List of Prepositions

English language: A list of common prepositions.

Prepositions of Time

English Explanation / Meaning Examples

on  days (of the week) & dates  on Sunday; on May 1st; on Christmas
Eve; on my mark; on the weekend
(AmE.)

in  months / seasons / year  in summer / in July / in 2017

 part of the day  in the evening
 after a period of time  in an hour; in the future

at  a specific point of time  at 11:15 p.m.; at half past six

 exceptions (when?)  at noon; at night; learned English at 42;
at the weekend (BrE.); at first glance

since  from a specific point in time until now  since 1980; since yesterday
(past till now)

for  over a certain period of time  for the first time in forever; for 3 years

ago  from now to a specific point in the  a second ago; a decade ago; a while
past (now till past) ago

during  throughout the course or duration of  during summer; during the vacation;
s.th. during the discussion

before  previous to in time; earlier than  before winter; before dawn; I have to
talk to the client before I call my
manager

after  Subsequent in time; at a later time  after midnight; after tomorrow

than

until (till)  up to a certain point in time  until Monday; I’ll wait to call my
manager until I hear from the client

to / past  telling the time  ten to two (1:50) / ten past two (2:10)

from / to  a starting point / an end point  from the beginning; from now to eternity

by  not later than  by 12 o'clock; by next week

 

 

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Prepositions of Place

English Explanation / Meaning Examples

in  position or state inside sth.  in London; in the book, in the mirror; in

love

at  in the area of ...; specific position  at home; at the table; at my side

 an event (or a place related to it)  at the party; at the cinema; at school

on  position above  on the desk

 in contact with  on the wall
 for a certain side (left, right)  on the left side
 the state or process of  on leave; on fire; on the way
on the phone; on TV; on the radio
 means of conveyance  on trains; on the bus; on a plane

off  from a place or position  off the table; off the wall; went off to
Canada; got off the bus; turned off the
TV

by, beside  at the side of; close to, next to  by the door; beside the car; stand by me

under  in a lower position; beneath the  under the table; under water
surface

over  in or at a position above  put sth. over a shirt; walk over sth.; over
my dead body
 more than
 over 100 years; over ten miles

below  in or to a lower place; beneath  below the surface; below 20°; below the
clouds

above  higher than sth. else; overhead  above the door; the clouds above; the
problems cited above

up  from a lower towards a higher point  up the hill; up there is a …

down  a descending direction  rolled down the hill; walking down the
street

 

 

 

 

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Prepositions of Directions / Movements

English Explanation / Meaning Examples

across  On, at, to or from the other side  across the street; lines across the paper

through  from one end or side to another  through the tunnel; a tour through
France

to  In a direction toward a person / thing  go to bed; move on to; face to face

 toward a (given) state  back to health; all the way to; to die for

into  movement to the inside / interior of  went into the kitchen; crashed into a tree
 to the condition, state, or form of  breaking into pieces; go into banking

out of  from the inside to the outside  drag myself out of bed; out of nowhere
 no longer in the condition, state, or  out of town; out of order; out of fashion
form of

onto  movement to the top  jumped onto the table

towards  movement in the direction of; or closer  towards the house; toward the future;
to toward peace

from  a starting point; movement away from  walked home from the station; traveled
from NY to LA
 a source, a cause; a distinction  a note from the teacher; know right from
wrong

Other Prepositions

English Explanation / Meaning Examples

of  originating from, composed of,  men of the north; a cup of coffee; the
associated with, belonging to hand of God; that friend of yours

by  in the name of; through the agency or  a book by Mark Twain; by myself;
action of played by the rules; killed by a bullet;
one by one they left; by car, by bus

about  estimation of quantity  about ten people; about two miles

 on the subject of  a book about English
 ready to do sth.  the chorus is about to sing

for  indicates the object, aim or purpose  happy for you; eager for fame; for one
thing, …; for heaven’s sake

with  in the presence or use of  with a friend; with cheese; with

confidence; with a lot of …; will be with
you shortly; from Russia with love

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 Understanding Direction
Important verbs and prepositions when giving directions

Asking somebody for directions

** Hint The key words are highlighted **

Questions you can ask about directions

Can you please tell me how I can get to the Lab?

Where is the nearest toilet?

How can I get to the pharmacy?

I'm trying to get to Downing Street.

How do I get to the office?

What's the best way to get to your house next ?

Where is Mc Donalds can you tell me please?

How to give directions to somebody else

Go straight on till you see the hospital then turn left.

Turn back, you have gone past the turning.

Turn left when you see a roundabout.

Turn right at the end of the road and my house is number 67.

Cross the junction and keep going for about 1 mile.

Take the third road on the right and you will see the office on the right

Take the third road on the right and you will see the shop on the left

Take the second road on the left and you will see the house on the left

Take the second road on the left and you will see the hospital straight ahead

The hospital is opposite the railway station.

The shop is near the hospital.

The house is next to the local cricket ground.

The shop is in between the chemist and KFC.

At the end of the road you will see a roundabout.

At the corner of the road you will see red building.

Just around the corner is my house you will need to stop

quickly or you will miss it.

Go straight on at the traffic lights. Turn right at the crossroads.

Follow the signposts for Manchester.

Giving directions conversation

When giving directions to someone it is best to use short basic English sentences.
Speak slowly when talking to the other person and spell out words if they don't
understand and if possible draw a map.

Mr Bean : - Please tell me how I get to your apartment?

Mrs Smith: - Are you coming by car or by bus?
Mr Bean : - I am coming by car.
Mr Bean : - Please could you tell me the easiest way of getting to your apartment?
Mrs Smith: - Take the M6 to Manchester and come of at junction 6
Mr Bean : - Manchester can you spell that for me
Mrs Smith: - M a n c h e s t e r
Mr Bean : - Thanks
Mrs Smith: - OK, then turn right at the roundabout and take the first left my house is on
the left next to the local food store.
Mr Bean : - Is that the quickest way of getting to your apartment?
Mrs Smith: - Yes, it is the quickest way by car.
Mr Bean : - Would you draw me a map please I don't know the area.
Mrs Smith: - Yes.
Mr Bean : - Thanks.
And finally some tips
Speak slowly so the other person can understand.

Speak slowly so the other person can write down the instructions if talking on the
phone.

When speaking with someone, use your hands to demonstrate what you mean, left,
right, or straight on.

Always try and use the word "please" when you are asking someone for directions. It's
polite, and people are more likely to help you!
 Appendix G
Units of Measure
A. Measurement
Magnitudes of measurements are typically given in terms of a specific unit. In surveying, the
most commonly used units define quantities of length (or distance), area, volume, and horizontal
or vertical angles. The two systems used for specifying units of measure are the English and
metric systems. Units in the English system are historical units of measurement used in
medieval England which evolved from the Anglo-Saxon and Roman systems. The metric system
is a decimalized system of measurement developed in France in late 18th century. Since the
metric system is almost universally used, it is often referred to as the International System of
Units and abbreviated SI.

1. Length
a. English Units
The basic units for length or distance measurements in the English system are the inch,
foot, yard, and mile. Other units of length also include the rod, furlong, and chain.

b. Metric Units
The basic unit of length in the SI system is the meter. The meter was originally intended
to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Equator to the North Pole (at sea level).
The meter has since been redefined as the distance travelled by light in a vacuum in
1/299,792,458 seconds (i.e. the speed of light in a vacuum is 299,792,458 m/sec).
Subdivisions of the meter are the millimeter, centimeter, and the decimeter, while
multiples of meters include the decameter, hectometer, and kilometer.
Units of Measurement

c. English to Metric Conversions

There are two different conversions to relate the foot and the meter. In 1893, the United
States officially defined a meter as 39.37 inches. Under this standard, the foot was equal
to 12/39.37 m (approximately 0.3048 m). In 1959, a new standard was adopted that
defined an inch equal to 2.54 cm. Under this standard, the foot was equal to exactly
0.3048 m. The older standard is now referred to as the U.S. survey foot, while the new
standard is referred to as the international foot. All WYDOT surveys use the U.S.
survey foot definition.

2. Area
a. English Units
In the English system, areas are typically given in square feet or square yards. For larger
area measurements, the acre or square mile may be used. Historically, the acre was
originally established as an area one furlong in length and four rods in width. Laying out
ten of these acres side by side is a square furlong (10 acres). Since a mile is eight
furlongs in length, there are exactly 640 acres in a square mile. A survey township is a
square unit of land six miles on a side that conforms to meridians and parallels. Each
township is further divided into 36 one-square mile sections. Because some of the
townships have boundaries designed to correct for the convergence of meridian lines, not
all townships and their sections are exactly square.

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 Appendix F

b. Metric Units
Areas in the metric system are given is square meters while larger measurements are
given in hectares.

c. English to Metric Conversions

3. Volume
a. English Units
Volumes in the English system are typically given in cubic feet or cubic yards. For larger
volumes, such as the quantity of water in a reservoir, the acre-foot unit is used. It is
equivalent to the area of an acre having a depth of 1 foot.

b. Metric Units
Volumes in the metric system are given in cubic meters.

c. English to Metric Conversions

4. Mass
The mass of an object is often referred to as its weight though these are different concepts
and quantities. Mass refers to the amount of matter in an object, whereas weight refers to the

Revised November, 2011 G-3

Units of Measurement

force experienced by an object due to gravity. In other words, an object with a specific mass
will weigh more on the Earth than the moon.

a. English Units
The avoirdupois pound is the primary unit of mass in the English system. Avoirdupois is
a system of weight based on the 16 ounces per pound rather than the 12 ounces per pound
in the troy system of weight.

b. Metric Units
The kilogram is the unit of mass in the metric system.

c. English to Metric Conversions

The avoirdupois pound is defined as exactly 0.45359237 kg.

5. Angular Measurement
In geometry, any horizontal or vertical angle is measured in degrees. These angles may be
given in decimal degrees or degrees, minutes, and seconds.

The radian is another unit of measure for angles. By definition, a full circle has 2 radians
or 360 degrees.

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 Appendix F

6. Temperature
a. English Units
The Fahrenheit scale, or degrees Fahrenheit (°F), is used in the United States to measure
temperature. On the Fahrenheit scale, the freezing point of water is 32°F while the
boiling point is 212°F at standard atmospheric pressure. The boiling and freezing points
of water are exactly 180 degrees apart, making each degree Fahrenheit 1/180 of the
interval between the two points.

b. Metric Units
The Celsius scale, or degrees Celsius (°C), is used the metric system to measure
temperature. On the Celsius scale, the freezing point of water is 0°C while the boiling
point is 100°C at standard atmospheric pressure. The boiling and freezing points of water
are exactly 100 degrees apart, making each degree Celsius 1/100 of the interval between
the two points. The Fahrenheit and Celsius scales converge at -40° (i.e. -40°F and -40°C
are the same temperature).

c. English to Metric Conversions

7. Pressure
Atmospheric pressure is the force per unit area exerted against a surface by the weight of the
Earth’s atmosphere above that surface. Because there is less overlying atmospheric mass as
elevation increases, pressure decreases with increasing elevation. The standard atmosphere
(atm) is an international reference for pressure.

a. English Units
In the English system, air pressure is typically measured in inches mercury (inHg).

b. Metric Units
Air pressure is measured in millimeters mercury (mmHg) or millibars (mbars) in the
metric system, but may also be measured in pascals or kilopascals.

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Units of Measurement

c. English to Metric Conversions

G-6 Revised November, 2011