2. PROBLEMS WITH PREPOSITIONS
• Prepositions are words or phrases that
clarify relationships.
• Prepositions are usually followed by
nouns and pronouns. Sometimes the
nouns are –ing form nouns.
• Prepositions are also used in idioms.
3. 1. Place – Between and Among
Remember that between and among
have the same meaning, but between is
used with two nouns and among is
used with three or more nouns or a
plural noun.
4. Examples:
between noun 1 noun 2
The work is distributed between the secretary and the receptionist
among noun 1 noun 2 noun 3
The rent payments are divided among Don, Bill, and Gene
Avoid using between with three or
more nouns or a plural noun.
5. 2. Place – In, On and At
Remember that in, on, and at have similar meanings, but they
are used with different kinds of places. In general, in is used
before large places; on is used before middle–sized places;
and at is used before numbers in addresses. Finally, in is used
again before very small places.
in COUNTRY on STREET at NUMBER in a corner
STATE STREET CORNER (of a room)
PROVINCE COAST a room
COUNTY RIVER a building
CITY a ship a park
a train a car
a plane a boat
6. Example:
in COUNTRY in STATE in CITY
We live in the United States in North Carolina in Jacksonville
on COAST on RIVER at NUMBER
on the East Coast on New River at 2600 River Road
Avoid using in instead of on for streets and
other middle-sized places.
Presented by: Dwi Sloria Suharti (dwi.sloria@raharja.co)
7. 3. Time – In, On and At
• Remember that in, on, and at have similar meanings, but
they are used with different times. In general, in is used
before large units of time; on is used before middle–sized
units of time; and at is used before numbers in clock time.
• Idiomatic phrases such as in the morning, in the afternoon,
in the evening, at night, at noon, must be learned
individually like vocabulary.
in YEAR on Day at TIME
MONTH DATE
8. Example:
in YEAR in MONTH on DAY at TIME
Lily was born in 1919 in December on Sunday at 7:00
Avoid using in before days and dates.
