Hello, my friends! I hope you had lots of fun these holidays and came back to work very relaxed and with bright emotions. It's always hard to start working after long weekends, but anyway, we have to do it.
I've got a lot of letters with kind words and congratulations, guys! Thanks a lot! I appreciate it so much! I'm really glad that all my articles help people. It's the most important thing for me to be honest.
Ok, one more time I'd like to congratulate you with a New Year and coming Old New Year! My best wishes to all of you and your families! Have an awesome year and enjoy your life!
Ok, let's back to English. At this article I'dlike to share with you my thoughts about prepositions in the English language. For sure, there are lots of ones in English, but I want to stop on more difficult and widely used of them. It's gonna be following prepositions: in, at, on and of.
I'll tell you about the rules of using these words and look through all the rest prepositions in English. Here we go.
The preposition is a part of speech indicating various relations of nouns and pronouns to other words in the sentence of phrase. Some English prepositions render those relations which in Russian are expressed by case forms.
1. The preposition in.
We use «in» when we're are talking about something that is inside of something. It's exactly in. For example:
I'm in the car.
The present is in the box.
We are in the train.
These thoughts are in my head.
You're in my dreams.
This key is in my fist.
Also we use «in» speaking of time in the year: in January, in February, in the evening/morning/midnight etc. BUT «at the end of this week/month/year» etc.
I always take my exams at the end of December.
I'm going to visit London in February.
It looks easy, but sometimes it's really complicated to use this preposition properly. When I started learning, the most difficult thing for me in this matter was to see the difference between «in» and «at». I just couldn't understand how to say properly «I'm in the school» or «I'm at school». Let's talk about «at».
2. The preposition «at».
We use «at» when:
— we are at some place (mostly public one) and we do there something. For example study, work etc.
I'm at hospital.
(Or I'm at the hospital). Both variants are possible.
You see, it means, that I'm probably ill and lay at the hospital for treatment.
I'm at university.
It means I'm studying there, having some lessons etc.
I'm at the supermarket.
So, I'm doing shopping there.
I'm at work (I'm working)
I'm at home (Just remember this phrase)
I'm at my friend's. (It means you're visiting your friend at his house)
I'm at my grandparents'/my girlfriend's/my brother's/my sister's. The same meaning.
Every New Year's eve we seat at the table with my family and celebrate each other.
— speaking of the time, we also use «at»:
At 7 o'clock.
I wake up at six o'clock.
Honestly, even now I don't now what to use «in» or «at» sometimes. But I don't take it too hard, because very often it's normal to use «in» instead of «at» andvise versa.
I'm at the airport (I'm in the airport). It's not a big mistake.
So, don't worry about it too much, but try to speak properly;)
3. The preposition «on»
We use «on» when:
— something is on something.
The bottle is on the table.
My flat is on the second floor.
— we're speaking of the week's days.
I'll come to you on Sunday.
I'll start working on Monday.
Let's see on Friday.
— we use our electronic device for talking.
Hi, I'm sorry I'm on my cellphone and I can't send you a letter right now.
I'm on my tablet, so let's speak on voice chart when I come home.
4. The preposition «to».
I had some problems with this word in the very beginning of learning. But you need just practise to get used and understand when we must use this preposition.
We use it when we're going somewhere and speaking of direction.
I go to work five days a week.
I'm going to university.
I'm going to Moscow.
I'm going to a supermarket.
I'll come to you tomorrow.
We DON'T use «to» with the following words: to go abroad, to go underground, to go downtown, to go somewhere/anywhere, to go there/here, to go in/inside, to go out/outside, to go upstairs/downstairs. REMEMBER THEM!
I'm going there.
I'm going abroad.
Also the preposition «to» expresses the Dative case in English.
I'll give it to you.
I'll sing this song to you.
And of course we use «to» with infinitives: to go, to read etc.
5. The preposition «of».
It's not so difficult to use this one in your speech. As you may know this preposition means the Genitive case in English.
A friend of my sister.
A teacher of this university.
But very often we can forget about the second case of using «of». The point is, «of» can be used as «about» sometimes.
I'm thinking of this problem.
I'm thinking of going abroad.
We have to talk of the facts.
So, keep it in mind.
More information about prepositions in English you'll find in the tables of the Russian part of this article.
Keep learning English and take care!
В этой статье речь пойдет об английских предлогах и правилах их употребления.