121. At / on / in (time)
Compare at, on and in:
- They arrived at 5 o’clock.
- They arrived on Friday.
- They arrived in October. / They arrived in 1998.
at for the time of day
at five o’clock / at 11.45 / at midenight / at lunchtime / at sunset etc.
on for days and dates
on Friday | on fridays / on 16 May 2009 / on Christmas Day / on my birthday
in for longer periods (for example: months / years / seasons)
in October / in 1998 / in the 18th century / in the past / in (the) winter / in the 1990s / in the middle Ages / in (the) future
We use at in these expressions:
- at night
- at the weekend / at weekends
- at Christmas
- at the moment / at present
- at the same time
We say:
in the morning(s) | on Friday morning(s) | |
in the afternoon(s) | on Sunday afternoon(s) | |
in the evening(s) | on Monday evening(s) etc. |
We do not use at/on/in before last/next/this/every
- I’ll see you next Friday. (not on next Friday)
- They got married last March.
In spoken English we often leave out on before days (Sunday / Monday etc.).
- I’ll see you on Friday. or I’ll see you Friday.
- I don’t work on Monday mornings. or I don’t work Monday mornings.
In a few minutes / in six months etc.
The train will be leaving in a few minutes. (= a few minutes from now)
You can also say: in six monthss time, in a week’s time etc.
They’re getting married in six months’ time. or …in six months.
We also use in … to say how long it takes to do something:
I learnt to drive in four weeks. (= it took me four weeks to learn)
122. On time and in time At the end and in the end
On time and in time
On time = punctual, not late. If something happens on time, it happens at the time that was planned.
The 11.45 train left on time. (= it left at 11.45)
The opposite of on time is late.
Be on time. Don’t be late.
In time (for something to do something) = soon enough:
I’m in a hurry. I want to get home in time to see the game on TV.
The opposite of in time is too late:
I got home too late to see the game on TV.
You can say just in time (= almost too late):
We got to the station just in time for our train.
At the end aand in the end
At the end (of something) = at the time when somethiing ends. For example:
at the end of the month / at the end of January / at the end of the game
At the end of the concert, everyone applauded.
We do not say ‘in the end of…’. So you cannot say ‘in the end of January’ or ‘in the end of the concert’.
The opposite of at the end (of …) is at the beginning (of …)
I’m going away at the beginning of January. (not in the beginning)
In the end = finally
We use in the end when we say what i=the final result of a situation was:
We had a lot of problems with our car. We sold it in the end. (= finally we sold it)
The opposite of in the end is usually at first:
At first we didn;t get on very weel, but in the end we became good friends.
123. In/at/on (position) 1
In
in a room / in a building / in a box / in a garden / in a town/country / in the city centre / in a pool / in the sea / in a river
At
at the bus stop / at the door / at the roundabout / at reception
On
on the wall / on the ceiling / on the door / on the floor / on the table / on her nose / on a page / on an island
Compare in and at:
- There were a lot of people in the shop. It was very crowded. | Go along this road, then turn left at the shop.
- I’ll meet you in the hotel lobby. | I’ll meet you at the entrance to the hotel.
Compare in and on:
- There is some water in the bottle.
- There is a balel on the bottle.
Compare at and on:
- There is somebody ay the door. Shall I go and see who it is?
- There is a notice on the door. It says ‘Do not disturb’.
124. In/at/on (position) 2
We say that somebody something is:
in a line / in a row / in a queue / in bed
in the sky / in the world / in the country / in the countryside
in an office / in a department / in a picture / in a photo / in a photograph
in a book / in a paper (= newspaper) / in a magazine / in a letter
on the left / on the right / on the left-hand side / on the right-hand side
on the ground floor / on the first floor / on the second floor etc.
on a map / on a menu / on a list
on a farm
We say that a place is on a river / on a road / on the coast:
Budapest is on the (river) Danube.
Also on the way:
We stopped to buy some thing in a shop on the way home.
At the top (of) / at the bottom (of) / at the end (of)
Write your name at the top of the page.
In the front / in the back of a car
I was sitting in the back (of the car) when we crashed.
At the front / at the back of a building / theatre / group of people etc.
The garden is at the back of the house.
On the front / on the back of a letter / piece of paper etc.
I wrote the date on the back of the photo.
In the corner of a room.
The TV is in the corner of the room.
At the corner or on the corner of a street.
There is a small shop at/on the corner of the street.
125. In/at/on (position) 3
In hospital / at work etc.
We say that somebody is in hospital / in prison / in jail.
We say that somebody is at work / at school / at university / at college.
We say that somebody is at home or is home (with or without at), but we say do something at home (with at):
I’ll be at home all evening. or I’ll be home all evening.
At a party / at a concert etc.
We say that somebody is at an event (at a party / at a conference etc.)
I saw Steve at a conference / at a concert on Saturday.
In and at for buildings
You can often use in or at with buildings. For example, you can eat in a restaurant or at a restaurant; you can buy something in a supermarket or at a supermarket. We usually say at when we say where an event takes place (for example: a concert, a film, a party, a meeting).
We say at the station / at the airport
There’s no need to meet me at the station. I can get a taxi.
We say at somebody’s house:
I was at Helen’s house last night. or I was at Helen’s last night
Also at the doctor’s / at the hairdresser’s etc.
We use in there we are thinking about the building itself. Compare:
- We had dinner at the hotel.
- All the rooms is the hotel have air conditioning. (not at the hotel)
In and at for towns etc.
We normally use in with cities, towns and villages:
- The Louvre is a famous art museum in Paros. (not at Paris)
- Sam’s parents live in a village in the south of France. (not at a village)
We use at when we think of the place as a point or station on a journey.
Does this train stop at Oxford? (= at Oxford station)
On a bus / in a car etc.
We usually say on a bus / on a train / on a plane / on a ship / but in a car / in a taxi.
- The bus was very full. There were too many people on it.
- Laura arrived in a taxi.
We say on a bike (= bicycle) / on a motorbike / on a horse:
Jane passed me on her bike.
126. To / at / in / into
We sat go/come/travel (etc.) to a place or event. For example.
go to China | go to bed | come to my house |
to back to Italy | go to the bank | be taken to hospital |
return to London | go to a concert | be sent to prison |
welcome somebody to a place | drive to the airport |
When are your friends going back to Italy? (not going back in Italy)
In the same way we say ‘a journey to / a trip to / a visit to / on my way to …’ etc.:
Did you enjoy your trip to Paris / your visit to the zoo?
Compare to (for movement) and in/at (for position):
They are going to France. but They live in France.
We say been to a place or an event:
I’ve been to Italy four times, but I’ve never been to Rome.
Get and arrive
We say get to a place:
What time did they get to London / to work / to the hotel?
But we say arrive in … or arrive at … (not arrive to).
We say arrive in a town, city or country:
They arrived in London / in Spain a week ago.
For other places (buildings etc.) or event, we say arrive at:
When did they arrive at the hotel / at the airport / at the party?
Home
We say go home / come home / get home / arrive home / on the way / on the way home etc. (no preposition). We do not say ‘to home’:
I’m tired. Let’s go home now. (= not go to home)
Into
Go into, get into … etc = enter (a room / a building / a car etv.):
I opened the door, went into the room and sat down.
With some verbs (especially go/get/put) we often use in (instead of into):
She got in the car and drove away. (or She got into the car…)
The opposite of into is our of:
She got out of the car and went into a shop.
We usually say ‘get on/off a bus / a train / a plane’ (not usually into/out of):
She got on the bus and I never saw her again.
127. In/on/at (other uses)
In
in the rain / in the sun / in the shade / in the dark / in bad weather etc.
We sat in the shade. It was too hot to sit in the sun.
(write) in ink / in pen / in pencil
When you do the exam, you’re not allowed to write in pencil
Also (write) in words / in figures / in capital letters etc.
Please write yourname in capital letters.
(be/fall) in love (with somebody)
They’re very happy together. They’re in love.
in (my) opinion
In my opinion, the movie wasn’t very good.
On
on TV / on television / on the radio
I didn’t watch the news on television, but I heard it on the radio.
on the phone
I’ve never met her, but I’ve spoken to her on the phone a few times.
(be / go) on strike
There are on trains today. The drivers are on strike.
(be / go) on a diet
I’ve put on a lot of weight. I’ll hace to go on a diet.
(be) on fire
Look! That is on fire.
On the while (= in general)
Sometimes I have problems at work, but on the whole I enjoy my job.
On purpose (= intentionally)
I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to annoy you. I didn’t do it on purpose.
On holiday / on a trip etc.
We say: (be / go) on holiday / on business / on a trip / on a tour / on a cruise etc.
I’m going on holiday next work.
You can also say ‘go to a place for a holiday / for my holiday(s)’:
Steve has gone to France for a holiday.
At the age of … etc.
We say at the age of 16 / at 120 miles an hour / at 100 degrees etc.
- Tracy left school 16. or … at the age of 16.
- The train was travelling at 120 miles an hour.
128. By
We use by in many expressions to say how we do something. For example, you can:
send something by post | contact somebody by phone / by email | do something by hand | pay by credit / by cheque
- Can I pay credit card?
- You can contact me by phone or by email.
But we say pay cash or pay in cash (not usually by cash)
We also say that something happens by mistake / by accident / by chance
We hadn’t arranged to meet. We met by chance.
But we say ‘do something on purpose’ (= you mean to do it)
I didn’t do it on purpose. It was an accident.
Note that we say by chance, by credit card etc. (not by the chance / by a credit card). In these expressions we use by + noun without the or a.
In the same way we use by… to say how somebody travels:
by car / by train / by plane / by boat / by ship / by bus / by bike etc.
by road / by rail / by air / by sea
But we say on foot.
Did you come here by car or on foot?
You cannnot use by if you say my car. / the train / a taxi etc. We say:
by car but in my car (not by my car)
by train but on the train (not by the train)
We use in for cars and taxis
They didn’t come in their car. They came in a taxi.
We use on for bikes and public transport (buses, trains etc.):
We travelled on the 6.45 train.
We say thay ‘something is done by somebody/something’ (passive)
Have you ever been bitten by a dog?
Compare by and with:
- The door must have been opened with a key. (not by a key) (= somebody used a key to open it)
- The door must have been opened by somebody with a key.
We say ‘a play by Shakespeare; / ‘a painting by Rembrandt’ / ‘a novel by Tolstoy’ etc.:
Hava you read anthing by Ernest Hemingway?
By also means ‘next to / beside’:
- Come and sit by me. (= next to me)
- ‘Where’s the light switch?’ ‘By the door.’
Note the following use of by:
- Clare’s salary has just gone up from $2,500 a month to $ 2,750. So it has increased by $250 / by ten per cent.
- Carl and Mike had a race over 200 metres, Carl won by about three metres.
129. Noun + preposition (reason for, cause of etc.)
Noun + for …
- a demand / a need FOR…
- The company closed down because there wasn’t enough demand for its product.
- There’s no excuse for behaviour like that. There’s no need for it.
- a reson FOR…
- The train was late, but nobody knew the reason for the delay. (not reason of)
Noun + of…
an advantage / a disadvantage OF…
The advantage of living alone is that you can do what you like.
but
There is an advantage in (or to) doing something.
There are many advantage in living alone, or … many advantages to living alone.
a cause OF…
The cause of the explosion is unknown.
a picture / a photo / a photograph / a map / a plan / a drawing (etc.) OF…
- Rachel showed me some pictures of her family.
- I had a map of the town, so I was able to find my way around.
Noun + in…
an increase / a decrease / a rise / a fall IN (prices etc.)
- There has been an increase in the number of road accidents recently.
- Last year was a bad one for the company. There was big fall in sales.
Noun + to…
damage TO…
The accident was my fault, so I had to pay for the damage to the other car.
an invitation TO…(a party / a weddubg etc.)
Did you get an invitation to the party?
a solution TO (a problem) / a key TO (a door) / an answer TO (a question) / a replay TO (a letter) / a reaction TO…
- I hope we find a solution to the peoblem. (not a solution of the problem)
- I was surprised at her reaction to my suggestion.
an attitude TO… or an attitude TOWARDS…
His attitude to his job very negative. or His attitude towards his job …
Noun + with… / between…
a relationship / a connection / contact WITH…
- Do you have a good relationship with your parents?
- The police want to question a man in connection with the robbery.
but
a relationship / a connection / contact / a difference BETWEEN two things or people
- The police believe that there is no connection between the two crimes.
- There are some differences between British and American English.
130. Adjective + preposition 1
It was nice of you to…
nice / kind / good / generous / polite / stupid / silly etc. OF somebody (to do something)
- Thank you. It was very kind of you to help me.
- It is stupid of me to go out without a coat in such cold weather.
but
(be) nice / kind / good / generous / polite / rude / friendly / cruel etc. TO somebody
- They have always been very nice to me. (not with me)
- Why were you so unfriendly to Lucy?
Adjective + about / with
angry / annoy / furious / upset | ABOUT something / WITH somebody FOR doing something
- There’s no point in getting angry about things that don’t matter.
- Are you annoyed with me for being late?
- Lisa is upset about not being invited to the party.
excited / worried / nervous / happy etc. ABOUT a situation
Are you nervous about the exam?
pleased/ satisfied / happy / delighted / disappointed WITH something you receive, or the result of something
- They were delighted with the present I gave them.
- Were you happy with your exam results?
Adjective + at / by / with / of
surprised / shocked / amazed / astonished / upset AT or BY something
- Everybody was suprised at (or by) the news.
- I hope you weren’t shocked by (or at) what I said.
impressed WITH or BY somebody/something
I’m very impressed with (or by) her English. It’s very good.
fed up / bored WITH something
I don’t enjoy my job any more. I’m fed up with it. / I’m bored with it.
tired / sick OF something.
Come on, let’s go! I’m tired of waiting. / I’m sick of waiting.
Sorry about / for
sorry ABOUT a situation or something that happened
- I’m sorry about the mess, I’ll clear it up later.
- Sorry about last night. (= Sorry about something that happened last night)
sorry FOR or ABOUT something you did.
- Alex is very sorry for what he said. (or sorry about what he said)
- I’m sorry for shouting at you yesterday. (or sorry about shouting)
You can also say ‘I’m sorry I (did something)’:
I’m sorry I shouted at you yesterday.
feel / be sorry FOR somebody who is in a bad situation.
I feel sorry for Matt. He’s had a lot of had luck. (not I feel sorry about Matt)
131. Adjective + preposition 2
Adjective + of (1)
afraid / frightened / terrified / scared OF…
‘Are you afraid of spiders?’ ‘Yes, I’m terrified of them’
fond / pround / ashamed / jealous / envious OF…
Why are you always so jealous of other people?
suspicious / critical tolerant OF…
He didn’t trust me. He was suspicious of my motives.
Adjective + of (2)
aware / conscious OF…
‘Did you know he was married?’ ‘No, I wasn’t aware of that.’
capable / incapable OF…
I’m sure you are capable of passing the examination.
full / short OF…
Amy is a very active person. She’s always full of energy.
I’m short of money. Can you lend me some?
typical OF…
He’s late again. It’s typical of him to keep everybody waiting.
cartain / sure OF or ABOUT…
I think she’s arriving this evening, but I’m not sure of that. or … not sure about that.
Adjective + at / to / from / in / on / with / for
good / bad / brilliant / better / hopeless etc. AT…
I’m not very good at repairing thing. (not good in repairing thing)
married / engaged TO…
Louise is married to an American. (not married with)
but > Louise is married with three children. (= she is married and has three children)
Similar TO…
Your writing is similar to mine.
different FROM or different TO…
THe film was different from what I’d expected. or …different to what I’d expected.
interested IN…
Are you interested in art?
keen ON…
We stayed at home because Chris wasn’t very keen on going out.
dependent ON… (but independent OF…)
I don’t want to be dependent on anybody.
crowded WITH (people etc.)
The streets were crowded with tourists. (but … full of tourists)
famous FOR…
The Italian city of Florence is famous for its art treasures.
responsible FOR…
Who was responsible for all that noise last night?
132. Verb + preposition 1 to and at
Verb + to
talk / speak TO somebody (with is also possible but less usual)
Who was that man you were talking to?
listen TO…
We spent the evening listening to music. (not listening music)
apologise TO somebody (for …)
They apologised to me for what happened. (not They apologised me)
explain something TO somebody
Can you explain this word to me? (not I explained them)
Let me describe to you what I saw. (not Let me describe you)
We do not use to with these verbs:
phone / call / email / text somebody
I called the airline to cancel my flight. (not called to the airline)
but write (a letter) to somebody
answer somebody / something
He refused to answer my question. (not answer to my question)
but replay to an email / a letter etc.
ask somebody
Can I ask you a question? (not ask to you)
thank somebody (for something)
He thanked me for helping him. (not He thanked to me)
Verb + at
look / stare / glance AT…, have a look / take a look AT…
Why are you looking at me like that?
laught AT…
I look stupid with this haircut. Everybody will laught at me.
aim / point (something) AT…, shoot / fire (a gun) AT…
Don’t point that knife at me. It’s dangerous.
We saw someone with a gun shooting at birds, but he didn’t hit any.
Some verbs can be followed by at or to, with a difference in meaning. For example:
shout AT somebody (when you are angry)
He got very angry and started shouting at me.
shout TO somebody (so that they can hear you)
He shouted to me from the other side of the street
throw something AT somebody / something (in order to hit them)
Somebody threw an egg at the minister.
throw something TO somebody (for somebody to catch)
Lisa shouted ‘Catch!’ and threw the keys to me from the window.
133. Verb + preposition 2 about / for / of after
Verb + about
talk / read / know ABOUT … , tell somebody ABOUT …
We talked about a lot of things at the meeting.
have a discussion ABOUT something, but discuss something (not preposition)
We had a discussion about what we should do.
We discussed a lot of things at the meeting. (not discussed about)
do something ABOUT something = do something to improve a bad situation
If you’re worried about the problem, you should do something about it.
Verb + for
ask (somebody) FOR…
I sent an email to the company asking them for more information about the job.
but > ‘I asked him the way to …’, ‘She asked me my name’ (no preposition)
apply (TO a person, a company etc.) FOR a job etc.
I think you’d be good at this job, Why don’t you apply for it?
wait FOR…
Don’t wait for me, I’ll join you later.
I’m not going out yet, I’m waiting for the rain to stop.
search (a person / a place / a bag etc.) FOR …
I’ve searched the house for my keys, but I still can’t find them.
leave (a place) FOR another place
I haven’t seen her since she left (home) for the office this morning. (not left to the office)
Care about, care for and take care of
care ABOUT somebody/something = think that somebody/something is important
He’s very selfish, He doesn’t care about other people.
We say ‘care what/where/how …’ etc. (without about):
You can do what you like. I don’t care what you do.
care FOR somebody/something
(1) = like something (usually negative sentences)
I don’t care for very hot weather. (= I don’t like …)
(2) = look after some body
Alan is 85 and lives alone. He needs somebody to care for him.
take care OF… = look after, keep safe, take responsiblity for
Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.
I’ll take care of the travel arrangements. You don’t need to do anything.
Look for and look after
look FOR… = search for, try to find
I’ve lost my keys. Can you help me to look for them?
look AFTER… = take care of, keep safe or in good condition
Alan is 85 and lives alone. He needs somebody to look after him. (not look for)
You can borrow this book, but you must promise to look after it.
134. Verb + preposition 3 about and of
hear ABOUT … = be told about something
Did you hear about the fire at the hotel yesterday?
hear OF… = know that somebody/something exists
‘Who is Tom Hart?’ ‘I have no idea. I’ve never heard of him.’ (not heard from him)
hear FROM… = be in contact with somebody
‘Have you heard from Jane recently?’ ‘Yes, she called me a few days ago.’
think ABOUT… and think OF…
When you think ABOUT something. you consider it, you concentrate your mind on it:
- I’ve though about what you said and I’ve decided to take your advice.
- ‘Will you lend me the money?’ ‘I’ll think about it.’
When you think OF something. the idea comes to your mind:
- It was my idea. I thought of it first. (not thought about it)
- I felt embarrassed. I counldn’t think of anything to say. (not think about anything)
We also use think of when we ask or give an oponion:
‘What did you think of the movie?’ ‘I didn’t think much of it.’ (= I didn’t like it much)
The difference is sometimes very small and you can use of or about:
When I’m alone, I often think of (or about you.)
You can say think of ot think about doing something (for possible future actions):
My sister is thinking of (or about) going to Canada. (= she is considering it)
dream ABOUT…(when you are asleep)
I dreamt about you last night.
dream OF or ABOUT being something . doing something = imagine
Do you dream of (or about) being rich and famous?
I wouldn’t dream OF doing something = I would never do it
‘Don’t tell anyone what I said.’ ‘No, I wouldn’t dream of it.’ (= I would never do it)
complain (TO somebody) ABOUT… = say that you are not satisfied
We complained to the manager of the restaurant about the food.
complain OF a plain, an illness etc. = say that you have a pain etc.
We called the doctor because George was complaining of a pain in his stomach.
remind somebody ABOUT… = tell somebody not to forget
I’m glad you reminded me about the meeting. I’d completely forgotten about it.
remind somebody OF… = cause somebody to remember
- This house reminds me of the one I lived in then I was a child.
- Look at this photograph of Richard. Who does he remind you of?
warn somebody ABOUT a person or thing which is bad, dangerous, unusual etc.
- I knew he was a strange person. I had been warned about him. (not warned of him)
- Vicky warned me about the traffic. She said it would be bad.
warn somebody ABOUT or OF a danger, something bad which might happen later.
Scientists have warned us about (or of) the effects of climate change.
135. Verb + preposition 4 of/for/from/on
Verb + of
accuse / suspect somebody OF…
- Sue accused me of being selfish.
- Some students were suspected of cheating in the exam.
approve / didapprove OF…
His parents don’t approve of what he does, but they can’t stop him.
die OF or FROM an illness etc.
‘What did he die of?’ ‘A heart attack’
consist OF…
We had an enormous meal. It consisted of seven course.
Verb + for
pay (somebody) FOR…
I didn’t have enough money to pay for the meal. (not pat the meal)
but pay a bill / a fine / a fee / tax / rent / a sum of money etc. (not preposition)
I didn’t have enough money to pay the rent
thank / forgive somebody FOR…
I’ll never forgive them for what they did.
apologise (TO somebody) FOR…
When I realised I was wrong, I apologised (to them) for my mistake.
blam somebody/something FOR…, somebody is to blame FOR…
Everybody blamed me for the accident.
Everybody said that I was to blame for the accident.
blame (a problem etc.) ON…
The accident wasn’t my fault. Don’t blame it on me.
Verb = from
suffer FROM an illness etc.
There’s been an increase in the number of people suffering from heart disease.
protect somebody/something FROM
Sun block protects the skin from the sun.
Verb = on
depend / rely ON
- ‘What time will you be home?’ ‘I don’t know. It depends on the traffic.’
- You can rely on Anna. She always keep her promises.
You can use depend + when/where/how etc.with or without on:
‘Are yo ugoing to buy it?’ ‘It depends how much it is.’ (or It depends on how much)
live ON money/food
Michael’s salary is very low. It isn’t enough to live on.
congratulate / compliment somebody ON…
- I congratulated her on doing so well in her exams.
- The meal was really good. I complimented Mark on his cooking skills.
136. Verb + preposition 5 in/into/with/to/on
Verb = in
beleive IN…
- Do you believe in God? (= Do you believe that God exists?)
- I believe in dsyinh what I think. (= I believe it is right to say what I think)
but believe something (= believe it is true), believe somebody (= believe they are telling the truth)
The story can’t be true. I don’t believe it. (not believe in it)
specialise IN…
Helen is a lawyer. She specialises in company law.
succeed IN…
I hope you succeed in finding the job you want.
Verb + into
break INTO…
Our house was broken into a few days ago, but nothing was stolen.
crash / drive / bump / run INTO…
He lost control of the car and crashed into a wall
divide / cut / split something INTO two or more parts
The book is divided into three parts.
translate a book etc. FROM one language INTO another
SHe’s a famous writer. Her books have been translated into many languages.
Verb = with
collide WITH…
There was an accident this morning. A bus collided with a car.
fill something WITH… (but full of… -see Unit 131B)
Take this saucepan and fill it with water.
provide / supply somebody WITH…
The school provides all its students with books.
Verb = to
happen TO…
WHat happened to that gold watch you used to have? (= where is it now?)
invite somebody TO a party / a weding etc.
They only invited a few people to their wedding.
perfer one thing/person TO another.
I perfer tea to coffee.
Verb + on
concentrate ON…
I tried to concentrate on my work, but I kept thinking about other thing.
insist ON…
I wanted to go alone, but some friends of mins insisted on coming with me.
spend (money) ON…
How much do you spend on food each week?