The preposition of in English.

Prepositions in English are a service part of speech. They reflect temporal, spatial, causal or other types of relationships between two meaningful words. In Russian, cases are used for these purposes, while in English, word order and prepositions are used to construct constructions. You should study the rules for using prepositions in English in order to correctly compose sentences.

All English prepositions can be divided into:

• Simple or simple;
• Compound or complex;
• Derived or production;
• Composite or composite.

The vast majority of prepositions have the Simple form. These include, for example, against (against, with, on, to, under), the preposition in (in, for, by, on, at), about (about, about, on, about, about).

Compound includes several components. These include whereupon (after which, as a result of which), within (in, inside).

Derived come from words of other parts of speech. These include, for example, concerning (about, on).

Composite uses when forming phrases. They consist of a word from another part of speech and one or two prepositions. These include, for example, because of (due to), with regard to (in relation). Any element of a compound preposition cannot be shortened or expanded - it is a single whole unit. The meaning of Composite is directly dependent on the significant word included in its composition.

Adverbs and prepositions in English

Some English prepositions have the same spelling as adverbs. They can be distinguished from each other only by the role they play in the design. Adverbs carry their own meaning and in some cases define the verb. In addition, adverbs, as a rule, receive logical stress. Prepositions only reflect the relationships between significant parts of speech.

To better understand the difference, consider an example:

The guests were led above. – The guests were taken upstairs. In this case, above is an adverb, since it has its own meaning and answers the question “where?”

There is only clear sky above me. “Above me there is only clear sky.” In this case, we will use above as a preposition, since it expresses the spatial relationship between 2 words.

Grammatical meaning

As mentioned above, English uses prepositions instead of cases. In this case, they are not translated, and the noun to which the preposition refers is placed in the required case.

Preposition of– corresponds to the genitive case (“whom? what?”). For example, This is the hat of Mr. Brown. - This is Mr. Brown's hat.

Preposition to– corresponds to the dative case (“to whom? to what?”). For example, You should give such a difficult task to a more experienced specialist. – You should give such a complex task to a more experienced specialist.

Preposition by answers the questions “by whom? how?". This is the active instrumental case. Nouns that are used in conjunction with this preposition are used to describe an actor or force that performs actions. For example, This book is written by a famous journalist. — This book was written by a famous journalist.

Preposition with answers the question “with what?”. This is the instrumental instrumental case. The noun with which this preposition is used characterizes the instrument of action. For example, Such toys are cut with a knife. – Such toys are cut out with a knife.

Preposition about– corresponds to the prepositional case (“about whom? about what?”). For example, Anna likes stories about spies. – Anna likes stories about spies.

The semantic meaning of prepositions

Some prepositions of the English language have several meanings, these include the prepositions in, to, at. And others, on the contrary, have only one, for example, till, among.

However, the same verbs in combination with different prepositions also have different meanings. For example, let's take the preposition to before verbs in English: to look for – “to search” and to look after – “to look after”.

Prepositions can have the following meanings, presented in the table below:

Where should the preposition appear in the sentence?

Typically, a preposition that expresses the relationship between 2 words comes between them.

For example: He plans to return in October. – He plans to return in October.

If there are one or more adjectives, a preposition is placed before them. This is the basic rule for how adjectives and prepositions are used:

For example: She is sitting under a big old apple tree. “She’s sitting under a big old apple tree.”

However, there are exceptions to this rule:

• Special questions when the preposition is at the end of the sentence. For example, Who am I supposed to send it to? - Who should I send this to? But some people want to put a preposition before a question word. This is necessary to give the design a more official sound. For example, To whom am I supposed to send it? – Who should I send this to? Both options are composed correctly.
• In subordinate clauses with prepositions and in sentences that begin with relative and conjunctive pronouns. For example, What I’m really surprised about is this nasty weather. – What I'm really surprised about is this terrible weather.
• In passive designs. For example, This problem must be taken care of. – This problem needs to be solved.
• In exclamatory sentences. For example, What a terrible thing to brag about! -What a terrible thing to show off!
• In some constructions with a gerudium or an infinitive. For example, He is impossible to work with. “It’s impossible to work with him.” It's a too noisy place to live in. “This is too noisy a place to live.”

Prepositions in English are quite easy to remember, and the rules of use are clear to everyone.

Common prepositions and how they are used

Below we will look at the most common prepositions and in what meaning they should be used.

The first meaning of the preposition is place. For example, Jack is at school now. Jack is at school now.

The preposition at, used in English, can have the meaning of time. For example, We will be back at 5 p.m. – We will be back at 5 pm.

The preposition on can be used to indicate place. For example, I love fresh snow on the ground. – I love fresh snow on the ground.

Used to indicate time. For example, They forecast sunny weather on Tuesday. – Sunny weather is predicted for Tuesday.

And also for on in English they are used to indicate the field of activity. For example, After a short speech on modern ecology problems Mr. Litz answered several questions. – After a short speech on the topic of modern environmental problems, Mr. Litz answered several questions.

Belongs to the group “prepositions of place”. For example, I saw the remote in my room. – I saw the TV remote control in my room.

The preposition can also mean geographical location, but unlike at, which means a point on a map, in in English is used when talking about a large area with houses and streets.

For comparison:

We had a change of plane at Budapest on our way to Roma. – On the way to Rome we had a transfer in Budapest.

Pete lives in New York. – Pete lives in New York.

It is advisable to use these prepositions in English to indicate time. It is worth noting that in means a somewhat extended time period. For example, Gorky park is so beautiful in October. – Gorky Park is so beautiful in October. Here it is worth drawing a parallel with at, denoting a specific point in time. For example, We leave at 6 o’clock. – We leave at 6 o’clock.

The use of this preposition is advisable when it is necessary to indicate the topic of conversation. For example, I would like to tell you about the harm of smoking. – I would like to tell you about the dangers of smoking.

And also to indicate the direction or place where you should move. For example: Walk about the square and meet me in 10 minutes. – Walk around the square and meet me in 10 minutes.

If a rough estimate is given, this preposition is also used. For example, It must be about 2 o’clock. It should be about 2 o'clock now.

This preposition conveys the meaning “above or above.” For example, Our neighbor above is so loud. “Our upstairs neighbor is so loud.”

Its second meaning is “more than and above.” For example, Above 2000 visitors took part in the expo. – More than 2,000 visitors took part in the exhibition.

This preposition is the opposite of Above and means “below, under.” For example, I love flying on airplanes and seeing only clouds below me. – I love flying on airplanes and seeing only clouds below me.

The preposition is used when talking about time in the sense of “after.” For example, After we finish packing the furniture it must be loaded on the truck. “After we finish packing the furniture, it will need to be loaded onto the truck.

It also belongs to the group of “prepositions of place” and is used in the meaning “behind something or someone.” For example, Don’t run, the dogs will run after us. “Don’t run, otherwise the dogs will run after us.”

The preposition is the antonym of After and serves to indicate time in English in the sense of “before, before”, for example, You must tell me a tale before I go to sleep. “Before I go to bed, you must tell me a story.” And also to indicate a place in the meaning of “before”, for example, You keep stopping before each shop window. – You always stop in front of every shop window.

A preposition that corresponds to an active force or person. In other words, it plays the role of the agentive instrumental case in the Russian language. For example, This violin was made by a famous master. – This violin was made by a famous master.

It can mean a period after which some action must be performed. For example, The plane will land by midnight. — The plane will land before midnight.

The preposition is also used when talking about a way or means of doing some work. For example, I’ve started my business by selling oranges. – I started my business selling oranges.

In addition, the preposition can mean place in the sense of “near, at, near.” For example, I know a lovely place by the lake nearby. I know a wonderful place near a lake nearby.

The preposition for is used to mean “for” when talking about any goal. For example, We’ve decorated the room for your return! – We decorated the room for your return!

Used when talking about compensation or price. For example, You did not even thank us for all our help. – You didn’t even thank us for all our help. You must pay for the dinner in Euros. – You must pay for lunch in euros.

A preposition is used when talking about a reason. For example, You were fired for always coming late. – You were fired for constantly being late.

When they talk about time in the sense of “during.” For example, I was on vacation for the last 2 weeks. - I spent the last 2 weeks on vacation.

A preposition is used when talking about an object in whose favor a certain action was performed. For example, I voted for another candidate. – I voted for another candidate.

This preposition belongs to a group called “prepositions of movement in English”. It is used when talking about the direction of action in the sense of “from whom or from where.” For example, I did not hear from him for 8 years. – I haven’t heard anything about him for the last 8 years.

It is also possible to use this preposition when we are talking about the starting moment of performing an action. For example, This bank is working from 10 to 16. – This bank is open from 10 to 16 hours.

This preposition acts as the genitive case and answers the questions “whom?” what?" and is not translated into Russian. For example, This is the dictionary of our teacher. – This is our teacher’s dictionary.

In addition, a preposition can highlight one object from a group. For example, One of your children has broken my window. - One of your children broke my window.

It is also suitable for use when talking about materials. For example, Such huts are made of clay. “Such huts are built from clay.

This preposition corresponds to the dative case in Russian and can mean direction. For example, Throw the ball to me! - Throw me the ball!

We have looked at the rules and use of basic English prepositions. To consolidate the material, you should independently compose several sentences with each preposition. In this way, you can learn to accurately use and place prepositions.

Hi there! From today's article you will learn: how English prepositions differ from Russian ones, what types and groups there are, how to remember them, systematize them and use them correctly.

Preposition in English- this is a service part of speech, which contains an analogue of the Russian case, moves objects in space and can irrevocably change the meaning of what you say.

There are many prepositions in the English language, but this does not mean that you need to learn them all at once. It will be enough to know the main ones and understand their division into groups.

What is the difference between Russian and English prepositions?

Yes, there are significantly fewer prepositions in Russian, but there are dozens of case endings. For example:

She read the text in English, crossed it out with a red pen and cried for hours. - She read the text on English ohm, crossed out his red Ouch pen Ouch and cried for an hour ami.

In addition, there are differences that are hidden in our perception of the world.

The bird is in the tree. - Bird on tree.
There are flowers in the picture. - On painting of flowers.
I'm at a concert. - I on concert.
She is dancing in the rain. - She's dancing under rain.
I went to England. - I went V England.

There are quite a lot of such situations, try to remember such “strange” (for the Russian language) prepositions from what you read, watch or listen to.

In addition to the physical world, a significant difference in prepositions accompanies abstract concepts and actions. Sometimes it coincides (rely on- count on), and sometimes not. For example:

depend on- depend from;
prepare for- prepare To;
tired of- tired from;
wait for- wait;
listen to- listen.

Forms of English prepositions

• Simple:

at- at, about, in, on;
in- in, on, for, through;
about- about, around, at, on;
against- against, facing towards, on;
before- before, before, before.

• Derivatives(derived from words from other parts of speech):

concerning- regarding, regarding;
including- including, including;
depending- depending;
granted- provided that.

• Complex(includes several components):

alongside- near, near, at;
outside- outside, beyond, except for;
within- within, within, no further;
wherewith- with what, by means of which.

• Composite(represent a phrase - include a word from another part of speech + 1 or 2 prepositions):

because of- because of;
instead of- instead of;
by virtue of- in force, on the basis;
for the sake of- for the sake of;
with regard to- relatively, in relation.

It is important to remember that none of the elements of a compound preposition cannot be expanded, reduced or changed. Even a compound preposition always remains intact.

Preposition or adverb - how to determine?

Some prepositions have the same spelling as adverbs. However, their role in the proposal will still be different.

The preposition reflects relationship between significant parts, and an adverb carries its own meaning.

There is only clear sky above me. - Above me there is only clear sky (“above” expresses the spatial relationship between the words - the noun “sky” and the pronoun “me”).
The guests were led above.- The guests were taken away up(the adverb “above” has its own meaning of direction - “where?”)

Types of English prepositions by meaning

According to their meaning and functions, English prepositions can be divided into different groups. The most basic ones are prepositions. place, time, direction, figure And tool.

• Prepositions of place:

above- above, above;
across from- opposite, across the road from;
around- around;
at- at, in, on;
behind- behind, behind;
below- under, below;
between- between;
by, beside, near- at, next to, near;
under- under.

close to- close to, next to;
in- in, inside;
in front of- in front, in front;
next to- next to, next to;
on- on;
opposite- against;
over- above;
past- behind, on the other side.

• Prepositions of movement:

across- through, across, to the other side;
along- along;
away from- from, away;
back to- back to;
down- down;
from- from, from, with;
into- V;
off- from, with;
onto- on;
out of- from, beyond;
over- through;
past- past;
round, around- around;
through- through, through, on, inside;
to- to, to, in, towards;
towards- to, towards;
under- under;
up- up.

• Prepositions of time:

after- after;
at- in, during;
before- before, before;
by- to, no later than at;
during- during, during;
for- during, in continuation;
from- from, from, starting from;
in- during, during, for;
on- in, during;
past- after, for;
since- since, since time, since;
through- throughout, in continuation;
till, until- before, not before;
within- within, within.

• Prepositions of actor and instrument:

by- from the person; indicates the one who performs the action (person/object);
with- by using; what the action is performed with;
without- without something;
on- O; about through.

I was scolded by my teacher. - I was scolded by the teacher.
Our house was destroyed by a falling tree. - Our house was destroyed by a fallen tree.
He always writes only with a pencil. - He always writes only with a pencil.
I cut my hand on a broken glass. - I cut myself on a broken glass.

Important to know! Prepositions with/by in this meaning are used in passive voice and indicate who or what performed the action.

Use of prepositions in English

Prepositions and cases. Let's see which cases in Russian correspond to which prepositions.

Genitive case (whom? what?) - preposition “ of».

Show me the plan of the house. - Show me the house plan.

Dative case (to whom? to what?) - preposition “ to».

Give it to me. - Give it to me.

Accusative case (whom? what?) - without pretext.

Give me a pen. - Give me a pen.

Instrumental case (by whom? with what?) - preposition “ with», « by».

She was cutting the letter with scissors. - She cut the letter with scissors.

Prepositional (about whom? about what?)- preposition " about»,« of».

Don't speak about me. - Don't talk about me.
I think of you. - I'm thinking about you.

Preposition in a sentence There are several general rules about where to put it.

• The preposition is placed before the noun or pronoun (if the noun has an article or attribute, then before them).

Put the book on the table. - Put the book down on table.
Give it to me. - Give it to me.
The shop is near the big house. - The store is next to the big house.

• In interrogative sentences (which begin with question words), the preposition is placed at the end.

What city do you live in? - What city do you live in?
Who are you waiting for? - Who are you waiting for?

• By analogy with a question, a preposition is placed at the end of a subordinate clause or a passive construction (in Russian the preposition is placed at the beginning of a subordinate clause):

That is what they wanted to begin with. - This is what, With what they wanted to start.
You know who she is worried about. - You know, O who is she worried about.
Her marriage was very much talked about. - Her marriage was very much discussed.
Mary loved the cat and it was taken good care of.- Mary loved the cat, and she was well looked after.

Prepositions are also found in sustainable expressions, which are more convenient to remember in their entirety. A few of the most common:

How to remember all this?

It is extremely difficult to juggle all the prepositions of the English language. There are several tips on how not to “drop” the main ones:

• When you write verbs from the dictionary, mark yourself at least 2 options with different prepositions. This will soon save you from pauses in different contexts and speech situations.
• Like other parts of speech, prepositions are better study in context(at least in phrases).
• Start with the simplest and popular prepositions (direction, place, time).
• Prepositions of place easier to remember with pictures.
• Regularly do exercises. Prepositions are not a topic that you just need to go through and return to it a month later.

Let's start memorizing prepositions right now! We invite you to complete the exercise and write your answers in the comments:

1. This letter was written ___ English.

2. The sun was shining ___ our heads, the birds were singing ___ the tree.

3. Your results depend ___ your preparation.

4. I have been waiting ___ you here for 3 hours!

5. We moved to another country because ___ my new job.

6. There is a lamp ___ two armchairs in my room.

7. He sits ___ front ___ a computer every day.

8. Give me the map ___ this city, please.

9. I don’t know anything ___ this writer.

10. Give this book ___ him.

11. What are you worried ___?

12. He hopes he’ll find a better job ___future.

13. We went there ___ foot.

14. ___the way, what do you think about it?

Conclusion

So, let's summarize.

• English prepositions replace cases(of, to, with, by, about).
• Prepositions can indicate location, time, direction And tool.
• In a sentence we put them before noun and him article(or definition).
• IN issues make an excuse V end.
• There are combinations of words with prepositions that need to be learned ( depend on, wait for etc.)

We hope this article will help you use prepositions quickly and appropriately! Good luck!

Big and friendly EnglishDom family

Why I love English prepositions is the ability to completely change the meaning of the main word with the help of one small word. It was "watch" ( look at), and it became:

. "search" ( look for)
. "to have an opinion" ( look upon)
. "take care" ( look after)
. "forgive" ( look over)
. "track" ( look to).

Juggling English prepositions is aerobatics. If you learn this art, you will enrich your vocabulary and create a buzz of approval with your speech.

Many students of English treat prepositions with some arrogance, believing that it is like a student repeating the English alphabet at night. Underestimated. But in vain. Yes, prepositions are considered auxiliary, they don’t answer any questions, but they allow you to get different meanings from the same verb, form cases (yes, the same ones that exist in Russian) and do other interesting things. There is only one problem: there are a LOT of prepositions in the English language. But this does not mean that you need to learn them all right here and now. It is enough just to know the basic ones, as well as understand the division into groups.

Let’s not waste time on the fact that prepositions can be simple, monosyllabic, polysyllabic, consisting of several words, blah blah blah. Let's get straight to the point and provide not only tables of prepositions in English, but also visual examples in pictures. We will also look at the use of prepositions using examples.

1. Prepositions of place and direction (spatial)

2. Prepositions are temporary

Let's look at the most basic ones: about, after, at, during, for, in, on, till, within.

3. Causal prepositions

because of- because;
on account of- as a result, because of;
thanks to- thanks to;
in accordance with- according to, in accordance with.

As you can see, the same preposition can be in different groups (for example, in or on can be both temporal and spatial). Moreover, if you open any dictionary (well, at least Yandex) and select any preposition, you will be surprised by the number of meanings. Let's say the most frequently used English preposition to can have 13 values ​​(don't be lazy, take a look).

Let's talk a little about the nuances before inviting you to go into battle in the "tests" section, where the first linguistic tests of knowledge of prepositions await you.

Sing the prepositions!

Yes, yes, just sing or even read. When you are familiar with the basic prepositions, try yourself in the role of Eminem, Timati or any rapper you like. Still lacking an idea for a text? Mix prepositions! Knowing small and remote prepositions is very cool. Make sure of this by watching the video and feeling like a rising rap star.

ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS AND RUSSIAN CASES. Let's remember the second grade.

Genitive case (of whom? what?) - preposition of
Show me the plan of the house.

Dative case (to whom? what?) - preposition to
Give it to me.

Accusative case (who? what?) - without preposition
Give me a pen.

Instrumental case (by whom? with what?) - preposition with
She was cutting the letter with scissors.

Prepositional case (about whom? about what?) - preposition about
Don't speak about me.

PLACE OF PREPOSITION IN A SENTENCE

Every excuse, know its place!

In general, a preposition is supposed to be placed BEFORE a noun or pronoun (if the noun has an article or attribute, then it cannot be broken)

Put the book onthetable.
Give it to me.
The shop is behind green house.
You must do it with in two months.

In interrogative sentences (which begin with what, where, etc.) the preposition is placed at the end:

What city do you live in?
Who are you waiting for?

The remaining cases are associated with the use of prepositions in subordinate clauses and passive constructions. All this will be more relevant to study in the “Syntax” section.

It is very useful to learn tablets where the preposition has already merged with a specific noun. Useful in everyday communication.

By the way, about the last three prepositions. They won a special place in the sun and formed their own caste - prepositions of place. Why it is necessary to collect a dossier on them, no less than on a counterintelligence agent, will be told and proven by someone specially dedicated to them.

Just valuable advice: since it is impossible (and not necessary) to learn ALL prepositions at first, when you write out another new verb from the dictionary, mark yourself with at least 2 options with different prepositions.

For example:

Put- put
Put on- bet on (someone, something)
Put across- deceive

When this becomes a habit, one day you will be pleased to discover that the use of the verb comes out masterfully: in different meanings according to the situation. This will decorate your speech and get rid of all sorts of pauses and “mmm”, “uh”, “ahh”. In the meantime, the problem exists, you need to solve it, starting with passing a thematic test on prepositions.

Have you sorted the predogs into shelves in your head? Even the Sun has spots, so we suggest once again (which is not superfluous) to go through the prepositions by watching a video lesson on the topic. After viewing and several years of practice, you can safely assign yourself the honorary title of “guru”.

The English language is special, and although it has absorbed words and rules from different languages ​​(several German dialects, the language of the Franks, Romans and Celts), it turned out to be in many ways different from its sources.

Its most important difference from its ancestors was the almost complete absence of cases (with the exception of the possessive and objective), but this is incomprehensibly compensated by the controlled word order, various forms of pronouns and prepositions.

Today we will look at performing various functions, among them genitive function, which we observe when translating some sentences. Examples:

The traditions of local people are completely different- The traditions of local people are completely different

This is a car of my girlfriend- This is my girlfriend's car

The roof of the house is brown- The roof of the house is brown

When translated into Russian, in all these cases the preposition disappears.

It should be noted that often the use of constructions with the preposition of, when we are dealing with the ownership of objects, is simplified by the possessive case:

A car of my girlfriend - my girlfriend’s car(my girlfriend's car).

A day of a bear(bear's den) - a bear's day(bear den).

In some cases, such pairs are translated the same way, and sometimes there are some nuances.

It is interesting to use the preposition of with possessive pronouns in absolute form. Examples:

My friend - a friend of mine(translated the same way - “my friend”)

Her dress - a dress of hers(her dress)

Our dog - a dog of ours(our dog)

Also, the preposition of in English is used to distinguish one or more people, objects or phenomena from a group, cluster, or only-begotten mass.

A jar of water(jug of water). Three of horses(three of the horses). One of my friends(one of my friends).

It is interesting to use the preposition of when it denotes what material an object is made of. In this case, a specific substance is meant, and in some cases you need to be very careful and use the preposition from:

The sculptures on the beach were made of sand. The sculptures on the beach were made of sand (a substance).

The house is made of brick. The house is made of brick (substance). The house was constructed from 50,0000 bricks. The house was built from 50,000 bricks (bricks as individual objects).

The stable was made of wood. The stable was built of wood. (substance). The stable was constructed from logs(the stable was built from individual wooden logs).

Sentences with the preposition of in English are sometimes translated without a preposition at all, often replaced by the preposition from.

Sometimes the preposition of is used in such a way that in one sentence it is used more formally, while in the second its absence may sound neutral.

Let me invite you on a tour of the city of London. Let us invite you to see around the city of London.

Let's go to London. Let's go to London.

Now let's move on to filling out the table to consolidate the material. You need to add your own sentences to it, and at the same time take a dictionary and translate the examples given.

Almost everyone who begins to learn a language encounters difficulties using English prepositions.

The fact is that when using English prepositions, very often we adhere to “Russian logic” and translate them literally. Because of this, we make a lot of mistakes.

In this article I will talk about 4 groups of English prepositions:

• prepositions of place,
• prepositions of direction,
• prepositions of time,
• prepositions of reason.

I will also give general tables of their use.

4 groups of prepositions in English

A preposition is a part of speech that serves to connect words in a sentence and phrase.

In English there are 4 large groups of prepositions:

1. Prepositions of place.
2. Prepositions of direction.
3. Prepositions of time.
4. Prepositions of reason.

Let's look at the use of the main prepositions of each of these groups.

Prepositions of place in English

Prepositions of place in English indicate the position and location of an object/person in space. Usually such prepositions answer the question “where?”

For example: “The vase is (where?) on the table.”

Let's look at the main prepositions of this group.

Prepositions of direction in English

Prepositions of direction are used to show the direction of movement of a person or object.

For example: “She left the house.”

Prepositions of time in English

Prepositions of time we need to indicate the time when something happened/is happening/will happen.

For example: “She will finish work before 5 pm.”

Let's look at the table of usage of these prepositions.

Prepositions of reason and purpose

Prepositions of reason and purpose we need to say why or why an action occurred.

For example: “She didn’t come because she was sick.”

Here are the main prepositions of this group.

So now you are familiar with English prepositions. Let's consolidate their use in practice.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English. Leave your answers in the comments.

1. Cat in a box.
2. They walked along the street.
3. She was late because of the traffic jam.
4. The meeting will begin at 7 o'clock.
5. The ball is under the sofa.