Prepositions

After / Later

• I’ll call you later.
  I’ll call you after I get home from work.
• First he bought a new car. Two weeks later, he bought a new motorcycle.
• He bought a new motorcycle two weeks after he bought a car.

You can say “later + time period” to refer to an unspecified time in the future, for example:

• I’ll finish the project later this week.
• We’ll go on vacation later this year.

Never end a sentence with “after.” Instead, you can use “afterwards”

• “Did you go straight home after the baseball game?”
  “No, we went out for drinks after.”
  “No, we went out for drinks afterwards.“

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Ago / Before

Use ago to talk about past times in reference to the current moment.

Use before to talk about past times in reference to another moment in the past.

Difference between “before” and “ago”

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By / Until

Use by for one specific event that will happen before a certain time in the future. Use until for a continuous event that will continue and then stop at a certain time in the future.

• Please send me the information by Monday.
• He’s staying in London until the 30th.

Difference between “by” and “until”

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During / While

Both during and while mean that something happens at the same time as something else.

Use during + noun.

• She cried during the movie.

Use while + subject + verb, or while + gerund.

• She cried while she was watching the movie.
• She cried while watching the movie.

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From… To / Till / Until

We use from + to / till / until to define the beginning and end of a time period.

• The museum is open from 8 AM to 4 PM.
• Jack will be on vacation from tomorrow until next Friday.
• I studied English from 2001 till 2004.

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On / In / At

Use in for centuries, decades, years, seasons, and months:

• In the 18th century
• In the 1960s
• In 2001
• In the summer
• In October

Use on for days:

• On Friday
• On March 15th.
• On my birthday
• On the weekend

Use at for times:

• At 3:30.
• At noon.
• At quarter past four.

Be careful with morning, afternoon, evening, and night!

• In the morning
• In the afternoon
• In the evening
• At night

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Past / To

We can use these prepositions with minutes in relation to the hour:

• 3:50 = Ten to four
• 6:15 = Quarter past six

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For / Since

For is used for a period of time, and since is used to reference a specific point in time.

• I’ve been waiting for three hours.I’ve been waiting since ten o’clock.
• We’ve lived here for four years.
  We’ve lived here since 2008.
• She’s been working there for six months.
  She’s been working there since she graduated from college.

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As Soon As / As Long As

As soon as means “immediately after another event.”

• We’ll call you as soon as we arrive.
  (if we arrive at 8:00, we’ll call you at 8:05)

As long as means “for the period of time” or “on the condition that”:

• I stayed awake for as long as I could. (period of time)
• I’ll take the job as long as I have the freedom to work from home a few days a week. (condition)

Sentences with prepositions of place and direction

Preposition	Use	Sentences
above	higher than sth.	The picture hangs above my bed.
across	from one side to the other side	You mustn't go across this road here.
		There isn't a bridge across the river.
after	one follows the other	The cat ran after the dog.
		After you.
against	directed towards sth.	The bird flew against the window.
along	in a line; from one point to another	They're walking along the beach.
among	in a group	I like being among people.
around	in a circular way	We're sitting around the campfire.
at*	position at a point	I arrived at the meeting.
behind	at the back of	Our house is behind the supermarket.
below	lower than sth.	Death Valley is 86 metres below sea level.
beside	next to	Our house is beside the supermarket.
between	sth./sb. is on each side	Our house is between the supermarket and the school.
by	near	He lives in the house by the river.
close to	near	Our house is close to the supermarket.
down	from high to low	He came down the hill.
from	the place where it starts	Do you come from Tokyo?
in front of	the part that is in the direction it faces	Our house is in front of the supermarket.
inside	opposite of outside	You shouldn't stay inside the castle.
in*	place seen in three dimensions	We slept in the car.
	larger areas	I was born in England.
into	entering sth.	You shouldn't go into the castle.
near	close to	Our house is near the supermarket.
next to	beside	Our house is next to the supermarket.
off	away from sth.	The cat jumped off the roof.
on*	touches a surface	There is a fly on the table.
	is seen as a point on a line	We were on the way from Paris to Rome.
	by a lake or sea	London lies on the Thames.
onto	moving to a place	The cat jumped onto the roof.
opposite	on the other side	Our house is opposite the supermarket.
out of	leaving sth.	The cat jumped out of the window.
outside	opposite of inside	Can you wait outside?
over	above sth./sb.	The cat jumped over the wall.
past	going near sth./sb.	Go past the post office.
round	in a circle	We're sitting round the campfire.
through	going from one point to the other point	You shouldn't walk through the forest.
to	towards sth./sb.	I like going to Australia.
		Can you come to me?
		I've never been to Africa.
towards	in the direction of sth.	We ran towards the castle.
under	below sth.	The cat is under the table.
up	from low to high	He went up the hill.