Level(s)
[B1-B2]
Section(s)
Grammar Topics
You remind me about | of my father?
Are you interested in | on science?
What are you thinking about | of?
I am not very good at | about math.
Hoje vamos praticar prepositions.
What are Prepositions?
Prepositions are the (usually) short words that precede nouns or pronouns, and give information about where (on the table), when (in April), how (with a knife), etc.
Prepositions often follow other parts of speech as expressions that have to be learned case-by-case: interested in, angry about, to be looking forward to, etc.
Some verbs need a preposition before an object or another verb.
Here are some of the most common ones:
- borrow something from somebody ⇒ I borrowed a book from my classmate.
- arrive at / in somewhere ⇒ We arrived at the airport. We arrived in London.
- belong to somebody ⇒ This book belongs to me.
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- Have you borrowed money from anyone?
- What time do you usually arrive at work?
- Do you have anything that belongs to your grandparents?
- concentrate on something / doing something ⇒ I concentrated on studying at the weekend.
- depend on something / somebody ⇒ It depends on the weather.
- explain something to somebody ⇒ The teacher explained the exercise to the students.
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- Do you have an easy or a hard time concentrating on your tasks?
- Does your family depend a lot on you? And you on them?
- Can you explain one of your current projects/tasks/goals to us?
- worry about somebody / something ⇒ Don't worry about a thing!
- listen to something / somebody ⇒ I listened to music.
- pay somebody for something ⇒ I paid the waiter for the coffee.
- wait for somebody / something ⇒ Wait for me!
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- Who worry about most?
- What kind of music do you like listening to?
- What was the last thing you paid for?
- How do you feel when you have to wait for someone?
Some adjectives need a preposition before their object. There doesn't seem to be a logical rule, I'm afraid! We just need to learn them.
Here are some of the most common ones:
- famous for ⇒ France is famous for its food.
- proud of ⇒ He is very proud of his new car.
- interested in ⇒ Julie is very interested in sport.
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- What is yout city famous for?
- What is something you’re proud of?
- What are you interested in?
- married to ⇒ My mother has been married to my father for 20 years.
- bad at ⇒ They are very bad at maths.
- good at ⇒ Einstein was very good at physics.
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- Who are you married to?
- What are you bad at?
- What are you good at?
- different from / to ⇒ Coffee is different from tea.
- pleased with ⇒ John is very pleased with his new suit.
- excited about ⇒ I'm very excited about my holiday.
- afraid of ⇒ I'm afraid of spiders.
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- Who are you most different from? Your mom or your dad?
- Are you please with your life?
- What are you excited about this year?
- What are you afraid of?
Prepositions can be tricky. One problem is that there is often no logic at all!
We use them in many phrases and expressions and unfortunately, we just need to learn these by heart. There aren't really any rules.
At last = finally
- After a long journey, at last we arrived at our hotel.
- At last! I thought you'd never get here!
By mistake = not meaning to
- I dropped the glass by mistake. I'm really sorry.
- She gave him the wrong book by mistake.
Out of reach = too high to touch (literally or metaphorically)
- She tried to grab the kite as it flew away but it was already out of reach.
- That job is out of reach. I don't have the right qualifications for it.
For instance = here is an example
- John reads a lot. For instance, yesterday he read two books.
- You should eat more vegetables. Why don't you have a salad at lunchtime, for instance?
By chance = without planning
- I saw Julie at the station by chance.
- She found the perfect book by chance in a second hand bookshop.
On purpose = intending to do something
- She left without paying on purpose! It wasn't a mistake.
- Did you take my bag on purpose? Why would you do that?
To my surprise = I was surprised
- I opened the door, and to my surprise, it was Lucy! I'd thought she was in Paris.
- To his surprise, the baby stopped crying and smiled at him.
At once = immediately
- You must do it at once! Don't wait even one minute.
- She cleaned up at once when she realised that her mother was coming to visit.
On foot = walking (NOT )
- I usually go to work on foot.
- Did you come by car or on foot?
In advance = beforehand
- We need to book the tickets for the cinema in advance, or we won't get a good seat.
- She always buys her food for Christmas well in advance.
In danger = in a dangerous situation
- When the car started rolling we realised that we were in danger. Luckily we managed to stop.
- The dog fell into the river and was in danger for several minutes.
Without fail = always / definitely
- She visits her mother every week without fail.
- I study for twenty minutes a day without fail.
For a change = to do something different
- Let's have Italian food for a change. We always eat British food.
- I don't want to go to the cinema again. I want to go to the park for a change.
On time (for) = at the time that was arranged
- She was on time for the meeting. It started at nine and she arrived at nine.
- Why are you never on time? I'm so fed up with waiting for you.
In common (with) = something that's shared or the same
- People from different countries have a lot in common. We all want to have good lives.
- What does a cat have in common with a mouse? Well, they are both mammals.
Let’s practice: https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/preposition-collocations-exercise-1.html
Extra: https://www.internationalschooltutors.de/English/activities/grammar/choose/prep.html
https://www.internationalschooltutors.de/English/activities/grammar/poly/222.html
https://www.internationalschooltutors.de/English/activities/grammar/write1/prep1.html