P.1 Prepositions (Notes A)
Common Prepositions of Time
- at: an exact point in time and festivals
at (time of hour)
| three o’clock | a quarter past seven | half past three |
at (time of day)
| breakfast time | lunch time | bedtime |
| dawn | dusk | noon |
| sunrise | sunset | night |
at (point of time)
| this moment | the moment | that time |
| present | the beginning | the end of the day |
| the end of this month |
at (festival)
| Christmas | Easter | Chinese New Year |
at (sequencer)
| first | last | the latest |
e.g. 1. He left home at 10 o’clock.
e.g. 2. We shall go on holiday at Christmas.
- on: days or dates
on (day of week)
| Wednesday | Monday | Sunday |
on (date)
| 27th September | 1st January | 25th December |
on (a specific day)
| the first day of winter | a summer day | one winter day |
| my birthday | Christmas Eve | Christmas Day |
on
| Monday morning(s) | Tuesday afternoon(s) | Tuesday evening(s) |
| that day | a cold rainy day | this occasion |
| the evening of January 4 | your departure | my arrival |
e.g. 1. We go to church on Sunday mornings.
e.g. 2. He was born on the second of July.
P.1 Prepositions Ex. A
Fill in the blanks with ‘at’ or ‘on’.
- We go to church Sunday mornings.
- Our parents celebrate their 20th anniversary 23rd October.
- Many students panic the first day of school.
- Danny practises tennis Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- I am busy the moment.
- Karen goes to Finland Christmas.
- The clock strikes twelve times night.
- Mother reads stories to us bedtime.
- We have to leave the end of this month.
- Uncle Jim will meet us at the airport our arrival.
- in: a longer period of time (parts of the day, months, seasons, years and centuries)
in (time of day)
| the morning | the afternoon | the evening |
in (month)
| July | November | April |
in (season)
| Spring | Summer | Autumn | Winter |
in (year)
| 2013 | 1080 | 2024 |
in (a period of time)
| 21st century | the future | the past |
| modern times | ancient times | a moment |
| these days | those days | ten minutes |
e.g. 1. He goes to work in the morning.
e.g. 2. The days are short in winter.
Pr.1 Prepositions Ex. B
- Peter greets his parents the morning.
- Summer holidays start July.
- It is very cold winter.
- I will be back a moment.
- Sue was born 2000.
- I have Christmas holiday December.
- I take a bath the evening.
- I shall finish my homework ten minutes.
P.1 Prepositions Ex. C
Fill in each blank with ‘at’ , ‘on’ or ‘in’.
- I get up the morning.
- We go to church Sunday.
- We return home noon.
- He is sitting a chair.
- There are seven days a week.
- School begins eight o’clock.
- We watch television night.
- It is cold winter.
- Christmas is December.
- We’ll see him a few days.
- Ken was born the first of May.
- Farmers return home sunset.
- There was a party New Year.
- He won the game last.
- I go to swim the evening.
- She was born 1978.
- I have piano lesson Mondays.
- I go swimming summer.
- I receive many presents my birthday.
- I am playing with my sister the moment.
P.1 Preposition (Notes B)
Common Prepositions of Place
- at: a (smaller) place or an address:
at (transportation ground)
| the airport | the bus stop | the MTR station |
at (address)
| Room 601, Royal Commercial Centre, 56 Parkes Street, Jordan |
at (a specific place)
| the party | the meeting | the post office |
| the supermarket | the hotel | the fast food shop |
| home | work | school |
| the top of the picture | the bottom of the page | the foot of the hill |
e.g. 1. I met an old friend at the party.
e.g. 2. I will meet you at the entrance.
- on: a surface or a line:
on (a surface)
| desk | window |
on (board)
| the train | the ferry |
on
| the road | the ground | the floor |
| the farm | the other side | Hong Kong Island |
| your face |
e.g. 1. Your jacket is on the floor.
e.g. 2. There are four hundred passengers on the plane.
e.g. 3. There is a black spot on your face.
- in: a (larger) place, an enclosed place, a city or a country:
in (room)
| the kitchen | the living-room | the bedroom |
in (an enclosed place)
| the car | the drawer |
in (city)
| Hong Kong | New York |
in (country)
| Japan | the United Kingdom |
in
| the field | ||
| the sea | prison | bed |
e.g. 1. They wish to live in the country.
e.g. 2. Father is now working in the garden.
P.1 Prepositions Ex. D
- I have been waiting the bus stop for 30 minutes.
- A car crashed the foot of the hill.
- I go to school foot. *
- Please pass me the salt the table.
- Cherry lives Canada.
- Whales are the biggest mammal the sea.
- Paul is work now. Do not disturb him.
- The forest is the other side of the river.
- Please fasten your seat belt once you are board.
- I like travelling the cruise.
P.1 Prepositions Ex. A
Fill in the blanks with ‘at’ or ‘on’.
- We go to church Sunday mornings.
- Our parents celebrate their 20th anniversary 23rd October.
- Many students panic the first day of school.
- Danny practises tennis Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- I am busy the moment.
- Karen goes to Finland Christmas.
- The clock strikes twelve times night.
- Mother reads stories to us bedtime.
- We have to leave the end of this month.
- Uncle Jim will meet us at the airport our arrival.
P.1 Prepositions Ex. B
- Peter greets his parents the morning.
- Summer holidays start July.
- It is very cold winter.
- I will be back a moment.
- Sue was born 2000.
- I have Christmas holiday December.
- I take a bath the evening.
- I shall finish my homework ten minutes.
P.1 Prepositions Ex. C
Fill in each blank with ‘at’ , ‘on’ or ‘in’.
- I get up the morning.
- We go to church Sunday.
- We return home noon.
- He is sitting a chair.
- There are seven days a week.
- School begins eight o’clock.
- We watch television night.
- It is cold winter.
- Christmas is December.
- We’ll see him a few days.
- Ken was born the first of May.
- Farmers return home sunset.
- There was a party New Year.
- He won the game last.
- I go to swim the evening.
- She was born 1978.
- I have piano lesson Mondays.
- I go swimming summer.
- I receive many presents my birthday.
- I am playing with my sister the moment.
P.1 Prepositions Ex. D
- I have been waiting the bus stop for 30 minutes.
- A car crashed the foot of the hill.
- I go to school foot. *
- Please pass me the salt the table.
- Cherry lives Canada.
- Whales are the biggest mammal the sea.
- Paul is work now. Do not disturb him.
- The forest is the other side of the river.
- Please fasten your seat belt once you are board.
- I like travelling the cruise.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.1
Circle the correct answers.
1. I went to John’s house ( at / on ) six o’clock.
2. Do you work ( in / on ) Saturdays?
3. Henry went swimming ( at / on ) Tuesday.
4. Mrs Mok is going to Japan ( in / on ) June.
5. Dinner always starts ( of / on ) time.
6. We are meeting them ( in / at ) noon ( at / on ) Christmas Day.
7. I wake up ( at / on ) sunrise and I am home by sunset. I do not go out ( at /
on ) night.
8. Grandma was born ( in / on ) 3rd March, 1926. Grandpa was born ( in / on )
the same month, but ( in / on ) the year 1925.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.2
Fill in the blanks with “in, on, at”. You may use each word more than once.
Hi Lily,
I am having a movie party next Friday. Would you like to come? The party will start 1.___________ seven o’clock. Come earlier 2.__________ the evening for dinner if you can.
I invited May and Betty too. May is coming 3.____________ time. Betty will come later 4.___________ the night.
Everyone will stay over and go home 5.___________ Saturday morning. What do you think? By the way, we are watching Flying Momo and The Adventures of Pook.
I hope you will reply soon.
Love,
Grace
P.1 Prepositions Ex.3
Rearrange the words to form sentences. Use “in, on, at” where needed.
e.g. I / brush my teeth / before bed / night
I brush my teeth before bed at night.
1. Tom / takes the school bus / home / the afternoon
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2. We / go for recess / 10 o’clock
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
3. They / cycled to Sentosa / 14th August
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
P.1 Prepositions Ex.4
Fill in the blanks with “in, on, at”.
1. I get up the morning.
2. We go to church Sunday.
3. We return home noon.
4. There are seven days a week.
5. School begins eight o’clock.
6. We watch television night.
7. It is cold winter.
8. Christmas is December.
9. Ken died the first of May.
10. She was born 2008.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.5
Fill in the blanks with the suitable prepositions.
in on at
1.______________ the morning, John went hiking 2._______________ Sai Kung. He met his teammates 3.________________ the bus stop. The team leader said, “Please check all your things. Make sure you have plenty of water 4._______________ your bag.” Then we left there 5._______________ 9 am and got 6.________________ a bus.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.6
The animals are doing another show. Where are they? Fill in the blanks.
in on
1. The mouse is _________________ the box.
2. The elephant is ________________ the stand.
3. The monkey is ________________ the elephant.
4. The tiger is ________________ the floor.
5. The ball is ________________ the cupboard.
6. The rabbit is __________________ the basket.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.7
Circle the correct answers.
1. We don’t go to school ( in / on / at ) Saturdays and Sundays.
2. Jack always gets up ( in / on / at ) 7:20.
3. The puppy likes to bark ( in / on / at ) night.
4. Dad plays computer games ( in / on / at ) Friday night.
5. Grandma gets up early ( in / on / at ) the morning.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.8
Complete the sentences with “in, on, at”.
1. Elaine gets up _______________ six o’clock _______________ the morning.
2. The children play with lanterns _________________ Mid-Autumn Festival.
3. I often go to the park __________________ Saturday afternoon.
4. My family usually go swimming _________________ summer.
5. People play tricks on others __________________ April Fool’s Day.
6. Dad is busy. He sometimes works ___________________ night.
7. We have a reunion dinner ___________________ the eve of New Year’s Day.
8. The gift shop is ____________________ the ground floor.
9. Were you ___________________ home yesterday afternoon?
10. Grandma is sitting __________________ the armchair.
11. Can you see a plane ___________________ the sky?
12. Mary is sitting ___________________ the floor.
13. I was ___________________ Mr Wong’s clinic this morning.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.9
Fill in the blanks with the correct prepositions.
1. The moon shines brightly __________________ night.
2. The moon shines brightly __________________ the night.
3. People can have a good rest ___________________ weekends.
4. Alice usually does her homework ___________________ the afternoon.
5. We often watch movies __________________ Sunday nights.
6. Mike will pay a visit to us __________________ March.
7. I enjoy hiking with my family _________________ the weekend.
8. Mary always goes to the library __________________ Sundays.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.10
Fill in a suitable preposition first. Then rearrange the words to make a meaningful sentence.
1. do not go / ___________ / to / My parents / work / the weekends / .
2. We / many / Christmas Day / receive / presents / ___________ / .
3. ten o’clock / at / to / ____________ / I / bed / go / night / .
4. eighth / ____________ / of / have a picnic / the / We / September / .
5. do not / We / ___________ / go swimming / the weekdays / .
6. to / travelled / London / ___________ / My cousin / June / .
7. the / ___________ / Sunday / Mother’s Day / second / of / is / May / .
8. four o’clock / the afternoon / Mum / at / ___________ / went shopping / .
9. late / class / morning / for / I / ___________ / Tuesday / was / .
10. my grandparents / ___________ / with / I / the holidays / stay /.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.11
Fill in the blank with ‘at, in, on’.
1. Are there any holidays _________________ February?
2. We have a holiday _________________ Christmas.
3. There is a firework show __________________ New Year’s Day.
4. When is your birthday? Is it _________________ this month?
5. We eat Easter eggs __________________ Easter.
6. He was born __________________ 1st July.
7. His father usually comes back late ___________________ night.
8. We have summer holidays ___________________ July.
9. My aunt goes to dance class ___________________ Tuesdays.
10. Candy often goes to the supermarket _________________ Saturday afternoons.
11. Please call the boss again ___________________ ten o’ clock tomorrow.
12. Can you come to my birthday party _________________ the sixth of July?
13. Early ________________ the morning of the National Day, I got up to catch the first bus to the zoo.
14. They went camping ____________________ National Day.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.12
Complete the sentences with ‘in, on, at ’.
Many people go picnic 1._________________ autumn. Dad, Mum and I go to picnic 2._________________ Saturday 3._________________ 19th September. We leave home 4._________________ eight o’clock 5.__________________ the morning. We come back home 6._________________ night. We enjoy the picnic very much.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.13
Fill in the blanks.
1. Mum gets up ________________ nine o’clock every morning.
2. We visit Grandma ________________ the afternoon.
3. I go to church ________________ Sundays.
4. She goes to school ________________ the morning.
5. The show starts _______________ 8 o’clock.
6. We can come to your party _______________ 6 p.m.
7. The bus leaves ______________ seven o’clock every morning.
8. Dad gets some food from the market _______________ the evening.
9. The sun rises ______________ the morning.
10. It is very cold ________________ night.
11. Eva’s birthday party starts ________________ half past two.
12. Mr. Smith is out of the office ________________ the morning.
13. Linda does her homework ________________ the afternoon.
14. We play football ________________ 9 a.m. in the morning.
15. I have lunch _________________ 12 o’clock.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.14
Fill in the blanks with appropriate prepositions.
1. The famous scientist, Mr Addsion Lee, is going to give us a speech __________________
Monday morning.
2. The baby likes to cry ____________________ the evening.
3. I was born ___________________ a cold morning ___________________ December.
4. He got home __________________ midnight last Sunday.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.15
Complete the following sentences with “at, on, in”. Put in “X” if no preposition is needed.
1. They always watch TV ____________________ night.
2. Grandpa went to Hong Kong ___________________ the age of 16.
3. It’s __________________ five o’clock now.
4. Jack usually goes to church ____________________ Sunday morning.
5. There are many flowers in the park ___________________ spring.
6. She went to a summer camp ___________________ July.
7. Linda: When is your birthday? David: It’s ___________________ 1st January.
8. We usually have fish for lunch ____________________ noon.
9. I take the drawing class ___________________ every Thursday.
10. Ben takes a math class ___________________ Fridays.
11. A: What day is it? B: It’s ___________________Wednesday.
12. Father’s Day is ____________________ the third Sunday in June.
13. Sam always has breakfast ____________________ the morning.
14. He was born ___________________ the morning of 15th May.
15. I went to Japan with my parents ____________________ January, 2001.
16. We went to the beach for a barbecue ____________________ last Saturday.
17. Cindy will go to a new school ____________________ next term.
18. We knock on our neighbours’ doors for candies ___________________ Halloween.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.16
Fill in the blanks with “in, on, at”.
1. _______________ Monday morning, I opened the window and found it snowing outside.
2. China became a member of WTO ________________ 11th December, 2001.
3. Grandpa often goes swimming _________________ winter.
4. Hurry up! The meeting begins _________________ 11:10.
5. The town is very quiet ________________ the morning. You can hear birds singing clearly.
6. We can get many gifts _________________ Christmas.
7. I was born __________________ the evening of that day.
P.1 Prepositions (Notes 3)
| on the third floor |
| under the table |
| at the bus stop |
| near the tree |
| over the table |
| in the music room |
P.1 Prepositions Ex.17
Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition.
This is the Lam family’s house. Mr and Mrs Lam are 1.____________
the house. Mr Lam is sleeping 2.____________ the first floor. Mrs Lam
is 3.____________ the kitchen 4._____________ the ground floor.
It is a fine day. Some geese are flying 5.____________ the house. A cat is
6.___________ the roof. It is looking at them. A little chicken is standing
7.____________ the roof.
There is a tree 8._____________ the Lam family’s house. There are some
apples 9._____________ the tree. Three birds are 10._____________ a
nest. 11.______________ the tree there is a dog house. A dog is sleeping
12.____________ the dog house.
Mr and Mrs Lam’s son comes home. He is standing 13._____________
the door of the house. He can see the fields 14.____________ his house.
There are some clouds 15.____________ the fields. It is very beautiful.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.18
Look at the pictures and answer the questions. Your answers must include prepositions.
1. Where is Mum?
2. Where is Ken?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
3. Where is Joey standing?
4. Where is the picture?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
5. Where are the children?
6. Where are the balloons?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
7. Where is the squirrel?
8. Where is the car?
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
P.1 Prepositions Ex.19
Look at the picture and circle the right answers.
| 1. There is a bus stop ( at / in front of ) the shop. | |
| 2. The aircraft is flying ( on / in ) the blue sky. | |
| 3. Tim finds his wallet ( under / in ) the tree. | |
| 4. The hotel is ( in / near ) the hospital. | |
| 5. There is a swimming pool ( in / behind ) the building. |
P.1 Prepositions Ex.20
Look at the picture and fill in the blanks with the given prepositions.
| near at on behind in front of under |
1. There is a bookshelf _________________ the corner of the living room.
2. There is a tea table _________________ the sofa.
3. The TV is ___________________ the window.
4. Lucy’s cat likes sleeping __________________ the sofa. But her little dog likes hiding _________________ the sofa.
5. There are many books and CDs _________________ the bookshelf.
6. The dog is naughty. It always hides Lucy’s shoes __________________the tea table.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.21
Fill in the blanks with “on, in, under”.
Monkey: I live 1.________________ a big peach tree. I can eat peach whenever I want.
Polly: Mr Frog, do you like your house?
Frog: Yes, I like it very much. It’s 2._________________ the peach tree, and I go
swimming 3.__________________ the lovely pond.
Polly: What about you. Miss Rabbit?
Rabbit: I live 4.__________________ a tree hole. It’s cool in summer.
Mouse: I live 5.__________________ a hole, too. But it is 6._______________ the tree.
I have my own room. I always sleep 7._______________ the floor.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.22
Fill in the blanks with “in front of, under, on, near, in”.
1. The cat is ______________________ the box.
2. Sandy stands _________________________ the mirror.
3. There is a bed __________________________ the room.
4. The wardrobe is ______________________ the bed.
5. There are some books _______________________ the desk.
6. Sandy’s shoes are ________________________ the chair.
7. The chair is _________________________ the desk.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.23
Read the sentences and fill in the blanks with the correct names.
| Wendy is sitting in front of Pauline. Albert is between Wendy and Jason. Bonnie is sitting behind Albert. Penny is sitting beside Bonnie. Minnie is sitting next to Samuel. Sally is sitting near Minnie. |
| 1. | 2. | Pauline |
| 3. | Albert | 4. |
| Samuel | 5. | 6. |
| Teacher’s desk |
P.1 Prepositions Ex.24
Finish the sentences with the correct words from the box.
in on under behind
| 1. The bottle is _________________ the table. 2. The clock is _________________ the wall. 3. The dog is _________________ the chair. 4. The books are ________________ the box. 5. The cat is __________________ the bottle. | 6. The water is ________________ the glass. 7. The shoe is ________________ the table. 8. The picture is _______________ the door. 9. The ball is _________________ the chair. 10. Tom is __________________ the chair. |
P.1 Prepositions (Notes 4)
The following underlined words are called prepositions.
The bowl is on the chair. The cat is under the table.
John and Mary go to school in the afternoon. It is raining at the moment.
| Nathan Road |
The car is going towards Nathan Road. The ball is between the chairs.
The peacock is in front of the pupils. The apple is beside the vase.
The bus turns left into the inter-change. The dog jumps over the fence.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.25
This is the seating plan for Sue’s class. Read the sentences and complete the plan below. The first one has been done for you.
1. Fanny sits in front of the teacher.
2. Sue sits next to Fanny.
3. Karen sits behind Fanny.
4. Molly sits behind Sue.
5. Helen sits behind Molly.
6. Cherry sits next to Helen and behind Karen.
7. Cathy, Eva and Mable sit next to the windows.
8. Cathy and Gloria sit together in the first row.
9. Gloria sits in front of Amy.
10. Amy sits next to Eva.
11. Emma and Mable sit in the last row.
12. Sarah, Kenneth and Michael sit next to the wall.
13. Sarah wears glasses. She sits in the first row.
14. Tiffany sits in the first row too.
15. Jim sits between Tiffany and Sarah.
16. Ben sits between Andrew and Kenneth in the second row.
17. Ronnie sits between Leo and Michael in the last row.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.27
Underline the correct answers.
1. Amy is sitting ( in / on ) the chair.
2. Joyce is throwing a ball ( to / in ) his brother.
3. Roy is putting an apple ( onto / into ) his pocket. He is stealing!
4. John’s family is seated ( around / onto ) the big dining table.
5. Mrs Neo is walking ( at / towards ) Roy. She looks angry.
6. Lilly is pouring sauce ( over / in ) her pancake. She spilt some sauce ( into / onto ) the table. How careless!
7. Jimmy ran ( towards / over ) his mother. He tripped and fell ( onto / into ) the pavement.
8. John is upstairs. He is getting dressed ( in / at ) his room. Why don’t you walk ( onto / around ) the garden while waiting?
P.1 Prepositions Ex.28
Complete the sentences by adding ‘in / on / over’ .
1. There is a bridge / the river
__________________________________________________________________________
2. The ducks are swimming / the lake
__________________________________________________________________________
3. There are many books / the desk
__________________________________________________________________________
4. The children are playing / the garden
__________________________________________________________________________
P.1 Prepositions Ex.29
Look at the picture and complete the following sentences with appropriate prepositions.
on in front of behind beside opposite
next to above between in
Like many other students, I have a bedroom of my own. It is not big but it is very nice, Let me show you around.
When you come into the room, you will see my bed 1._______________________ the door. My bed is very tidy. 2._____________________ the bed, there is a photo of my family 3.______________________ the wall. My father is standing 4._______________________ my mother, I am standing 5.________________________ them.
There is a desk 6._____________________ the room. 7.______________________ the desk, there is a desk lamp and a telephone. The computer is 8._____________________ them. There are a lot of books 9.______________________ the bookshelf.
What is 10.__________________ the window? It is a piano. Well, where is my little dog? Aha! It’s 11.___________________ the door!
P.1 Prepositions Ex.30
| on the left of near in front of between opposite |
An old lady is going to the hospital. She loses her way. Can you help her? Fill in the blanks with the given prepositions.
Walk about ten minutes along the way 1.______________________ us, then you can see a school 2.__________________________ the road. Walk ahead and turn right at the second traffic light. Walk till you find a very big garden 3._______________________ you. There is a cinema and a supermarket 4._________________________ the garden. The hospital is just 5.______________________ the cinema and the supermarket.
P.1 Prepositions Ex.31
Look at the pictures and circle the correct letters.
| 1. (a) The cup is in the table. (b) The cup is on the table. 2. (a) The apple is between the pear and the banana. (b) The apple is on the pear. 3. (a) The cake is over the plate. (b) The cake is on the plate. 4. (a) You can find a robot inside the drawer. (b) You can find a robot beside the drawer. |
P.1 Prepositions Ex.32
Fill in the blanks with the given prepositions.
on among under next to
in front of between in the middle of opposite
1. Mary is standing _____________________ the left of Jenny.
2. The Stones live _____________________ us. We are good neighbours.
3. I am taller than you. You can sit ______________________ me.
4. In the classroom, Mary sits ___________________ Tom and Joe.
5. ______________________ all the pop stars, I like Tom Lear the most.
6. There is a big statue ______________________ the square. All the other buildings are around it.
7. We shall help each other since we are ______________________ the same roof.
8. Two teams stand _____________________ when they are playing the tug of war.
P.1 Preposition Ex.33
Choose the prepositions to fill in the blanks.
| in opposite next to between in front of |
Hello, I am Gina. Let me introduce my neighbours living 1._________________ the street. There’s a river 2.___________________ Yaya’s house. Yoyo lives 3.__________________ Yaya. There is a tall tree 4.____________________ Yoyo’s house and my house. Roger, the rabbit, lives 5_____________________ us.