Prepositions "With", "Over", and "By"

With

Used to indicate being together or being involved:

• I ordered a sandwich with a drink.
• He was with his friend when he saw me.
• She has been working with her sister at the nail shop.
• The manager will be with you shortly.

Used to indicate "having":

• I met a guy with green eyes.
• Were you the one talking with an accent?
• People with a lot of money are not always happy.

Used to indicate "using":

• I wrote a letter with the pen you gave me.
• This is the soup that I made with rice and barley.
• He cut my hair with his gold scissors.

Used to indicate feeling:

• I am emailing you with my sincere apology.
• He came to the front stage with confidence.

Used to indicate agreement or understanding:

• Are you with me?
• Yes, I am completely with you.
• She agrees with me.

Over

Used to indicate movement from one place to another:

• Come over to my house for dinner sometime.
• Could you roll over?
• They sent over a gift for his promotion.

Used to indicate movement downward:

• The big tree fell over on the road.
• Can you bend over and get the dish for me?
• He pushed it over the edge.

Used to indicate more than an expected number or amount:

• This amount is over our prediction.
• Kids twelve and over can watch this movie.
• The phone rang for over a minute.

Used to indicate a period of time:

• I worked there over a year.
• She did not sleep there over this past month.

By

Used to indicate proximity:

• Can I sit by you?
• He was standing by me.
• The post office is by the bank.

Used to indicate the person that does something in a passive voice sentence:

• The microwave was fixed by the mechanic.
• The flowers were delivered by a postman.
• The branch office was closed by the head office.

Used to indicate an action with a particular purpose:

• You can pass the exam by preparing for it.
• I expressed my feeling toward her by writing a letter.
• She finally broke the record by pure effort.

Used to indicate a mean or method:

• Please send this package to Russia by airmail.
• I came here by subway.

[Quiz 24.1]

Choose the correct preposition in each sentence.

1) If she left at 4 p.m., she should be here                      (with, over, by) now.
2) Go                      (with, over, by) there and catch my ball.
3)                      (With, Over, By) your determination, you will be able to achieve your dream.
4) I just found it! It was                      (with, over, by) the radio on my desk.
5) I knocked him                      (with, over, by) accidentally.
6) She was                      (with, over, by) me when the accident occurred.

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Prepositions "Of", "To", and "For"

Of

Used for belonging to, relating to, or connected with:

• The secret of this game is that you can’t ever win.
• The highlight of the show is at the end.
• The first page of the book describes the author’s profile.
• Don’t touch it. That’s the bag of my friend’s sister.
• I always dreamed of being rich and famous.

Used to indicate reference:

• I got married in the summer of 2000.
• This is a picture of my family.
• I got a discount of 10 percent on the purchase.

Used to indicate an amount or number:

• I drank three cups of milk.
• A large number of people gathered to protest.
• I had only four hours of sleep during the last two days.
• He got a perfect score of 5 on his writing assignment.

To

Used to indicate the place, person, or thing that someone or something moves toward, or the direction of something:

• I am heading to the entrance of the building.
• The package was mailed to Mr. Kim yesterday.
• All of us went to the movie theater.
• Please send it back to me.

Used to indicate a limit or an ending point:

• The snow was piled up to the roof.
• The stock prices rose up to 100 dollars.

Used to indicate relationship:

• This letter is very important to your admission.
• My answer to your question is in this envelop.
• Do not respond to every little thing in your life.

Used to indicate a time or a period:

• I work nine to six, Monday to Friday.
• It is now 10 to five. (In other words, it is 4:50.)

For

Used to indicate the use of something:

• This place is for exhibitions and shows.
• I baked a cake for your birthday.
• I put a note on the door for privacy.
• She has been studying hard for the final exam.

Used to mean because of:

• I am so happy for you.
• We feel deeply sorry for your loss.
• For this reason, I’ve decided to quit this job.

Used to indicate time or duration:

• He’s been famous for many decades.
• I attended the university for one year only.
• This is all I have for today.

[Quiz 23.1]

Choose the correct preposition in each sentence.

1) I slept                      (of, to, for) only two hours last night.
2) It was my first trip                      (of, to, for) Hawaii.
3) Turn off the TV and go straight                      (of, to, for) bed.
4) This book was written                      (of, to, for) the people who want to learn how to play a guitar.
5) I was late                      (of, to, for) school.
6) Spencer is one                      (of, to, for) my best friends.

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Prepositions in expressions of time

Preposition	Use	Examples
in	in months	in July; in September
	year	in 1985; in 1999
	seasons	in summer; in the summer of 69
	part of the day	in the morning; in the afternoon; in the evening
	duration	in a minute; in two weeks
at	part of the day	at night
	time of day	at 6 o'clock; at midnight
	celebrations	at Christmas; at Easter
	fixed phrases	at the end of the week at the same time
on	days of the week	on Sunday; on Friday
	date	on the 25th of December*
	special holidays	on Good Friday; on Easter Sunday; on my birthday
	a special part of a day	on the morning of September the 11th*
after	later than sth.	after school
ago	how far sth. happened (in the past)	6 years ago
before	earlier than sth.	before Christmas
between	time that separates two points	between Monday and Friday
by	not later than a special time	by Thursday
during	through the whole of a period of time	during the holidays
for	period of time	for three weeks
from ... to from... till/until	two points form a period	from Monday to Wednesday from Monday till Wednesday from Monday until Wednesday
past	time of the day	23 minutes past 6 (6:23)
since	point of time	since Monday
till/until	no later than a special time	till tomorrow until tomorrow
to	time of the day	23 minutes to 6 (5:37)
up to	not more than a special time	up to 6 hours a day
within	during a period of time	within a day

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Prepositions of place and direction

Preposition	Use	Examples
above	higher than sth.	The picture hangs above my bed.
across	from one side to the other side	You mustn't go across this road here. There isn't a bridge across the river.
after	one follows the other	The cat ran after the dog. After you.
against	directed towards sth.	The bird flew against the window.
along	in a line; from one point to another	They're walking along the beach.
among	in a group	I like being among people.
around	in a circular way	We're sitting around the campfire.
behind	at the back of	Our house is behind the supermarket.
below	lower than sth.	Death Valley is 86 metres below sea level.
beside	next to	Our house is beside the supermarket.
between	sth./sb. is on each side	Our house is between the supermarket and the school.
by	near	He lives in the house by the river.
close to	near	Our house is close to the supermarket.
down	from high to low	He came down the hill.
from	the place where it starts	Do you come from Tokyo?
in front of	the part that is in the direction it faces	Our house is in front of the supermarket.
inside	opposite of outside	You shouldn't stay inside the castle.
into	entering sth.	You shouldn't go into the castle.
near	close to	Our house is near the supermarket.
next to	beside	Our house is next to the supermarket.
off	away from sth.	The cat jumped off the roof.
onto	moving to a place	The cat jumped onto the roof.
opposite	on the other side	Our house is opposite the supermarket.
out of	leaving sth.	The cat jumped out of the window.
outside	opposite of inside	Can you wait outside?
over	above sth./sb.	The cat jumped over the wall.
past	going near sth./sb.	Go past the post office.
round	in a circle	We're sitting round the campfire.
through	going from one point to the other point	You shouldn't walk through the forest.
to	towards sth./sb.	I like going to Australia. Can you come to me? I've never been to Africa.
towards	in the direction of sth.	We ran towards the castle.
under	below sth.	The cat is under the table.
up	from low to high	He went up the hill.

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