EASY Grammar Rules For PREPOSITIONS | Common English Grammar Mistakes

hi there this is Harry and welcome back to Advanced English lessons with Harry where I try to help you to get a better understanding of the English language this particular lesson is all about prepositions and a lot of you have written to me and contacted me asking me if I can do a particular lesson on prepositions well here it is we're not going to cover all of the prepositions just really impossible because there are hundreds of them but I'm going to cover the key ones where you have difficulties and when I'm giving lessons the students that I have indicate and it's very obvious that they have some problems with those particular prepositions so I'll go through the key ones I'll give you examples where they are and as always you know the drill by now if you want any additional information any additional prepositions covered in future lessons well then just write to me at www.englishlessonbysskype.com and I'll happily include them in a future lesson for you oh okay so as I said this is an advanced English lesson and we're looking in particular at prepositions now the first part of this might be a little easy for you those of you who are considered to be Advanced but perhaps it's no harm to go through it anyway so that you can get a little bit of a a warm up and a little bit of a revision on it and for any of you who are intermediate or below well this is exactly the sort of introduction that you want to prepositions now prepositions are often just very small short words like in at on by four Etc but they cause lots and lots of problems when do I use them when do I not when do I use in on or at so hopefully this will give you some help some indication and guidance as to when and how to use them correctly okay so we're gonna start off with some light touch okay so the first three prepositions we're going to look at are and in then we're going to start with prepositions about time because it's really really important if we're talking about days in the week months in the year years in the decade dates whatever it might be then prepositions are used all the time so prepositions of time the first preposition at we use at before exact times I'll meet you at six o'clock and meet you at four o'clock train arrives at two o'clock so it's all about exact times so we can use about exact times special holiday periods or even night and the weekend okay so let me give you a few examples the show starts at four o'clock exact time I usually visit my family at Christmas now it's at Christmas time so later on we'll give you a little bit of a different approach when we're talking about the actual day but at Christmas time I usually visit my family at Christmas time or indeed at Easter time or at Easter you shouldn't leave your TV on at night it's dangerous you shouldn't leave your TV on at night what are you going to do at the weekend what are you going to do at the weekend now sometimes in American English they say what are you going to do on the weekend so you can hear both depending whether you're British English or American English usually we use at what are you going to do after the weekend or indeed later on over the weekend but that means from the beginning say late on a Friday right through to Monday morning over the weekend but to avoid confusion we will stick to the weekend so when we're talking about prepositions of time with the preposition at we use at before the exact times we use at when we're talking about special holiday periods and we talk about we use at when we talk about night and the weekend okay so just give you those examples once more the show starts at four o'clock I usually visit my family at Christmas at Easter you shouldn't leave your TV on at night what are you going to do at the weekend okay now let's look at the preposition arm again we're still talking about that prepositions of time remember okay so here we're talking about the preposition on and we use on before particular days or dates and when we refer to part of a particular day as well so days and dates and parts of particular day so again let me give you some examples Sarah's birthday is on the 15th of April on the 15th of April I'll see you or I'll meet you on Saturday I have Chinese lessons on Tuesday Mornings the family always comes over on Christmas day now remember when we used at Christmas we were talking about at Christmas time here we're talking about the particular day the 25th of December whether it's a Monday Tuesday whatever it's on Christmas Day the family always comes over to me on Christmas day okay so on when we're talking about preposition of time we use on before days and specific dates and when we're using and referring to particular parts of the day so it can be you know on Saturday morning on Wednesday evening on Friday afternoon it doesn't matter what part of the day we're still using that preposition on so Sarah's birthday is on the 15th of April I'll see you on Saturday I have Chinese or Spanish lessons on Tuesday mornings and the family always comes over to me on Christmas day okay so then if we look again prepositions of time talking about the preposition in and when we use in we talking about longer periods okay so this could be weeks months years decades centuries it doesn't matter once we get Beyond days any longer period we're using the preposition in okay Julius Caesar that's a long way back Julius Caesar invaded Britain in 55 BC okay so that was before Christ in 50 in the year 55 BC my birthday is in July when is your birthday my birthday is in July I hate having to get up in Winter okay so that's a a period it's a season in Winter or spring or summer I hate having to get up in winter and we can also use in to say how soon something will happen it would be difficult for me to do both of those things in three days I will need a couple of extra days it would be difficult for me to do both of those things in three days I'll call you in a week and we can discuss it I'll call you in a week and we can discuss it the game will end in 10 minutes the game will end in 10 minutes and we can also again use in when we talk about the length of time it will take for something to to happen for example if you're talking about a marathon Race he can run a marathon in under three hours he can run a marathon in under 2 hours 30 minutes doesn't matter what the time is but when we're talking about how long it's going to take he can run a marathon in under three hours okay so that's at on and in when we're talking about particular periods of time okay so at on and in and I've given you the examples and make sure you go through those and practice them an easy way to practice is when we talk about birthdays so if we talk about let's say my birthday is 5th of July and I was born in yes 1956. so the day fifth the month July the year 1956 so I can say I was born on the fifth day of July okay in the year 1956 okay or if I wanted to just say I was born in July so I use the preposition in July in 1956 but if I'm talking about the date then I say on I was born on the 5th of July in the year 1956. or if I knew the time so let's say it was five minutes after midnight then I could say I was born at 1205 on the 5th of July in 1956 and there you get all of them at in and on so you can practice that with yourself and with your family just to make sure you get it accurate when do you use at when do you use in and when do you use on okay so let's move on now to prepositions of play so we've done prepositions of time now we're looking at prepositions of place so when we use at we use at to refer to a position as a point okay for example example there's someone at the door so there that's the point where they are and it's the position is the door so there's someone at the door so it's not someone on the door or in the door it's someone at the door there is someone at the door Jack is at home okay where is he he's at home okay so someone at the door and Jack is at home so they're examples of prepositions of place when we're using a and is referring to a position as a point the particular place at home or at the door now just be very careful here we don't use the article the after the preposition when we're talking about home so it's at home school at school work at work University at University College at college so it's not at the University at the home at the work it's always at home school work University and college okay and if you watch my video that I've previously recorded in relation to the use of Articles then it'll give you some help so watch the video about articles that I've and I give you the link here in the in the top Corner okay and that will give you some more information about the use of Articles when we're referring to places like school work etc okay so that's the preposition of place using at now again sticking with the preposition of place let's talk about on and we use on to refer to a position in relation to a surface or a line so that's a little bit formal so let me give you a couple of examples what that means okay so we live on a very busy road so that's about line we live on a very busy road not at a very busy road on a very busy road the book is on the table so that's a surface the book is on the table many people hang a wreath on the door at Christmas yeah so that's again about surface they hang a wreath on the door at Christmas the book is on the table and we live on a very busy road so all examples of the preposition of place using the preposition on okay so let's switch then to in again it's still preposition of place remember so in we use in to refer to a position in relation to something that could be three-dimensional okay or when something is surrounded on all sides for example I live in a country I live in a town I live in a city I'm sitting in a room I'm walking in a field I'm having a picnic in a forest any place with boundaries we can use that preposition in so let me give you some examples of that I had a great time in Canada the Eiffel Tower is in Paris the kids are playing in the garden I am sleeping or sitting team in my room so all prepositions of place using the preposition in okay and we also use prepositions when we talk about the context so I'll just go and to those in a little while but just make sure you understand the preposition of time and the preposition of place at relating to a h on and in so when we're using prepositions we also use those when we're depending on the context for example we can be in a building or at a building so the context means what are you doing let's so let's say if I'm going to the cinema I could say to you I'll meet you in the center which means I'll be inside and you have your ticket and I'll be sitting in row X Y or Z so I'll meet you in the cinema it means inside or I'll meet you at the cinema means I'll meet you outside the cinema perhaps in the foyer yeah or on the footpath at the entrance of the cinema you're going to be outside on the street so if I say I'll meet you in the cinema it's it's perfect to use it but it means inside and if I say I'll meet you at the cinema it usually means I'll be standing at the foyer waiting for you to get the tickets or I'll meet you on the footpath outside or on the street outside the entrance of the cinema so that's all about context in or at and if we're talking about addresses just be careful how we use in at and on when we're talking about addresses as I said before we all live in a town or live in a city it's not on a town or on a city or out of town or at a city we all live in a town or in a city and if we're talking about a particular dress then he lives at that he lives at number 24 Eglinton Road he lives at number 24 Eglinton road now in grammar books you might say see sorry you might see reference to he lives in Eglinton row where they don't give you a particular number I personally say he lives on Eglinton road so you can use in or on grammar books usually referred to in and I will use on so you have a choice but he lives at number 24 Eglinton Road he lives in Eglinton Road according to the grammar books or on Eglinton Road and they're both fine or if he's in an apartment then he lives on the second floor or on the third floor so you can use particular context there as exactly where his apartment is located so if the apartment block or the house is number 24 Eglinton Road he lives at 24 Eglinton road on the second floor okay now a lot of prepositions are often confused so I'm going to go through these with you some of these are a little bit more advanced but there's no harm in knowing them and learning them because you'll come across them and you'll you'll often get confused and I know from the students that I've worked with they do cause confusion so I go through them slowly and you might need to go through these once or two a couple of times just to make sure you understand them okay so I'm going to give you some comparisons of prepositions that do cause confusion now one that often causes confusion is over and across so we'll compare the two over and across we use over to mean onto the other side of something high for example a wall he climbed over the wall so he doesn't climb across the wall he climbs over the wall so if you're using something high like a wall or a fence he climbs over that particular wall of fence for example The Prisoner escaped by climbing over the wall The Prisoner escaped by climbing over the fence and we use a cross when we're talking about something we think of as reasonably flat not so high or a flat surface or an area like the sea or a particular country I saw her across the room at a party I saw her across the room at a party the show was broadcast across Europe the show was brought cast across Europe now when I mentioned Bridge here you can use both across and over he went across the bridge or he drove across the bridge he ran across the bridge or he ran over the bridge the bus goes over the bridge to get to the other side of the city because it's reasonably flat and therefore you can use over or across but if we're talking something very very high the wall or a fence then it's always to climb over that particular thing okay okay so some other prepositions where we get confusion and these ones now these always cause confusion so again go over them a couple of times if you don't understand them or you need more examples says then just come back in and ask me so we're talking now about above below or over and under above below over and under so we use above or below when one thing is not directly over or under another okay so for example there are many cities that are located below sea level so when you look at the map of the world there are many cities that are located below sea level they're not under sea level because then they would be underwater but they are below sea level so they have to have special Bridges or blockades built on the seashore to prevent the water coming into the city okay so there are many cities that are located below sea level he saw a man below whom he did not recognize so if he was looking down from an a wall or a high building he saw a man below whom he did not recognize it's not he saw a man under because then that means he's under something yeah okay so he saw a man below whom he did not recognize so using above and below when one thing is not directly over or under another thing okay now I do have a separate lesson to explain below beneath and underneath so if you click up here you'll get the link to that particular lesson okay let's go back then to over over and under we use it when one thing covers or is covered by another so over and under we use it when one thing is covered or covers by another the cat was hiding under the bed he wasn't below the bed okay he's under the bed the cat was hiding under the bed another preposition that gets confused or enduring and throughout during and throughout we use during to mean sometime within a bigger period of time okay so it could be during your summer holidays yeah you met your friends or you went on a cruise or you went on a holiday or you went to an English course during your summer holidays okay so it wasn't for the whole period it was for part of that period during your summer holidays we moved house during our winter break we moved house during our winter break not over the whole winter break but just for a few days or a week during a winter break a lot of people go skiing during their winter break they don't go for the whole of the winter break but they go during the winter break for a few days of five or six days and if we want to use throughout or all through so this means that we're talking about something that is continuous so it lasts for the full period of time so for example it rained throughout the night it rained all through the night it means continuously without stopping now I could say it rained during the night but it means not for the whole period of the night time but it rained during the night because when I got up in the morning and I looked out the window there were some puddles on the ground so that indicated that it had rained during the night but if I got up and the rain is lashing down from the heavens and your partner says to you yeah it was raining throughout the night or all through the night because it woke me up lashing against the window so this would indicate that it was continuous so if we're talking about during and throughout be very careful during as for part of the period and throughout usually me means continues for the whole time okay other prepositions that get confused until and by they're not so difficult but they do get confused so when we want to use until we talk about activities that continue up to a period of time or up to a particular time many people are living with their parents until they are in their 20s so they used to go to college and then they used to move out but because of economic situations now we find that many people are living at home with their parents until their late 20s okay so it's not throughout the period but until the late 20s and we use bi to talk about activities that happen before a particular time I'll be definitely home by nine o'clock so you could say I'll be working until eight o'clock but I will definitely be home by 9 clock okay so I'll be working until eight so up to that time but I'd be definitely home by by nine o'clock okay so we use buy to talk about activities that happened before or at a particular time and then one more if we use the word accept and besides accept and besides and usually when we use accept we're talking about except for something okay so we use except for when something is not included it's excluded it's not included this store is open every day except for Sunday this store is open every day except for Sunday everyone except the father had gone to bed around 11 30. everyone everyone except the father or the mother had gone to bed around 11 30. and then we use besides when talking about something in addition to besides in addition to besides being a writer he was also a painter besides being a teacher he was also a PE instructor okay Claire wasn't free on the night of the party besides she wasn't even invited okay so she wasn't free or available on the the night of the party well besides she wasn't even invited so even if she was free she wouldn't have gone okay so X accept or besides so they're all prepositions that we can get confused with so accept besides until or by during throughout or all through and then over and under above and below just to make sure we understand when we use them and of course and the very first part of this one we used in at or on so what I'll do is I'll do another lesson for you a little later with some other prepositions that will give you some information about other prepositions that we can use in the exact same way so try to practice try to put some sentences similar to the examples that I've given you put them into your own words practice those and then practice them when you're speaking to your friends or your colleagues and if you still have problems as I gave you the address at the beginning write to me and I'll give you some further examples then and if you do like this particular lesson and then please like the video and if you can subscribe to the channel because it really really does help okay so this is Harry thanking you for watching thank you for listening and as always make sure you join me for the next lesson

Channel: Learn English with Harry

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Keywords: online english lessons, find english tutor, speak better english with harry podcast, learn english with harry, c1 english level, advanced english lessons, online english learning, advanced english, learn advanced english, how to improve fluency in speaking english, english prepositions, english grammar rules, how to use prepostions

Id: 3bfAc9ZhsFE

Length: 25min 53sec (1553 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 21 2023