/time-prepositions-exercise-2.html
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/time-prepositions-exercise-2.html
https://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-prepositions.php
https://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-prepositions.php
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/prepositions-of-place-exercise-2.html
https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/prepositions-of-place-exercise-2.html
https://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-time-place-prepositions.php