Prepositions/Phrasal Verbs
Modal verbs
Modal verbs are for example may, can, must, should, need. They express an ability, permission, wish etc. to do something. (I may, can, must swim.) Many modal verbs cannot be used in all of the English tenses. That's why we need to know the substitutes to these modal verbs.
| Modal Verb | Substitute | Example |
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| Must |
to have to |
I must swim. = I have to swim. |
| Must not |
not to be allowed to |
I must not swim. = I am not allowed to swim. |
| Can |
to be able to |
I can swim. = I am able to swim. |
| May |
to be allowed to |
I may swim. = I am allowed to swim. |
| Need |
to have to |
I need to swim. = I have to swim. |
| Need not |
not to have to |
I need not swim. = I don't have to swim. |
| Shall / should/ ought to |
to be supposed to / to be expected to / to be to |
I shall / should / ought to swim. = I am supposed to swim. / I am expected to swim. / I am to swim. |
Prepositions – Time
| English | Usage | Example |
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- months / seasons
- time of day
- year
- after a certain period of time (when?)
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- in August / in winter
- in the morning
- in 2006
- in an hour
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- for night
- for weekend
- a certain point of time (when?)
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- at night
- at the weekend
- at half past nine
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- from a certain point of time (past till now)
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- over a certain period of time (past till now)
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- a certain time in the past
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- earlier than a certain point of time
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- marking the beginning and end of a period of time
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- from Monday to/till Friday
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- in the sense of how long something is going to last
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- He is on holiday until Friday.
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- in the sense of at the latest
- up to a certain time
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- I will be back by 6 o’clock.
- By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.
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Prepositions – Place (Position and Direction)
| English | Usage | Example |
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- room, building, street, town, country
- book, paper etc.
- car, taxi
- picture, world
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- in the kitchen, in London
- in the book
- in the car, in a taxi
- in the picture, in the world
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- meaning next to, by an object
- for table
- for events
- place where you are to do something typical (watch a film, study, work)
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- at the door, at the station
- at the table
- at a concert, at the party
- at the cinema, at school, at work
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- attached
- for a place with a river
- being on a surface
- for a certain side (left, right)
- for a floor in a house
- for public transport
- for television, radio
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- the picture on the wall
- London lies on the Thames.
- on the table
- on the left
- on the first floor
- on the bus, on a plane
- on TV, on the radio
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- left or right of somebody or something
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- Jane is standing by / next to / beside the car.
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- on the ground, lower than (or covered by) something else
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- the bag is under the table
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- lower than something else but above ground
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- the fish are below the surface
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- covered by something else
- meaning more than
- getting to the other side (also across)
- overcoming an obstacle
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- put a jacket over your shirt
- over 16 years of age
- walk over the bridge
- climb over the wall
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- higher than something else, but not directly over it
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- getting to the other side (also over)
- getting to the other side
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- walk across the bridge
- swim across the lake
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- something with limits on top, bottom and the sides
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- movement to person or building
- movement to a place or country
- for bed
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- go to the cinema
- go to London / Ireland
- go to bed
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- enter a room / a building
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- go into the kitchen / the house
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- movement in the direction of something (but not directly to it)
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- go 5 steps towards the house
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- movement to the top of something
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- in the sense of where from
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Other important Prepositions
| English | Usage | Example |
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- who/what does it belong to
- what does it show
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- a page of the book
- the picture of a palace
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- walking or riding on horseback
- entering a public transport vehicle
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- on foot, on horseback
- get on the bus
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- leaving a public transport vehicle
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- rise or fall of something
- travelling (other than walking or horseriding)
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- prices have risen by 10 percent
- by car, by bus
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- she learned Russian at 45
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- for topics, meaning what about
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- we were talking about you
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Date de dernière mise à jour : vendredi, 02 juillet 2021
