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Grammar
Prepositions and particles A1 A2 B1

Prepositions of place, time, and movement

Use common prepositions to place actions and things in space, time, and movement.

Visual guide

Prepositions: choose the job first

PREPOSITION = relation word
(place/time phrase follows it)

START: what job does it do?
        │
        ├─ WHERE? position
        │   in / on / at
        │   The phone is in my bag.
        │
        ├─ WHEN? time
        │   at / on / in
        │   The meeting starts at nine.
        │
        └─ WHERE TO? movement
            to / into
            We drove to the airport.

Same place, different job:
The cat is in the box.        [position]
The cat jumped into the box.  [movement]

Ask what job the preposition does: position, time, or movement.

Introduction

Prepositions place the action

Prepositions are small words that attach a noun phrase to the rest of the sentence. They answer where, when, or which way. In The keys are on the table, on the table places the keys in space. Prepositions usually come before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase: in the room, at six, to the station. Learn them as useful chunks, because the same word can have a space meaning, a time meaning, and a fixed-expression meaning.
Core Grammar A1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

The keys are on the table.

A preposition phrase answers where something is.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

on the table
place_chunk
places the keys on a surface
Learn as one unit
Cognitive metaphor

Place: container, surface, point

Think of many prepositions as small maps. In means inside a space, area, or container: The phone is in my bag. On means touching or belonging to a surface, line, page, road, or list. At means a point on your mental map: I'll wait at the door. Near, by, and beside mean close to; under, over, behind, and between show position in relation to another thing. The pharmacy isn't near the station shows that the whole phrase near the station works as one place chunk.
Core Grammar A1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

The phone is in my bag.

In often means inside a space or container.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

in my bag
place_chunk
inside a container
Learn as one unit
Core Grammar A1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

I'll wait at the door.

At marks a point on your mental map.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

at the door
place_chunk
at a point or meeting place
Learn as one unit
Negative Grammar A1 Vocabulary A2 Neutral

The pharmacy isn't near the station.

Near, by, and beside show closeness; the negative says the closeness is not true.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

isn't near
negative_relation
says that two places are not close
Learn as one unit
near the station
place_relation
close to the station
Core pattern

Place sentence frames

Most place sentences use subject + be or another verb + preposition + place noun. There is a bank on this street. Are the glasses in the cupboard? With be, the preposition chunk often gives the main new information: at home, in the kitchen, under the chair. With action verbs, it often tells where the action happens: work in an office, sit on a bus, wait at reception. Use the article or determiner that the noun needs: in a box, in the box, on my desk.
Core Grammar A1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

There is a bank on this street.

There is plus a place phrase is a common way to locate things.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

There is
existence_frame
introduces that something exists in a place
Learn as one unit
on this street
place_chunk
on a street as a line or area
Question Grammar A1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

Are the glasses in the cupboard?

In questions with be, the preposition phrase still gives the place.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

Are the glasses
question_frame
starts a yes/no question with be
in the cupboard
place_chunk
inside a storage space
Learn as one unit
Core logic

Time: point, day, period

Time prepositions use a different map. At points to an exact time or a short named moment: The meeting starts at nine. On names a day or date: We have class on Monday. In names a longer period, such as a month, season, year, or part of the day: It gets cold in December. For answers how long, as in for two hours, and since gives the starting point, as in since Monday. Until shows the end of a continuing situation: The shop is open until eight. By means no later than a deadline, as in by Friday.
Core Grammar A1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

The meeting starts at nine.

At is used with exact times.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

starts at nine
time_frame
event plus exact starting time
at nine
time_chunk
exact clock time
Learn as one unit
Core Grammar A1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

We have class on Monday.

On is used with days and dates.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

have class
event_frame
have an event or lesson
on Monday
time_chunk
day of the week
Learn as one unit
Core Grammar A1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

It gets cold in December.

In is used with months, years, seasons, and longer periods.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

in December
time_chunk
month as a longer time period
Learn as one unit
Core Grammar A2 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

The shop is open until eight.

Until shows how long a situation continues before it ends.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

open until eight
time_limit_frame
continues and ends at eight
until eight
endpoint_chunk
continuing endpoint
Learn as one unit
Core logic

Movement: destination and path

Movement prepositions draw a path. To marks the destination: We drove to the airport. Into means from outside to inside: She ran into the room. Onto means from off a surface to on it, as in onto the tray. Across goes from one side to the other, through goes inside a space and out the other side, along follows a line, past goes beside and beyond, and from marks the starting point. Choose the preposition that matches the whole path, not only the final place.
Core Grammar A1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

We drove to the airport.

To marks the destination of a movement.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

drove to
movement_frame
travelled with a destination
to the airport
destination_chunk
destination of movement
Learn as one unit
Core Grammar A1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

She ran into the room.

Into shows movement from outside to inside.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

ran into
movement_frame
moved from outside to inside
into the room
path_chunk
entrance path
Learn as one unit
Sentence xray

X-ray the preposition chunk

Read a preposition phrase as one functional chunk. In The keys are on the table, the thing is The keys, the verb is are, and the core place chunk is on the table. In The meeting starts at nine, the event is The meeting, the verb is starts, and the core time chunk is at nine. In She ran into the room, the mover is She, the movement verb is ran, and the core path chunk is into the room. Each chunk answers a practical question: where, when, or where to.
Contrast

Position or movement?

The closest confusion is position versus movement. At, in, and on can describe where something already is; to, into, and onto usually describe a change of place. I'm at the station means my position is the station. I'm going to the station means the station is my destination. The cat is in the box gives a location. The cat jumped into the box gives a path from outside to inside. This is why be often chooses a place preposition, while go, come, move, put, and jump often choose a movement preposition.
Contrast Grammar A1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

I'm at the station.

At describes position, not movement toward a place.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

at the station
place_chunk
position at a place
Learn as one unit
Contrast Grammar A1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

I'm going to the station.

To describes the destination of movement.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

going to
movement_frame
moving toward a destination
to the station
destination_chunk
destination of movement
Learn as one unit
Contrast Grammar A1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

The cat is in the box.

In gives location after the movement has finished or without movement.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

in the box
place_chunk
already inside the box
Learn as one unit
Contrast Grammar A1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

The cat jumped into the box.

Into gives the path from outside to inside.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

jumped into
movement_frame
jumped from outside to inside
into the box
path_chunk
entrance path
Learn as one unit
Danger zone

Common danger zones

Some common English time and place phrases do not follow the simple map. Do not use a preposition before next, last, every, or this when they directly modify a time word. Mistake: I'll see you on next Friday. Corrected: I'll see you next Friday. With arrive, use in for cities and countries, and at for buildings, stations, events, or exact points. Mistake: We arrived to Paris. Corrected: We arrived in Paris. Also, go home and get home usually take no to, because home works like a direction word.
Mistake Grammar A1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

I'll see you on next Friday.

Do not use on before next when next directly modifies a time word.

Corrected Grammar A1 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

I'll see you next Friday.

Next Friday works as a time phrase without a preposition.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

next Friday
time_chunk
future time expression with no preposition
Learn as one unit
Mistake Grammar A2 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

We arrived to Paris.

Arrive normally takes a location preposition, not to.

Corrected Grammar A2 Vocabulary A1 Neutral

We arrived in Paris.

Use in with arrive for cities and countries.

Building blocks

Read the sentence in chunks, not word-by-word.

arrived in
arrival_frame
arrived in a city or country
in Paris
place_chunk
city location after arrival
Learn as one unit
Summary

Choose by job, then learn chunks

Choose the preposition by the job of the phrase. For place, ask what kind of map you need: container, surface, point, or relation. For time, ask whether the time is a point, a day, a longer period, a duration, an endpoint, or a deadline. For movement, ask whether the phrase shows destination, entrance, surface change, crossing, route, passing, or starting point. Learn frequent preposition phrases as reusable chunks, then check difficult verbs and fixed expressions separately.
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