Prepositions

The Structure section of the exam frequently tests your knowledge of prepositions,sometimes in terms of
their general use and sometimes as part of idiomatic expressions. The following chart shows how
prepositions are used.
THROUGH ON TO INTO OUT OF BY OUT IN FROM ABOVE, OVER
BELOW, UNDER

During
This preposition sometimes gets confused with since and for. During is usually followed by a noun
indicating time. It indicates duration of time.
During our vacation, we visited many relatives across the country.
During the summer, we do not have to study.

From
From is the opposite of to, as shown in the previous figure.
Jorge traveled from Columbia.
This means the opposite of “Jose traveled to Columbia.”
From can be used to mean “beginning,” but it must be followed by an ending time
as well.
Maria worked on the project from 7 o’clock until midnight.
The idiomatic expression from time to time means the same as “occasionally.”
She works on her novel from time to time.

By
By means “near” or “next to.”
They passed by the store.
By may also be used to describe who performed an action in a passive sentence.
The play was performed by the original New York cast.
By followed by a specific time means “before” that time.
You should arrive by seven o’clock.
By can also be used to indicate a means of travel, such as a bus, plane, train, or ship.
She does not like to travel by plane.
Following are several idiomatic expressions that use by:
 -By then means “before (a certain time).”
Do not wait until tomorrow to book your flight. By then, there may be no seats left.
 By way of indicates a stop on a route.
She flew to Vancouver by way of Minneapolis and Seattle.
 By far means “considerably.”
This book is by far the worst he has written.

In
In means the opposite of out. It indicates a constant state, as opposed to into, which shows movement from
the outside to the inside.
The meeting will be held in the gym.
In is generally used to indicate that something is inside a room, building, town,
city, country, state, or any other enclosed place or place with geographical
boundaries.
The coat is in the closet.
She lives in Florida.
In can be followed by a general time, such as a month, year, decade, or the past or
the future. (Use on when indicating that something happens on a very specific date.)
The next class will begin in January.
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I hope to learn how to speak French in the future.
In can also be followed by a general time of day, such as the morning, the afternoon,
or the evening.
I need to see you in the afternoon.
Following are several idiomatic expressions that use in:
 In time means “occurring before a deadline.”
She arrived in time to catch the plane. (This has a slightly different
meaning than on time.)
 In place of means “instead of.”
Heather will sing in place of Yolanda.
 In the way means “obstructing.”
He could not drive down the narrow street because a car was in the way.
 Once in a while means “occasionally.”
Once in a while, she likes to backpack in the wilderness.
 In the middle means “located an equal distance from two sides.”
The players met in the middle of the court for the coin toss.
 In case means “if.”
He wants to buy more insurance so his family will be protected in case he dies.

Into
Into is used to show the action of moving from the outside to the inside (while in is used to show that
something or somebody is already inside).
The candidate waved and shook hands as he walked into the room.

Out
Out is the opposite of in. However, in and out are not always used in the same way. For example, “The man
is in the room” means the same as “The man is inside
the room.” The opposite of this sentence is “The man is outside the room.” It
would not be correct to say “The man is out the room.”
Out is frequently used in idiomatic expressions and is often used in conjunction
with the preposition of.
Out of can sometimes be used as the opposite of into.
She walked into the library.
She walked out of the library.
Out of plus a noun indicates a lack of something.
Peter’s car stalled because it was out of gas.
Following are idiomatic expressions that use out of:
_ Out of town means away from home.

Patricia is out of town.

_ Out of date means not current.

This telephone book is out of date.

_ Out of work means unemployed.

Mike is currently out of work.

_ Out of the question means not reasonable.

The proposal is out of the question.

_ Out of order means not functioning.

This pay phone is out of order.

On
On is the opposite of off, but again the conversion is not exact. On and off are exact
opposites when we discuss whether something such as an electrical appliance is running.
The light is on. The dishwasher is on.
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The light is off. The dishwasher is off.
However, we do not use on and off as opposites when we discuss whether something is sitting on a surface.
“The book is on the table” is correct. “The book is off the table” is not a standard English sentence. In this
case, you would say that “The book is not on the table.”
On can be followed by the name of a day of the week or by a specific date. While we say that “The meeting
will be held in March,” when we get to a specific day or date we say that “The meeting will be on March
29th.”
The next class will be on Monday.
Classes resume on January 23rd.
On can also be followed by a means of transportation, such as a bus, a plane, or a train. The difference
between on and by in this situation is that on generally indicates that someone is currently using that
transportation whereas by is more general.
Also, on requires an article (a or the) in this circumstance while by does not.
Jill likes to travel by train.
Jill is on the train.
On plus the name of a street indicates the location of something.
The hotel is on Concord Avenue.
If the exact address were stated, the preposition at would be used.
The hotel is at 433 Concord Avenue.
On can be followed by the floor of a building.
Patty works on the 77th floor.
Idiomatic expressions that use on include the following:
 On time means punctual. This phrase is more specific than in time.
The plane arrived on time.
 On the corner means at the intersection of two streets.
His office is on the corner of Granada and Pearl Drive.
 On the sidewalk.
Florence was standing on the sidewalk.
 On the way means between two places. (This has a very different meaning
than in the way.)
Ocala is on the way to Gainesville when traveling from Daytona Beach.
 On the right or on the left means to the right side or to the left side of something.
The museum is on the left side of the street.
 On television or on the radio means a show or transmission sent via television or radio.
She heard about the accident on the radio.
 On the telephone means the transmittal of a call by telephone.
The teenagers seem to be constantly on the telephone.
 On the whole means “in general.”
On the whole, the space program has been successful.
 On the other hand means “however” and is used to show contrast between
two thoughts.
Mr. Miller is a good coach. On the other hand, the assistant is rude and
arrogant.

At
At is used to indicate a general location and is less specific than in.
Jane is at the office.
This sentence does not describe specifically in which room or part of the office she is located.
At can also be followed by a specific address or a specific time.
Ritsuko lives at 105 East 24th Place.
The movie begins at 7:30.
The phrases at home, at school, and at work are common in standard English.
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John will be at work until 5:30.
Julie should be at home now.
Idiomatic expressions that contain at include the following:
 At night means “during the night.” (In is used with other times of day, such
as in the morning and in the afternoon.)
She always has to work at night.
 At least means “at a minimum.”
The plane tickets will cost at least as much as the hotel.
 At once means “immediately.”
The woman dialed 911 at once when she realized the boy was in trouble.
 At times means “occasionally.”
At times, Barbara has considered returning to work.
 At first means “initially.”
At first, the company was not given serious consideration.

Under
Under means “below.”
The book is under the table.
This would suggest that the book is on the floor; it is not touching the table.
Below could be used instead of under in this sentence.
Idiomatic expressions that contain under include the following:
_ Under the influence means “under the control of somebody or something.”

Martin was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.

The woman believes that she is under the influence of a magic spell.
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_ Under the weather means “ill.”
Sharon did not attend the meeting because she was under the weather.
_ Underweight is the opposite of overweight. It means “too thin.”

Her health problems stem from her being so underweight.

Through
Through indicates that something begins outside an object, enters the object, and
exits the object.
We traveled through Indianapolis on the way to Fort Wayne.