GRAMMAR PRACTICE: PREPOSITIONS AND ADVERB PARTICLES

Sentence: We reached the lake at sunset.

Look at the word at in the sentence.
Where is it placed?
It is placed before the noun sunset.
Do you know what ‘at’ is?
It is a preposition.
What does it express in the sentence?
It expresses time.
Prepositions are usually placed before a noun or a pronoun. They show the relationship
between the noun/pronoun with the rest of the sentence. We can use them to express time.

Read these two sentences carefully.

1. The clock tower is to the west of those hills.

2. The ladder is against the wall.

Look at the preposition to in sentence 1.

What does it tell us?
It tells us where the clock tower is.
Therefore it expresses direction.
Can you pick out the preposition in sentence 2?
The preposition is against.
Does it express direction too?
No, it does not.
It expresses position.
We also use prepositions to express direction and position.

Extra Examples:
1. The boys took two hours to climb up the hill.
2. Mr Chew is taking off his shoes.

Study the sentences.

Look at the words up and off.
What verbs are they used with?
Up is used with the verb climb and off is used with the verb is taking.
Are up and off prepositions too?
No, they are not.
They are adverb particles.
Adverb particles are always used with verbs.
Practice: Prepositions and Adverb Particles

Fill in the blanks with the correct words. All the words in the brackets must be used.
e.g The car went ………………..the bend ……………a great speed. (at, round)
The car went round the bend at a great speed.

1. I shall be …….. home…………five o’clock in the evening. (before, at)

2. She has promised to help me …………..my homework ……………dinner tonight. (after,
with)
3. What shall I get …………….you………………Bangkok? (from, for)
4. He looked out ……………the window to see what was going ………(on, of)
5. Burglars broke ……………that house ……………..the street last night. (across, into)
6. May I have a piece …………. Paper to write …………….? (on, of)
7. She put her shopping-bag ……………the roadside and leaned ………………lamp-post.
(by, against)
8. Please put your books ……………..order and arrange them ……………this shelf. (on, in)
9. He stood ……………….the fire so that he could be warmed …………….it.(by, before)
10. The pot ………………paint has fallen ……………..the shelf. (off, of)
11. You had better hurry ……..or you will be late …….. school. It is already
half …………seven. (up, past, for)
12. He was angry …………..us ………………….not replying…………….his letter. (for,
with, to)
13. The children should be …………………bed………………...the time we return
home……………..the show. (by, in, after)
14. My desk is …………… the front row. I sit………….the door, ……………Eng Hock and
John. (near, in, between)
15. Mei Ling has invited me …………..her home……………..four o’clock this
evening……………..tea. (at, for, to)
16. He took ………………his hat but kept his coat ……………….when he
went ……………….the house. (on, off, into)
17. The boy ran ……………..the house and hid ………………….the garage…………it. (in,
behind, towards)
18. He fell ……………………as he was jumping …………….the fence. (over, down)
Practice: Fill in the blanks with the words in the box. Use each word only once.
towards down on over during of

1. The bird flew _________the roof and disappeared from sight.

2. The dog ran __________its master the moment it saw him.
3. Who arranged those flowers ___________that table?
4. She became ill suddenly _____________dinner last night.
5. My father asked me to buy him a packet __________cigarettes.
6. The tree have been cut __________and the area has been cleared.

for after between off through among

1. I ran _______the boy but I could not catch him.

2. Can you help me get this ring _______my finger?
3. I have to divide this packet of sweets __________the children in the class.
4. This medicine is good ___________coughs and colds.
5. The desks were so close together that we could hardly walk ____________them.
6. The ball crashed _________the window and bounced into the house.

behind from into near with up

1. They walked ________the hill to their house.

2. He read that book _________ the beginning to the end within an hour.
3. The sign __________the entrance to the park has been taken down.
4. This suitcase is too small. I am sure I can’t pack all my things ________ it.
5. The teacher is not at all satisfied _________your work in school.
6. He put his hands ___________him so that I could not see what he was holding.

Fill in the blanks with the words in the box. Use each word only once.

with near at among to in of across

between from up down

Paul went ________ Choon Wah’s house _________his kite yesterday. The boys flew
the kite __________in the field _________Paul’s house. They took turns ___________flying it
as they had only one kite _______them. Suddenly the wind blew the kite _______________some
trees and it became tangled ________the branches ___________one tree. The boys could not
pull it ____________so Paul climbed ________the tree to free it. Finally he came down
___________the tree with the kite.