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How to put prepositions in English correctly. Prepositions in English

Prepositions in English language are a part of speech. They reflect temporal, spatial, causal or other types of relationships between two meaningful words. In Russian, cases are used for these purposes, while in English, word order and prepositions are used to build constructions. You should learn the rules for using prepositions in English in order to correctly compose sentences.

All English prepositions can be divided into:

Simple or simple;
Compound or complex;
Derived or production;
Composite or composite.

The form Simple has an overwhelming number of prepositions. These include, for example, against (against, from, on, to, under), the preposition in (in, for, on, on, at), about (about, about, on, about, about).

Compound include several components. These include whereupon (after which, as a result of which), within (in, inside).

Derived come from words of other parts of speech. These include, for example, concerning (about, by).

Composite uses when forming a phrase. They consist of a word from a different part of speech and one or two prepositions. These include, for example, because of (due to, due to), with regard to (in relation to). Any element from a compound preposition cannot be reduced or expanded - it is a single whole unit. The value of the Composite is directly dependent on the significant word that is part of it.

Adverbs and prepositions in English

Some English prepositions are spelled the same as adverbs. You can distinguish them from each other only by the role they play in the design. Adverbs carry their own meaning and in some cases define the verb. In addition, adverbs, as a rule, are logically stressed. Prepositions only reflect the relationship between significant parts of speech.

To better understand the difference, consider an example:

The guests were led above. The guests were taken upstairs. In this case, above is an adverb because it has its own meaning and answers the question “where?”.

There is only clear sky above me. “There is only clear skies above me. In this case, above is used as a preposition, as it expresses the spatial relationship between 2 words.

grammatical meaning

As mentioned above, in English, prepositions are used instead of cases. In this case, they are not translated, and the noun to which the preposition refers is put in the necessary case.

Preposition of- corresponds to the genitive case (“whom? what?”). For example, This is the hat of Mr. brown. This is Mr Brown's hat.

Preposition to- corresponds to the dative case ("to whom? to what?"). For example, You should give such a difficult task to a more experienced specialist. - You should give such a difficult task to a more experienced specialist.

Preposition by answers the questions "by whom? how?". This is the agentive instrumental. Nouns that are used in conjunction with this preposition are used to describe the actor or force that performs the action. For example, This book is written by a famous journalist. — This book is written by a famous journalist.

Preposition with answers the question "what?". This is an instrumental instrumental case. The noun with which this preposition is used characterizes the instrument of action. For example, Such toys are cut with a knife. These toys are cut with a knife.

Preposition about- corresponds to the prepositional case (“about whom? about what?”). For example, Anna likes stories about spies. Anna likes stories about spies.

The meaning of prepositions

Some English prepositions have several meanings, these include the preposition in, to, at. And others, on the contrary, only one, for example, till, among.

However, the same verbs in combination with different prepositions have different meanings. For example, take the suggestion to before verbs in English: to look for - “search” and to look after - “look after”.

Prepositions can have the following meanings, presented in the table below:

Used values	Construction in English	Translation
Separation relation	to tell something from something	distinguish something from something
Meaning of the course of action	in a positive way	optimistic
Similarity relation	You are like me.	You look like me.
Goals	I did it just for entertainment.	I did it just for fun.
The meaning of relativity	He is very smart for a kid.	He is very smart for a child.
Temporary relationship	after sunrise	after dawn
relationship relation	to take part in the contest	to take part in the competition
causal relationship	dislike someone for being a coward	not loving someone because of their cowardice
Attitude to the field of activity	But I sing terrible!!	But I sing terribly!
Spatial relationships, including the meaning of movement	up the stream	upstream
Object relation (what the action is aimed at)	shout at somebody	yell at someone
Concession value	in spite of bad weather	despite bad weather
Origin, material	A table made of glass.	Glass table.
Relations corresponding to instrumental case in Russian. A noun with the preposition by is used to describe an actor or force, with the preposition with an instrument of action	Such kind of painting must be executed with a thin brush. This project was developed by one of our managers.	This type of painting is done with a thin brush. This project was developed by one of our managers.
The meaning of belonging to or part of something	a decline in sales	decline in sales
Definition value	people under threat	people are at risk

Where should a preposition be in a sentence?

As a rule, a preposition that expresses the relationship between 2 words stands between them.

For example: He plans to return in October. He plans to return in October.

If there are one or more adjectives, the preposition is placed before them. This is the basic rule for how adjectives are used with prepositions:

For example: She is sitting under a big old apple tree. She is sitting under an old big apple tree.

However, there are exceptions to this rule:

Special questions when the preposition is at the end of the sentence. For example, Who am I supposed to send it to? Who should I send this to? But some want to put a preposition before a question word. This is necessary to give the design a more formal sound. For example, To whom am I supposed to send it? Who should I send this to? Both of these options are correct.
In subordinate clauses with prepositions and in sentences that begin with relative and allied pronouns. For example, What I'm really surprised about is this nasty weather. “What I'm really surprised about is this terrible weather.
in passive structures. For example, This problem must be taken care of. – This problem needs to be solved.
In exclamatory sentences. For example, What a terrible thing to brag about! What a terrible thing to brag about!
In some constructions with gerudium or infinitive. For example, He is impossible to work with. - It's impossible to work with him. It's a too noisy place to live in. It's too noisy a place to live here.

Prepositions in English are quite easy to remember, and the rules of use are clear to everyone.

Common prepositions and how they are used

Below we will consider the most common prepositions and the meaning in which they should be used.

The first meaning of the preposition is place. For example, Jack is at school now. Jack is at school now.

The preposition at, used in English, can mean time. For example, We will be back at 5 p.m. We will return at 5 pm.

The preposition on can be used to indicate a place. For example, I love fresh snow on the ground. I love fresh snow on the ground.

Used to indicate time. For example, They forecast sunny weather on Tuesday. Sunny weather is forecast for Tuesday.

And also for on in English will be used to indicate the scope of activity. For example, After a short speech on modern ecology problems Mr. Litz answered several questions. – After a short speech on the topic of modern environmental problems, Mr. Litz answered a few questions.

It belongs to the group "prepositions of place". For example, I saw the remote in my room. I saw the TV remote control in my room.

The preposition can also mean geographical position, but unlike at, which denotes a point on a map, in is used in English when talking about a large area with houses and streets.

For comparison:

We had a change of plane at Budapest on our way to Roma. – On the way to Rome, we had a change in Budapest.

Pete lives in New York. Pete lives in New York.

It is advisable to use these prepositions in English to indicate time. It is worth noting that in means a somewhat extended time period. For example, Gorky park is so beautiful in October. – Gorky Park is so beautiful in October. Here it is worth drawing a parallel with at, denoting a specific moment in time. For example, We leave at 6 o'clock. We leave at 6 o'clock.

The use of this preposition is useful when it is necessary to indicate the topic of conversation. For example, I would like to tell you about the harm of smoking. I would like to tell you about the dangers of smoking.

And also to indicate the direction or place where you should move. For example: Walk about the square and meet me in 10 minutes. – Walk around the square and meet me in 10 minutes.

If a rough estimate is given, this preposition is also used. For example, It must be about 2 o'clock. It should be about 2 o'clock by now.

This preposition conveys the meaning "above or above". For example, Our neighbor above is so loud. Our upstairs neighbor is so loud.

Its second meaning is “more than and above”. For example, Above 2000 visitors took part in the expo. – More than 2000 visitors took part in the exhibition.

This preposition is the opposite of Above and means "below, under". For example, I love flying on airplanes and seeing only clouds below me. - I like to fly on planes and see only clouds below me.

The preposition is used when talking about time in the meaning of "after". For example, After we finish packing the furniture it must be loaded on the truck. – After we finish packing the furniture, it will need to be loaded onto a truck.

It also belongs to the group "prepositions of place" and is used in the meaning of "behind something or someone." For example, Don't run, the dogs will run after us. Don't run or the dogs will run after us.

The preposition is the antonym of After and serves to denote time in English in the sense of "before, before", for example, You must tell me a tale before I go to sleep. Before I go to bed, you must tell me a story. And also to indicate a place in the meaning of "before", for example, You keep stopping before each shop window. “You always stop in front of every shop window.

A preposition that corresponds to the active force or person. In other words, it plays the role of the agentive instrumental in Russian. For example, This violin was made by a famous master. This violin was made by a famous master.

It can mean a period after which some action must be performed. For example, The plane will land by midnight. The plane will land before midnight.

The preposition is also used when talking about the way or means of doing some work. For example, I've started my business by selling oranges. I started my business by selling oranges.

In addition, the preposition can mean a place in the meaning of "near, at, near." For example, I know a lovely place by the lake nearby. I know a wonderful place near the lake nearby.

The preposition for is used in the sense of "for" when talking about a goal. For example, We've decorated the room for your return! We have decorated the room for your return!

Used when talking about compensation or price. For example, You did not even thank us for all our help. “You didn't even thank us for all our help. You must pay for the dinner in Euros. You must pay for lunch in euros.

A preposition is used when talking about a reason. For example, You were fired for always coming late. You were fired for being constantly late.

When talking about time in the meaning of "during". For example, I was on vacation for the last 2 weeks.- I spent the last 2 weeks on vacation.

The preposition is used when talking about an object in favor of which a certain action was performed. For example, I voted for another candidate. I voted for another candidate.

This preposition belongs to the group called “prepositions of movement in English”. It is used when talking about the direction of action in the sense of "from whom or from where." For example, I did not hear from him for 8 years. I haven't heard anything about him for the last 8 years.

It is also possible to use this preposition when it comes to the starting moment of performing an action. For example, This bank is working from 10 to 16. - This bank is open from 10 am to 4 pm.

This preposition acts as a genitive case, answers the questions “who? what?" and is not translated into Russian. For example, This is the dictionary of our teacher. This is our teacher's dictionary.

In addition, a preposition can single out one object from a group. For example, One of your children has broken my window. One of your children broke my window.

It is also suitable for use when talking about materials. For example, Such huts are made of clay. These huts are built of clay.

This preposition corresponds to the dative case in Russian and can mean direction. For example, Throw the ball to me! - Throw me a ball!

We have analyzed the rules and the use of basic English prepositions. To consolidate the material, you should independently compose several sentences with each preposition. In this way, one can learn to accurately use and arrange prepositions.

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 are used differently than in Russian. The topic of prepositions is a sore point for almost all students.

This collection covers almost all usage rules with specific 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.

Prepositions in a sentence are part of a prepositional phrase, where they take the first position. A prepositional phrase necessarily requires a noun after the preposition. A phrase can be completed either by a single noun or by a group of dependent words. This nominal part is called the prepositional complement. In addition, prepositions can act as a particle in a phrasal verb.

The use of prepositions in English in the table

A prepositional phrase can play the role of an adverb of time and place, an object, a complement of a verb or adjective, and even the role of a subject. Sometimes prepositions act as a link between the main and secondary sentences. For competent speech(and letters) the correct use of prepositions in the following is very important, they describe the behavior of prepositions and prepositional phrases in various situations.

As a circumstance of place

Prepositions can show a physical or abstract direction (location).

at/ at point;
in/ within some area;
on/ on the surface;
in front of / before;
near / near;
on top of/ on top;
across / through;
down / down, etc.

As a circumstance of time

Prepositions can be used to limit time periods ('for', 'during', from ... to/till/until ...) and define points in time relative to each other ('ago', 'before', 'since', 'at', 'after', 'in').

He is here for a month / He is here for a month.
There were two big victories during the war / There were two big victories during the war.
They have lunchtime from one o "clock till two o" clock / They have from one to two.
His frog died a month ago/ His frog died a month ago.
We met even before lunch / We met before lunch.
He've been living on the seaside since he broke up with it
He finished at five o'clock / He finished at five o'clock.
We must be there after ten thirty / We must be there after 10:30.
We'll find out in the next three days / We'll find out in the next three days.

The use of prepositions in English with dates: 'at' is used with various religious festivals, 'in' is used with years, 'on' is used with days of the week, special events and regular dates.

at Christmas / at Christmas; at Easter/ at Easter;
in the year 2015/ in the year 2015; in 2015/ in 2015; in the twenty first sentury/ in the twenty-first century;
on Saturday/ on Saturday; on her wedding anniversary/ on her wedding anniversary; on the twenty fourth of October/ on the twenty fourth of October.

The use of prepositions in English with months and seasons: 'in', however, with dates where the month comes first, it is set to 'on', as with regular dates, for example, 'on October 24th'.
October; in November/ in October; In November; in autumn

as subject

A prepositional phrase can function as a subject: Out of memory was the safest place of all to keep this information/ Out of memory was the safest place to store this information.

As an addition to a nominal predicate

In a compound nominal predicate, where the nominal part is expressed by a sign or state, some adjectives following the linking verb can be used both with and without a preposition, and some are not used independently.

He was afraid / He was afraid.
He was afraid of his enemies/ He was afraid of his enemies.

1. At the same time, they may require some specific preposition, such as: /aware of, accustomed to, used to/.

Jeremy used to live in the merchant's house / Jeremy lived in the merchant's house.
He is unaccustomed to the heat / He is not adapted to the heat.

2. Some adjectives may be alone or accompanied by different prepositions depending on the type of information they reveal. For example, with /cruel, friendly, unkind/, 'of' is used to link an impersonal subject and a logical subject:

It was rude of him to leave so suddenly / It was rude of him to leave so suddenly.

To connect a personal subject and an object, put 'to':

She was rude to him for no reason / She was rude to him for no reason.

Also, either alone or with the preposition ‘about’ to characterize a thing, or ‘with’ to characterize a character, /angry, furious, happy/ are used.

She was still angry about the result/ She was still angry about the result.
Are you happy with that stinky guy?

3. Other adjectives can be used alone or with specific prepositions.

For example with 'of' to:

1) describe the cause of the feeling, expressed by adjectives/convinced, suspicious, terrified/;

Isn "t it a bit suspicious of him? / Isn't that a little suspicious?
- It was terrified of her / It terrified her.

2) name a character who has a quality (such as /clever, polite, stupid/).

That was clever of you!
- I turned the job down, which was stupid of me / I turned down the job, which was stupid of me.

With ‘to’ to say about the degree of similarity (close, related, similar), marriage (married, engaged), loyalty (dedicated, devoted, loyal), rank (junior, senior) in relation to something:

My problems are very similar to yours/ My problems are very similar to yours.
- He was dedicated to his job / He was devoted to his work.

With the preposition ‘with’, adjectives such as /bored, pleased, satisfied/, as well as to say about the reason for the expressed feeling:

Gave to him a glorious glance she was satisfied with the effect.
- He was pleased with her / He was pleased with her.

With 'at', talking about a strong reaction to something (amazed, astonished, surprised) or potential (bad, good, useless):

He had been astonished at this point / He was brought to a stupor by this circumstance.
- He was not bad at dancing / He was not bad at dancing at all.

With the preposition ‘for’ to say about the character or thing to which the given characteristic refers (common, easy, unusual):

It "s common for them / This is a common occurrence for them.
- Oh, nothing is easier for me / Oh, nothing is easier for me.

A small number of adjectives ending in 'ed', which are used exclusively after copulas such as 'be', 'become', or 'feel', share a commonality with transitive verbs and are often followed by a prepositional phrase:

The Brazilians are pleased with the result

As an addition to a simple or verbal predicate

1. The use of prepositions in English is natural for many verbs that are used without To say:

about the subject of what is happening, ‘about’ is suitable,
about the direction of action - ‘at’,
root cause or purpose - ‘for’,
involvement - ‘into’,
facts and information - ‘of’,
about what you can rely on - ‘on’,
about the receiver of information - ‘to’,
about who agrees/disagrees - ‘with’.

I've heard about the intrusion plans
- Look at me / Look at me.
- They asked for hep / They asked for help.
- A sheap run into the doorway / The sheep ran into the doorway.
- To think of it ... / If you think about it ...
- It depends on him/ It depends on him.
- Explain to me / Explain to me.
- I argue with nobody / I do not argue with anyone.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that prepositions appear in standard tandem with some verbs, and with some they can replace each other depending on the meaning and situation.

As a complement to a noun

The use of prepositions in English makes it possible to form phrases with nouns that reveal their meaning in more detail. Some words are undemanding to the preposition that follows them, and some always attach some specific one. In general, the prepositional phrase comes after the noun.

Two girls on weekends were having fun in a pool
- A wisper behind her made her turn / A whisper behind her made her turn around.

Often 'of' is used to convey various kinds of information after a noun, in particular to say:

what something is made of or consists of;

- … a wall of stone.
- A heeling of panic was rising in him/ The feeling of panic grew in him.

about what is the subjects of conversation, text, or images;

There was an image of a lion in the magazine

about the belonging of a character or object or its connection;

He was the son of a good man/ He was the son of a good man.
- Girls sat on the back seat of the car / The girls sat in the back seat of the car.

about the qualities inherent in a character or object.

She was a woman of enegry and ambition/ She was an energetic and ambitious woman.
- They faced problems of great compexity / They faced problems of extreme complexity.

After action nouns, 'of' is used to denote the subject or object of an action.

- ... the arrival of the police / the arrival of the police.
- …the destruction of their city.

Following nouns that represent people performing a specific action, a prepositional phrase beginning with 'of' communicates what the action involves or its goals.

Supporters of the hunger strike
- …a student of English.

At the same time, a phrase with two nouns sounds more natural than with a noun and a prepositional phrase, for example, ‘bank robbers / bank robbers’ instead of ‘robbers of the bank / bank robbers’.

- …temperature in the pot of 108 degrees.
- …a part of 30 percent

Also 'of' can be used after a noun to tell someone's age:

The most dangerous it is in the edge of eight / The most dangerous is at the age of eight.

The preposition ‘with’ is used to express some distinctive feature, detail, belonging, inherent in an object or character:

-…a girl with red hair/ girl with red hair.
- ... the man with the gun / a man with a gun.

The preposition ‘in’ after the noun allows you to talk about who is wearing / wearing what:

- ... a pale child in a raincoat / a gray-haired man in a raincoat.
- ... the man in dark suit / a man in a dark suit.

Some nouns are always followed by specific prepositions. For example,

‘to’ follows the words: answer, introduction, reaction, return:

It happened on the return to Poland/ It happened on the way back to Poland.

'for' follows: reason, respect, taste:

His need for food was permanently growing up / His need for food was constantly growing.

‘on’ for: agreement, comment, effect:

She fad a dreadful effect on me / She had a disgusting effect on me.

'with' or 'between' for: connection, contact, link:

The link between them was so hard to see

‘in’ follows the words: difficulty , fall, increase:

They had not been prepared to difficulties on that side.

As a verb complement

The use of prepositions in English as part of prepositional phrases is permissible, in addition, in a nominal predicate as a nominal part:

It's in her bag / It's in her bag.
- He was in danger / He was in danger.
- It was against his will / It was against his will.

Like a particle of a phrasal verb

Prepositions can be presented as inseparable particles of a verb phrase in four combinations:

particle verb,
verb-particle-object,
verb-object-particle,
verb-particle-preposition-object,
verb-object-particle-prepositional phrase.

Storm broke up at midnight
- His faith grow on wrong beliefs/ His faith grows on false beliefs.
- ‘Call me back’ said Lucy / “Call me back,” said Lucy.
- They ran away with all our food/ They ran away with all our food.
- Don't try to talk them out of it / Don't try to talk them out of it.

As a complement to an adjective

Although the sign usually comes before the noun, in some cases the use of prepositions in English allows the adjective to be placed after it, usually followed by a circumstantial, ‘to’-infinitive minor clause or - prepositional phrase.

This is a warning to people eager for a quick profit.

After superlatives adjectives, a prepositional phrase can be used to indicate the group from which the subject is distinguished:

Henry was the biggest of them
- Cakes are probably the best in the world / Cakes must be the best in the world.
- He was the most dangerous man in the country/ He was the most dangerous man in the country.

As an conjunction in a complex sentence

Some prepositions have the same form as the conjunctions used to attach secondary clauses, for example /'since', 'till', 'until', 'after', 'before'/.

I've been looking for the new opportunity since I knew that

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 are used differently than in Russian. The topic of prepositions is a sore point for almost all students.

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

Practical part:
Prepositions, like phrasal verbs and idioms, need to be memorized 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.

One of the most important and at the same time difficult topics in English is the study of prepositions. It is not surprising that in foreign schools for the study of English, the topic - prepositions in english, ranks first in terms of the number of hours allocated for its study.

Even without a general knowledge of the topic of prepositions, it will be difficult for you to speak on the simplest everyday topic with native speakers. In order not to get confused in terms, remember that the concept - preposition in English means - a preposition. This is the topic we are going to study now.

So, let's begin!

Prepositions call service words that show the connection (relation) of nouns or pronouns with other words:

I need answer her at 10 o "clock - I need to answer her V 10 hours.

He began by beheading the king He started With king's beheading

they came from Dol Guldur- They came from Dol Guldur.

Prepositions are a part of speech have no independent function And are not part of the proposal. In Russian, in addition to prepositions, case endings are used, but as we know, English has practically no case endings.

In fact, the use of prepositions in English is the most important way of expressing the relationship of a noun to other words in a sentence.

Prepositions express:

1) Relationships in space:

On the wall- on wall

In the garden V garden

2) space time:

In June- V July

At 10 o'clock - V 10 hours

3) Various abstract meanings: causes, goals, etc.:

They prayed fo r her life- They prayed behind her life.

Types of prepositions

Prepositions can be classified:

1) according to the form of education on:

a) Simple

Simple prepositions in English consist of only one root:

at, in, for, on, with

b) Derivatives

Prepositions that contain suffixes and prefixes

across, below, behind, along

c) Complex

These are prepositions that have several roots.

inside, without, outside, within

d) Composite

Such prepositions consist of several words.

Because of, in accordance with, in front of

2) depending on their meaning for prepositions:

· Locations ( Place) - in, on, below, under, near, in front of

· Directions(Direction) – to, from, out of, into, in

· time(time) - after, before, at

· abstract relations(abstract relations) - by, with, because of, with a view to

In English, there is a category of prepositions that perform only a grammatical function, i.e. in combination with a noun or pronoun, they convey relations (It is new roof of our house is a new roof ( what?) of our house). In Russian, such an attitude is conveyed by indirect cases without prepositions.

Remember!! the use of prepositions in English in this sense means that they lose their lexical meaning and, accordingly, are not translated into Russian in separate words.

Here are the suggestions:

Genitive case (of whom? What?) - of

1) The preposition of, showing the belonging of an object or person to something. Represents a relationship between two nouns. In this sense, the combination of the preposition of with a noun or pronoun is equivalent to the genitive case in Russian:

the door of the car was broken Door ( what?) car was broken

Our name will be written at the first pages of the books- Our names will be inscribed on the first pages ( what?) books

Dative case (to whom? What?) - to

2) The preposition to before the noun and conveying the relation, in which the object (person) to whom the action is directed is designated. In Russian, this relation is expressed in the dative case (to whom? To what?)

She explained our plan to the manager- She explained our plan to whom?) manager

He showed the note to Jane- He showed a note to whom?) Jane.

Instrumental case - by whom? how? -with

3) The preposition by, if it is after the verb in the form passive voice before a noun that denotes a person and an object. The preposition by in this case is equivalent to the relation, which in Russian is denoted by the instrumental case

The room was cleaned by maid- The room has been cleaned by whom?) maid

Instrumental case (by whom? by what?) - with

4) The preposition with, being in front of the entity, which denotes the object or instrument of action with which the action is performed. In this sense, the preposition with is equivalent to a Russian noun or pronoun in the instrumental case:

His wound was treated with hydrogen peroxide- The wound was treated how?) hydrogen peroxide.

Most prepositions may have more than one, and multiple values(The meanings of each of the prepositions will be discussed in more detail in the relevant sections). For example, the preposition at - can mean:

1) a place with a value of y, about

I saw your bag at window- I saw your bag at window

2) time with value V, when specifying the moment of time

The meeting will be at 9 o'clock - The meeting will take place at 9 a.m.

In English, in many cases, the choice of preposition depends only on the word(verb, noun, adjective), which preceded the proposal.

For example, the verb to laugh (to laugh). After it, the preposition at is needed:

Our enemies will be laugh at us- Our enemies will laugh at us

In some cases, one specific verb can have a different meaning if different prepositions are used:

Sara is looking at her cat- Sarah look at your cat

Sara is looking for her cat- Sarah looking for your cat

Saar is looking after her cat- Sarah takes care of to your cat

Prepositions are also used in stable combinations: after all - in the end, at all - in general, to the end - to the end

There is no 100% correspondence between Russian and English prepositions. This means that one English preposition can be translated into Russian by various Russian prepositions:

She will be here in two minutes - she will be here through two minutes

We've been living in USA since 2013 – we are living V USA since 2013

Our company will make new branches in 1 year- our company will build new branches behind 1 year.

I got a lot of tips for growing my business in one month - i learned a lot of tips for growing my business in one month

On the other hand, one Russian preposition can correspond to different prepositions in English:

I could not pick up the box because something was heavy on it- I couldn't lift the box because on she had something hard

Hey! Why are looking at me? - Hey! Why are you look at me

I really want to go to trip- I really want to go V journey

The great battles were in the south- On there were great battles in the south

There are cases when an English verb is used exclusively with a preposition, although the same verb in Russian does not require a preposition after itself:

Can you wait for me 5 minutes can you wait for me 5 minutes?

Listen to us - listen to us

In English there are verbs that do not require a preposition, while in Russian a preposition is required after the corresponding verb:

We entered the White House we entered V The White house

James followed us James followed behind us

He did not answer all questions he did not answer either on one question

These rules of prepositions in English are the most common and learning them will allow you to speak confidently with foreigners.

Place of a preposition in a sentence

1) A preposition always comes before a noun or pronoun (there are exceptions, which we will consider later). Accordingly, if the noun has an object, then the preposition is placed before this object:

I am looking at my cat- I look on my cat

I am looking at my fat cat I look on my fat cat

But the exception mentioned above: the preposition is placed at the end of the sentence - after the verb, or if there is an addition - after the addition in the following cases:

1) In the so-called indirect and direct questions. In such questions, the preposition refers to the pronouns which, who, what, whom, or the adverb where. But also a preposition, can stand before a question word:

What did you look for when selecting a girlfriend? - what do you look for (what do you pay attention to) when choosing a girlfriend?

Who did Monica speak to? - Who was Monica talking to?

2) In subordinate attributive sentences. In such sentences, the preposition refers to the relative pronoun. However, a preposition can also be placed before a relative pronoun:

The flat which she lives in is very small (The flat in which she lives is very small) Apartment, V where she lives, very small

3) In passive turns (passive). In such turns, the subject corresponds to the prepositional indirect object of the parallel real turn:

The police was sent for - Behind police sent

4) In infinitive turns:

i don't have photo camera to photograph with - I don't have a camera that I can take pictures with

So the theory ended there. As you can see, the correct use of prepositions in English requires knowledge of not only the rules, but also vocabulary replenishment. After all, prepositions are used in stable phrases that just need to be learned. This can take a long time, but the use of prepositions in English is the most important topic that will help you achieve the result.

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