How to use prepositions in English. The article the in English is a total analysis

Today is just a world cheat sheet, friends. Another valuable find from DuoLingo.com. Thanks to the author for this valuable work.

Due to the fact that many prepositions in English language are used differently than in Russian. The topic of prepositions is a sore point for almost all students.

This collection covers almost all the rules for using with concrete examples. The table is structured in such a way that you can use it to make your own sentences, guided by it as a reference. Brilliant! Personally, I will return to this table more than once, because. I'm not sure that even native speakers know all the rules outlined in it.

It is with great pleasure that I share this wealth with you, friends.

Practical part:
Suggestions, like phrasal verbs and idioms, you need to memorize not separately, but in conjunction with a specific verb. So act like I already do. Make 5-10 sentences with several different prepositions and work with them (with one group of prepositions) for a week. Speak each of the sentences in the past, present and future tense, build a question and a negative. Why this is so - you will kill two birds with one stone, tighten up prepositions and train yourself to use tenses correctly in speech, build questions and negatives on the fly.

Complete table of English prepositions with examples

That's all for me, friends.

Save this guide to your wall, share with friends. If you liked the release, I will be glad to your likes and reposts.

See you later,
Alex Ch.

Hello my wonderful readers!

You can probably guess what is the most frequently used word in English speech, right? Of course it is the article "the". And today we will analyze where its use in English is appropriate and where it is not. We will study the rules for its use, look at numerous examples, and analyze a table with stable expressions that you can always have at hand. And then you can go to and to consolidate everything you learned here.

Go ahead, friends!

A little bit of grammar

If the article “a” (about it in detail!) Is used only with nouns that can be counted, then “the” is used with all nouns: and in the only one, and plural; both countable and non-countable items .

By the way, the pronunciation of the article also changes depending on which letter the next word begins with. If the word begins with a consonant, then the article is pronounced like [ðə], for example the banana - banana. But if the subject begins with a vowel, then it is pronounced like [ði], for example, the apple - Apple.

When to use

If in speech or in writing already mentioned subject, then in the future you can put this article with it.

I received an e-mail from my friends. The letter told me that they would visit me on the weekend.- I received a letter from my friends. The letter said that they would visit me over the weekend.

With unique items that are one and only of their kind, we also use the - the sun, the moon, the Earth.

The moon today is extremely beautiful. The moon is incredibly beautiful today.

With geographical names the article has a special relationship at all. With titles rivers, deserts, oceans, island groups and mountain ranges we can confidently use the article, but we must not forget about exceptions. I am very detailed about them.

The Atlantic Ocean is the most beautiful ocean on the planet.- The Atlantic Ocean is the most beautiful ocean on the planet.

The Comoro Islands attract lots of tourists every year.- Comoros attracts many tourists every year.

With titles hotels, cinemas, ships, museums, galleries and newspapers we most often also use definite article.

The Hilton hotel is about to open in our city.- In our city, the Hilton hotel is about to open.

The Louvre is the most attended museum in Europe.- The Louvre is the most visited museum in Europe.

With adjectives in the highest degree of comparisons: the most, the best, the worst.

The most beautiful place I've ever been is Japan in spring.- The most beautiful place I have ever seen is Japan in the spring.

The best books I've ever read were about Harry Potter.- The best books I've read are Harry Potter.

With musical tools and titles dancing.

The violin is my most beloved musical instrument.- The violin is my favorite musical instrument.

The contemporary has become very popular among dancers some years ago.- Contempo became very popular among dancers a few years ago.

When not used

It is important to know when the definite article is used, but it is equally important to know when it is. not used.

with plural nouns that can't be counted when we say something general.

Trees produce oxygen.- Trees produce oxygen. (any trees, in general)

With names own and before names we never use it.

Jinny is very talented. She can play 3 different musical instruments. Ginny is very talented. She can play three different instruments.

With titles countries, cities, streets, parks, mountains, lakes, bridges and islands we try to avoid it.

Spain is mostly famous for its football club Barcelona. - Spain is mostly known for its football club Barcelona.

I dream of climbing Everest.- I dream of climbing Everest.

With titles sports, activities, games, colors, days, months, drinks, meals he is not friendly.

I can speak Turkish a little.- I can speak Turkish a little.

I was born in July. - I was born in July.

My favorite color is green. - Green is my favorite color.

If we have pronouns this, that, those- we not use "the". In addition, with possessive pronouns (and possessive in general!) We also do not use it.

This the ball was signed by a famous football player.- This ball was signed by a famous footballer.

Kathy's dress is ready. I've already cleaned it.- Casey's dress is ready. I cleaned it yesterday.

With words school, church, hospital, college, university, court, prison we use it or we don't use it depending on meaning. Let's see an example:

I go to school from Monday to Friday.- I go to school from Monday to Friday. (as a student)

My mother went to the school for a meeting. My mother went to school for a meeting. (As a parent, not as a student)

With titles diseases we can also use or do not use article.

I've got (the) flu. - I got sick.

Set expressions

Both the and a form fixed expressions that cannot be changed in any way. So let's get to know them (By the way, if you need general information about the articles of the English language, then you).

I am sure that now that you have a hint in the form of a table and structured rules in your hands, it will be much easier for you to master the ones that I have prepared for you. And after them, you can move on to. Practice as much as possible, study, learn new rules and improve your English.

And I'm ready to help you with this. The materials on my blog are constantly updated, and my subscribers receive them even before they appear on the site. I look forward to seeing you there as well, to share important materials with the very first.

And for today I say goodbye.

Almost everyone who starts learning a language faces difficulties when using English prepositions.

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

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

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

And also I will 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 a phrase.

In English, there are 4 large groups prepositions:

1. Prepositions of place.
2. Direction prepositions.
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 denote 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.

Pretext	Translation	Usage	Example
Above	above, above	We say that something / someone is in a higher position or place than something / someone else.	He lives above me. He lives above me.
Below	under, below	We say that something / someone is in a lower place or position, or at a lower level.	There is a house below the bridge. There is a house under the bridge.
Before	in front of	Something/someone is ahead of someone/something.	He walked before me. He walked in front of me.
In front of	before, opposite	Something / someone is in front of someone / something, or face to face in front of someone.	He parked in front of the building. He parked in front of the building.
Behind	behind, behind	Something/someone is behind someone/something.	She stood behind me. She stood behind me.
Under	under	Someone/something is at a lower level or covered by something.	He hid under the table. He hid under the table.
Over	above	Someone/something is above and does not touch another object.	A lamp hung over the table. The lamp hangs over the table.
Between	between	Some object or person separates other objects, that is, is located between them.	There is a bicycle between the two cars. The bike is between two cars.
Among	among	We say that someone/something is surrounded by something.	There were two foreign women among the guests. There were two foreign women among the guests.
By	at, near, near, near	Very close to something. Most often used when we say that we are in close proximity to a window, door or edge of something.	I saw him standing by the window. I saw him standing at the window.
Beside	near	Something / someone is near, on the side of someone / something.	The girl sat beside me. The girl sat down next to me.
Next to	near, near, beside	Very close to someone/something when there are no other people or objects between you.	They stood next to their car. They were standing next to the car.
outside	outside	Something / someone is not inside the building, but close to it.	We waited outside. We were waiting outside.
At	in	Someone is inside something for a specific purpose.	They are at the hospital. They are in the hospital.
In	in	Someone/something is inside something.	We put the books in a box. We put the books in a box.
On	on the	Someone/something is on the surface of something.	There is a book on the windowsill. There is a book on the windowsill.

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."

Pretext	Translation	Usage	Example
Across	through	Someone moves from one side of something to the other.	He was swimming across the river. He swam across the river.
along	along, along	Walk forward in the direction of the length of something.	go straight along this street. Go straight along this street.
Down	down	Move from a high position to a lower one.	We skied down the slope. We skied down the slope.
Up	up	Move from a low position to a higher position.	We are walking up stairs. We go up the stairs.
round/around	around	Move in a circle, surround something.	They danced around a fir-tree. They danced around the tree.
Into	in	Get inside something, go somewhere.	she came into the building. She entered the building.
out (of)	from	To come out from somewhere, to move from the inside out.	He went out of a restaurant. He left the restaurant.
Through	through, through	From one side (entrance) move to the other side (exit).	We will walk through the forest. We will go through the forest.
To	to	Used to say where someone is going, towards what they are moving.	They are going to the cinema. They go to the cinema.

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 have finished work by 5 pm."

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

Pretext	Translation	Usage	Example
For	during	Used to say how long an action or situation lasts.	She was baking the cake for an hour. She baked a cake for an hour.
During	during, throughout	Indicates that an action or situation lasted from the beginning to the end of some period of time.	They were studying during the night. They worked all night.
Since	since then	We use it when we say that something is happening or has happened since a certain period of time in the past.	He has known her since childhood. He has known her since childhood.
By	to	Indicates that an action will occur before or not later than a certain time or moment.	You have to send me the documents by the Friday. You need to send me the documents by Friday.
Until/till	before	We use this word when something happens up to a certain time, and then stops.	Let's wait until Monday. Let's wait until Sunday.
From…to	From to…	We use it when we say that something happened from one period of time to another.	We work from nine to five. We work from nine to five.
Before	before	We use it when we say that something happened before a certain action or event.	Read instructions before use. Read the instructions before use.
After	after	We use it when we say that something happened after some event or after someone did something.	You should rest after the exercise. You need to rest after this exercise.
Over	for, during	Used when you have been doing something (intermittently) for a period of time.	I am going to study English over my holidays. I am going to study English during my holidays.
Ago	back	Used to show how long ago something happened in the past.	They got married 5 years ago. They got married 5 years ago.
Within	no later than; during	It is used when we say that an action must be completed before a certain period of time occurs. We emphasize the limited period.	I will answer within three days. I will reply within three days.
up to	before	We say that something happened / is happening before a certain period.	He has kept the secret up to now. He kept this secret until this time.
In	in	Used with months, with times of day, with years, with seasons, with long periods of time.	We met in 2001. We met in 2001.
At	in	It is used with clocks, with certain moments of the day, with weekends and holidays.	She will come at 6 o'clock. She will come at 6 o'clock.
On	in	Used with dates, with days of the week, with special dates.	He was born on October 9. He was born on October 9th.

Prepositions of cause and purpose

Prepositions of cause and purpose we need to say why or for what an action took place.

For example: "She didn't come because she was sick."

Here are the main prepositions of this group.

Pretext	Translation	Usage	Example
Because of	Because, because of	Used to say who or what causes something to happen or is the cause of something. Most often used in colloquial speech.	He was absent because of* illness.* He was absent due to illness. He left because of* you.* He left because of you.
In accordance with	According to, according to	We use it when something happens according to a rule or law.	We have finished the work in accordance with* her instructions.* We finished the job according to her instructions. In accordance with the law I have prepared a contract. In accordance with the law, I prepared a contract.
On account of	As a result, due to	We use it when we say that something happened because of something. In particular, because of some problems or difficulties.	We couldn't sleep on account of* the noise.* We couldn't sleep because of the noise. The bus was delayed on account of* a snowfall.* The bus was delayed due to snowfall.
Thanks to	Thanks, because	We use it when something happened because of someone or something. Most often something good.	We have tickets to the game thanksto you. We have tickets to the game thanks to you. I found this apartment thanks to* my friend.* I found this apartment thanks to my friend.
due to	Due to thanks	Used when something happened because of something ( often with a negative connotation). In most cases, it is used in formal, formal occasions.	The plane was delayed due to* a technical problem.* Due to a technical problem, the flight was delayed. The game was postponed due to* rain.* The game was postponed due to rain.
Through	Thanks, because	Used when something happens because of something.	I lost the picnic through sickness. I missed the picnic due to illness. He failed his exams through* not studying enough.* He failed his exams because he didn't study properly.
From	By, from	Used to say why you think or believe something. Also used to talk about what causes something.	I guessed from her accent that she is French. I guessed from her accent that she was French. From what I "ve heard, the new exam will be more difficult. From what I've heard, the new exam will be more difficult.
Of	From, because of, by	Shows the reason why something happened (usually bad).	The economy is the cause of the crisis. The economy has become the cause of the crisis. He died of a heart attack. He died of a heart attack.
For	For, for, for	We use it when we say that we are doing / using something for a specific purpose. Also, when something happens because of or as a result of something.	I have bought him a cake for his birthday. I bought him a cake for his party. We could hardly see for the mist. We could barely see because of the fog.

So, now you are familiar with English prepositions. Let's put them into 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 traffic.
4. The meeting will start at 7 o'clock.
5. The ball is under the sofa.

What I love about English prepositions is the ability to completely change the meaning of the main word with the help of one such small word. It was "look" 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 with English prepositions is aerobatics. If you learn this art, you will enrich your vocabulary and cause a roar of approval with your speech.

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

Let's not waste time on the fact that prepositions are 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 illustrative examples in pictures. We will also consider the use of prepositions with examples.

1. Prepositions of place and direction (spatial)

2. Prepositions are temporary

Consider the most basic ones: about, after, at, during, for, in, on, till, within.

about	about (approximately, approximately)	It's about 6 p.m. (Now around 6pm)
after	after	Summer comes after spring. (Summer comes after spring)
at	in	Let's meet at 10 a.m. (Meet me at 10 am)
during	during	She was sleeping during the whole lesson. (She slept during the whole lesson)
for	during	He laughed for 5 minutes. (He laughed for 5 minutes)
in	through	I'll be home in 10 minutes. (I'll be home in 10 minutes)
on	on	I usually go shopping on Fridays. (I usually go shopping on Fridays)
till	before	I won't go shopping till Sunday. (I won't go shopping until Sunday)
within	during, for	You must do it within a month. (You must do it in a month)

3. Causal prepositions

because of- because;
on account of- due to, due to;
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 are both temporal and spatial). Moreover, if you open any dictionary (well, at least the same Yandex) and select any preposition, you will be surprised by the number of values. Let's say the most commonly used English preposition is to can have 13 values (do not be lazy, take a look).

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

SUGGESTIONS SING IT!

Yes, yes, just sing or even read. Once you're familiar with the basic prepositions, try out Eminem, Timati, or any rapper you like. Not enough ideas for the text yet? Mix suggestions! Knowing small and remote prepositions is very cool. Check it out by watching the video and feel like a rising rap star.

ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS AND RUSSIAN CASES. We remember the second class.

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 (whom? what?) - without a preposition
Give me a pen.

Instrumental case (by whom? 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 THE PROPOSITION IN THE SENTENCE

Every pretext know your place!

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

Put the book onthetable.
Give it to me.
The shop is behind the 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, 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 grown together with a certain noun. Useful for everyday communication.

by	By mistake By accident By chance By the way By bus/train/car Day by day step by step	by mistake accidentally by chance by the way by bus/train/car day after day step by step
for	For a walk/dance/drink/swim For breakfast/dinner	go for a walk/dance/drink/swim for breakfast/lunch
in	In fact In case In the future In love In time In the morning/evening/afternoon	in fact when in future in love in time morning/evening/afternoon
on	On-television On holiday/ a trip on foot	on TV on vacation / on a trip on foot
at	At home/work At night At present	at home/at work at night now

By the way, about the last three prepositions. They won a special place under 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, the specially dedicated to them will tell and prove.

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

For example:

Put- put
Put on- to bet on (smth., smth.)
Put across- deceive

When it becomes a habit, you will one day be happy to find 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 any pauses and “mmm”, “uh”, “aah”. In the meantime, the problem exists, then you need to solve it, starting with passing a thematic test about prepositions.

Have you sorted the predogs into shelves in your head? There are spots even on the Sun, so we suggest once again (which is not superfluous at all) to go through the pretexts by watching a video tutorial on the topic. After watching and several years of practice, you can safely assign yourself the honorary title of "guru".

// 65 Comments

The there is / there are construction is used to report the location of objects and persons. Remember a simple rule: if Russian sentence begins with the circumstance of place (the first word of the Russian sentence answers the question "where?"), then we will start the English sentence with there is / there are. For example: "There is a mouse in the box" - There is a mouse in the box. In this case, the circumstance of the place itself (in the box - in the box) must be placed at the end of the sentence. English sentences with the construction there is / there are are translated from the end (while There is ... there are not translated). For example: There is a bench in the garden - There is a bench in the garden.

If the sentence begins with the subject (“who?” Or “what?”) This construction is not used, we translate it as it is: the car is on the street - the car is in the street.

Google shortcode

Let's compare two sentences "a vase is on the table" and "a vase is on the table". The first one begins with the adverb of the place, and the second with the subject, respectively, to translate the first sentence, we use There is a .... - “there is a vase on the table”, and the second sentence is translated without this construction - “the vase is on the table”. If the subject (the subject referred to in the sentence) is singular, then there is is used, and if it is plural, then there are.

Please note that (is, are) in such sentences can be translated as “lies”, “stands”, “hangs”, “grows”, “is”: There are toys in the box lie toys, there is a big tree in front of my house - In front of my house growing a big tree.
When listing items, use There is, if the first item listed is in singular(There is a copy book, three pencils and a ruler on the table) and there are if the first item listed is plural (There are three pencils, a copy book and a ruler on the table).

Word order in affirmative, interrogative and negative sentences with the construction there is / there are

Prepositions of place are functional words that connect the members of a sentence and are closely related to the use of the there is / there are construction, so we consider them in this post. First, remember the prepositions of place and direction in English.

On - on: there is an apple on the plate - there is an apple on the plate
In - inside: there are pens in the bag - there are pens in the bag
Above / over - above: there is a picture above the fireplace - a picture hangs above the fireplace
At - y: at the wall - against the wall
Near - near, about, nearby: near my house - near my house
Under - under: under the table - under the table
Below - below, under: below the window - under the window
Behind - behind: behind the tree - behind the tree
To - indicates movement towards the subject: to school - to school, to work - to work, to a friend - to a friend
Into - inside: into the room - into the room
From - indicates movement from the subject: from school - from school, from work - from work, take the cup from that boy - take the cup from that boy, take the book from the table - take the book from the table
Out of - from (from inside): out of the bag - from the bag
In front of - before: in front of my house - in front of my house
Between - between: between the cupboard and the sofa - between the cupboard and the sofa
Up - up: up the street - up the street
Through - through, through: through the window - through the window
Across - through (crossing): across the street - across the street
Beside / next to - next (next in a row): sit next to me - sit next to me

We recommend paying attention to the difference between the prepositions in and into. Phrases with the preposition in answer the question "where?" - in the cupboard - in the closet, in the bag - in the bag, in the box - in the box. Phrases with the preposition into answer the question “where?” - into the cupboard - into the closet, into the bag - into the bag, into the box - into the box.

More about the offer into see our video:

Remember the exceptions: on the tree - in the tree, on the street - in the street, in the picture - in the picture.

Prepositions in English perform many functions, act as case endings that are absent in English, are an integral part of an uncountable number of expressions and should never be neglected.