English is in high demand nowadays. It is studied not only in educational institutions. Many people aspire to speak this language. Some study on their own, some go to courses. Although English is much lighter than Russian, it also has a number of rules and features. It is not enough just to know the words. You need to be able to use them in speech. This article is about prepositions. They serve to connect words. The most common prepositions are to, in, at, on. We will consider the rules and features of use below.
What are prepositions?
First, let's look at what prepositions are. What are there? What are they used for? A preposition is a service part of speech that expresses the syntactic dependence of one independent part of speech on another within a phrase and sentence. They cannot be used separately, on their own, or be an independent member of the sentence.
These service words, in turn, are divided by meaning. Allocate English prepositions of place - at, in, on (the rules are given below). They can also indicate time (at, on, etc.), direction (to, across, etc.), reason (because of, thanks to, etc.), etc. Prepositions in English can be simple (on, at, in, etc.), compound, in a different way, group (as a result, because of, etc.) and complex (onto, into).
Features of using the preposition in
Without service parts of speech it is impossible to make a complete sentence. Let's start with prepositions of place in English at, in, on. The grammar indicates that this is one of the most common meanings. Let's take a closer look at the preposition in.
The first function is the location. It is necessary to translate this preposition as "in". It denotes the location of an object inside something (a room, a city, an object, a street, a building, etc.). Here are some examples.
Last summer I was in the country. – I was in the village last summer.
There are lots of toys in the box. – There are a lot of toys in the box.
Robert lives in the Great Britain. – Robert lives in the UK.
Rarely, prepositions have only one meaning. It is usually determined by the position of the preposition in the text and is translated depending on the context. In addition to the meaning of place, in performs the function of time. In this case, in is translated as "in", "through" or another Russian equivalent. This can be seen in the following examples.
Mike was born in December. – Mike was born in December.
I will finish my work in fifteen minutes. – I will finish my work in fifteen minutes.
Children like to play snowballs and make a snowman in winter. – Children love to play snowballs and build a snowman in winter.
Try your own examples. Do the exercise to reinforce. Translate into English.
My husband was born in Spain. There are many different trees and flowers in our garden. Lucy and her friends are now walking in the yard. In the evening I like to sit at home and read an interesting book. I'll be free in five minutes.
Features of using the preposition on
Meaning places have in, at, on. The rule says that on is used when it comes to the location of an object on any plane, surface. It is required to translate into Russian as "on". Let's take a closer look at examples.
There are lots of books on the shelf. – There are many books on the shelf.
There is a cup of coffee on the table. – There is a cup of coffee on the table.
Also on is used when talking about transportation (except for a car) or means of communication.
She will come home on the 7 o'clock train. – She will come home on the seven o’clock train.
He asked me a question on the phone. – He asked me a question on the phone.
The second value is time. On is used with dates and days.
We will go to the country on Saturday. – We will go to the village on Saturday.
Give your sample sentences. Also do the exercise. It is required to translate the sentences into English.
Let's meet at the bus stop. The dog lies on the grass. Our flatlocated on the sixth floor. Put the book on the table, please. There is a very beautiful picture hanging on the wall.
Features of using the preposition at
The English language is characterized by the frequent use of the prepositions in, at, on. The rule governing the use of the preposition at in sentences is as follows. This service part of speech should be used when the object is located in close proximity to the second. For example, at the door (at the door). As can be seen from the phrase, you need to translate at with the Russian preposition "y". It is also acceptable to translate using “about”, “to”.
Can you meet me at the entrance to the theatre? – Can you meet me at the theater entrance?
I will be waiting for you at the bridge. – I will be waiting for you near the bridge.
However, most often this preposition is used as part of set expressions. Here is a list of some of them.
At home - at home.
At work - at work.
At hospital - in the hospital.
At school - at school.
At a museum
At a hotel
At a mall.
At the restaurant
Try to make sentences with these constructions.
The second meaning of the preposition at is time. Namely, use with hours and minutes.
She gets up at seven o'clock. – She wakes up at seven in the morning.
He goes to bed at ten o'clock. - He goes to bed at ten o'clock at night.
Do the followingexercise to reinforce the material. Translate the sentences into English.
I want to stay at home today. My sister is in the hospital. He is not at home, he is at work now. Our class was on a tour of the museum yesterday. I'll be waiting for you at the cinema entrance. Let's meet at the mall. He left the bike near the entrance to the store.
Features of using the preposition to
This official speech has a meaning of direction. To make sure that you need to use this particular preposition, you should ask the question "where?". In Russian, to should be translated as "to", "in", "on". Here are some examples.
Let's go to the cinema. – Let's go to the cinema.
Tom and Tim went to the park. – Tom and Tim went to the park.
To consolidate the above material, do the exercise. This requires translating sentences from Russian into English.
Let's go to the museum. Yesterday we went to the library at our school. We stayed at a hotel in the city center. At the weekend we will go to the village to visit my grandmother.
Now you understand the peculiarities of using the prepositions in, at, on in speech, the rules that govern their use, you can easily give your own examples, make sentences, phrases. You also know when to use particles to, in, on, at in English.
