Prepositions of Direction (From,

To, Into, Onto, Away): A fly got into

my soup!
4

Intermediate
After this lesson, you will be able to talk about directions.

Exercise 1
Sentence Practice
 She comes from New York.
 He went to New York last year.
 I just came back to London from New York.
 They go to the gym everyday.
 Last summer, I went from Korea to Japan by plane.
 He hurried into the house.
 The little girl climbed onto the bed and fell asleep a few
moments later.
 Step away from the dog; it might be dangerous.

Grammar Focus
From
Use the preposition from to talk about the source of something or the
place where it starts.

 She comes from Japan.
 Let's start from page 21.
 I got the book from my friend.

To
Use the preposition to to show the direction of something:

 She goes to Spain every year.

 She went to school by bus.
 Let's go to that cafe.
 The man is jumping from the cliff on the left to the cliff on the
right.
Into
Use the preposition into to talk about people/things/animals that are
within or entering something:

 Put the leftovers into the fridge.

 The dog went into the house.
 The man is jumping into the ocean.

Onto
Use the preposition onto to talk about people/things/animals that are
moving towards or on top of a surface:

 Put the vase onto the table.

 Steve drove his car onto the sidewalk.
 The cat is climbing onto the box.

Away from
Use the preposition away from to talk about distance or
people/things/animals that are moving further from something:

 Move away from the fire.

 Put the books away from food.
 The man is running away from the dog.
Certain expressions use 'away' by itself.  For example: "Go away (from me)!" and
"Susan went away (from home) for her studies."

Exercise 2
Dialogue Practice
Read the dialogues aloud with your teacher.

Visiting a Friend in Another Country

How can I get to your house from

the airport?
Hyun-woo

You can take a bus from the airport to a hotel near

my house.
Nathan

How far is the hotel from your house?

Hyun-woo

Nathan

Hyun-woo

Nathan
Siblings
Don't come into my room. It's a mess!

Matt
Put your stuff into the closet and onto the bookshelves, and it won't be such a mess!

Nina
Go away. You're annoying.
 Matt
Exercise 3
Multiple Choice
Choose the correct answers to complete the sentences.

1. A west wind blows   the west.

1. from
2. away from

2. I just got  France today.

1. from
2. to

3. Her cup fell  the sink.

1. onto
2. into

4. Come  the second floor.

1. onto
2. into

5. Angry, Alex turned  Jenn.

1. away from
2. into

6. Not wanting to get a tan, I moved  the window.

1. onto
2. away from

7. Keep the food  the cat.

1. away from
2. to

Exercise 4 Sentence Building

Create sentences using the following words and phrases.
hit golf ball, into the hole → "Tiger Woods hit the golf ball  into the hole every
time!"

 yesterday, into town

 this dress, from New York
  the desserts, away from the dog
 onto the roof, fireworks
 from New York, to Hawaii

Prepositions of Time (In, At, On): I

cook in the morning and at night.
4

Intermediate
After this lesson, you will be able to talk about  when things happen or when you
do certain things.

Exercise 1 Sentence Practice

In

 I was born in 2000.
 Her birthday is in December.

On

 Let’s meet on Friday.
 I usually go to the gym on Wednesdays.

At

 I usually wake up at 6 a.m.

 We can see the stars at night.

Grammar Focus
In + [period of time]
Use 'in + [period of time]' to refer to an unspecified point in that period
of time:

 a month: Susan's birthday is in December. [= Her birthday

may be December 1st, 3rd, 10th, 25th, 31st, etc. ]
 a year: She was born in 1969. [= Her birthday may be Jan
25th, February 13th, April 6th, October 21st, etc. ]
 a season: She was born in the fall.
 a part of the day: She was born in the morning.

On + [days/dates]
Unlike 'in', the preposition 'on' refers to specific days:

 days of the week: She was born on Saturday.

 specific dates: She was born on December 21st.

We put our finger on a specific day of the calendar:

 "My birthday is on the 21st."

At + [specific times]
Use the preposition 'at' to talk about a specific time.

 She was born at 5 o'clock in the morning.

 She was born at midnight/noon.
 She was born at night.

Note that we say 'in the morning/afternoon/evening' but 'at night'.

Exercise 2 Dialogue Practice

Read the dialogues aloud with your teacher.

English Study
When do you study English?

Haruto
I study English on the weekend. What about you?

Andrei
I study English at night.

Haruto
A Date
How was your date yesterday?

Nina
Terrible. We planned to meet at 6 p.m. and he arrived at 7!

Mio
Retirement
When does your father retire?

Camille
He retires in November.

Alex
 Does he have retirement plans?

Camille
He plans to move back to Germany in December.

Alex

Exercise 3 Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences.

1. I make breakfast  the morning.

1. in
2. on
3. at

2. I make lunch  noon.

1. in
2. on
3. at

3. I have a day off Tuesday.

1. in
2. on
3. at

4. I have a five-week vacation  the summer.

1. in
2. on
3. at

Exercise 4 Sentence Building

Describe your daily life using prepositions of time:  in, at, on.
I wake up: → "I wake up at 7 a.m."

 I wake up:
 I eat breakfast:
 I brush my teeth:
 I go to work/school:
 I drink coffee:
 I take a nap:
 I eat dinner:
 I take a shower:
 I go to bed:
Other Prepositions (By, About,
Like, Of, With, Without): I cook with
my mom.
5

Intermediate
Learning these prepositions will allow you to add much more detail to your
sentences.

Exercise 1 Sentence Practice

 I go to school by bus.
 We came by car.
 I will tell you a story about my dreams.
 What do you think about Glen?
 She sings like a bird.
 She looks like her mother.
 She is one of my classmates.
 You can borrow some of my books.
 I usually go to school with my brother.
 Do you live with your parents?
 He went without saying goodbye.
 Can you come without your sister?

Grammar Focus
By
Use the preposition by to express the means or method of doing
something:

 They came by train.
 Do you want to go by car or by bus?
 She traveled by plane for the first time in her life.

Tip
We use the expression 'on foot', not 'by foot', for walking: “I go to school  on
foot."

About
The preposition about means on the subject of, connected with,
referring to someone/something:

 This lesson is about prepositions. (= the focus of the lesson is

prepositions)
 Let's talk about the exam. (= discuss the exam)
 Tell me about your father. (= what is your father like?)
  He spoke about his research.

Like
Use the preposition like to describe similarities between two things:

 She looks like her mother.

 The cake tastes like heaven.

Of
Use the preposition of to express possession, or to express that
something is related or connected:

 He is a friend of mine.
 The color of his eyes is blue.
 Some members of the swimming club took part in the school
competition.

With
Use the preposition with to express that something/someone is
accompanied by someone/ something else:

 Come with me. I want to show you something.

 She went home with her friend.
 They always travel with their parents.

Without
Use the preposition without to express the lack of something:

 Please enter without your dog.

 I can't live without you.
 He lived without any money for two weeks.

Exercise 2 Dialogue Practice

Read the dialogues aloud with your teacher.

"Bring Your Child to Work" Day

Next week is Bring Your Child to Work Day, so you can go to work with your dad!

Mom
Cool! Does dad go to work by car?

Olivia
No, he goes by bus.
 Mom
Daydreaming at School
Wake up! Are you daydreaming about James Bond again?

Liam
Oh, sorry... You know, I want to be cool like James Bond...

Haruto
Stop dreaming, or I'll go to class without you!

Liam
Travels
Tell me about your trip to London!

Grace
Oh, we visited a lot of places. London was just one of them!

Arisa
Who did you go with?

Grace
I went with a group of friends from college.

Arisa

Exercise 3 Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences.

1. Tell us   yourself.

2. The children went to school   bus.
3. Stop acting   a child!
4. Meet Tom! He is the son   Jacob and Mary.
5. Sally went to the movies   her boyfriend.
6. I can't live   movies. I love them!
7. This movie is   a cat who eats a lot.
8. Here, have a piece   apple pie.
Banco de respuestas (Preguntas 1-8)
 of  about
 by  with
 without  about
 of  like
Exercise 4 Sentence Building
Answer the following questions using the prepositions:  by, about, like, of, with,
without.
Who do you speak English with? → I speak English  with my Australian friends.

 How do you go to work/school?

 Who do you look like?
 Who do you work with?
 How many cups of coffee or tea do you drink everyday?
 What can't you live without? (= What do you absolutely need?)
 What do you like to learn about?
Prepositions of Time (During, For,
Before/After, Until): I cook dinner
after work.
6

Intermediate
After this lesson, you will be able to talk about the  duration of events and when
these events occur compared to other events.

Exercise 1 Sentence Practice

During
 He fell asleep during the meeting.
 I was very nervous during my job interview.

Before/After
 I sleep before 10 P.M.
 Before the hurricane, we bought lots of food and water.
 I go to work after breakfast.
 After lunch, she felt sleepy.

Until
 He waited for her until 11 P.M.
 I don't want to buy a new computer  until this one breaks.
 They did not pick up the phone until it rang 10 times.

Grammar Focus
During + some event
Use 'during' before nouns to describe some point in time in an event.

 She was born during a snowstorm.

 He fell asleep during the meeting.
 We did not talk during the movie.

For + length of time

Use 'for' to talk about how long/how much time something lasted.

 The baby cried for ten minutes. (= the baby cried during the

entire period of ten minutes)

Until
Use 'until' to talk about something that happens up to a certain point in
time:

 The baby cried until morning. (= It cried all night and stopped

in the morning)
'Until' is often used with a negative verb to emphasize the length of an
action:

 The baby did not stop crying until morning. (= It finally

stopped crying!)

Before and After

Use the preposition 'before' to talk about something that happens
earlier than something else.

 She was born before sunrise. (= First, she was born. Then, the

sun rose)

Use the preposition 'after' to talk about something that happens later
than something else.

 She cried after she was born. (= First, she was born. Then,

she cried)

Before/After + [Action]
Remember: The gerund form (-ing) of a verb allows it to act like a noun.

We can use 'before' and 'after' with an action. Put the verb in the
gerund form:

 After taking a shower, I go to work. (= After my shower, I go to

work)
 Before going to work, I take a shower. (= Before work, I take a
shower)

Exercise 2 Dialogue Practice

Read the dialogues aloud with your teacher.

Scheduling a Meeting
What time shall we meet tomorrow?

Akio Adachi
I have an appointment at 5 p.m., so let's meet before or after that.

Lisa Sato
How is 3 p.m. then?

Akio Adachi
 Sounds good! But I can only stay until 4 p.m. I have to leave for my next appointmen

Lisa Sato
Sure. Let's just meet for an hour.

Akio Adachi
A Date
How was your date yesterday?

Nina
Terrible. We planned to meet at 6 p.m. and he didn't arrive until 7!

Mio
You waited for an hour?

Nina
Yeah, I can't believe it. Then he checked his phone a hundred times during the date.

Mio

Exercise 3 Fill in the Blanks

Below is Sarah's schedule. Look at the schedule and fill in the blanks with the
appropriate preposition: 'before', 'after', 'until', or 'for'.

Sarah's Schedule
 [7:00] wake up
 [7:10] drink coffee
 [7:30] take the bus to work
 [9:00] start work
 [17:00] finish work, take the bus home
 [18:30] cook dinner
 [19:00] eat dinner
 [20:00] watch TV
 [0:00] go to bed

1. Sarah drinks coffee  waking up.

2. She works from 9:00 to 17:00. She works  eight hours.
3. She cooks dinner  taking the bus home.
4. She eats dinner  watching TV.
5. She does not sleep  midnight.
6. She is awake  midnight.
7. She sleeps from midnight to 7:00. She sleeps  seven hours.
Exercise 4 Sentence Building
Answer the following questions about your daily life using prepositions of time:
'before', 'after', 'until', or 'for'.
How much time do you sleep? → "I sleep  for 8 hours."

 What do you do before sleeping?

 What time do you sleep until?
 How much time do you work everyday?
 How much time do you brush your teeth?
 How much time do you shower?
 What time are you awake until?
 What do you do after work?