Prepositions

[lllllllllllllllllllllllll]

I've been studying and practicing the language for several years now, but up to now I still think this is the part of English language that I am still having difficulty with. For example, I know when to use "on" when referring to the placement of an object, but then again "on" can be used in many instances such as date and time, so it kinda complicate things for me. I still get confused as to when to use "in", "on" or "at" when referring to a given situation. I am working on improving my knowledge of prepositions and hope to perfect, if not, at least improve significantly.

For non-native English speakers and those who are still learning the language, do you guys find this area of the English language kinda difficult to remember given it has many rules and stuff?  :shy:

[jtucci21]

Speaking to many non-native speakers, you're definitely not the only one experiencing this difficulty.  I'm honestly not sure if there is a definitive answer that separates the three! If someone else could chime in, I'd greatly appreciate it. 

To my knowledge, "at" usually refers to where something occurs or a marker of where it begins.  Like "at 10 o'clock in the morning" or "We saw a movie at the Megaplex".  "In" refers to the parameters around the situation and broader locations where something occurs.  So you wouldn't say "in 10 o'clock in the morning" because 10 o'clock is a specific time.  However, you do say "in the morning" because that's a more general time.  Same with the location.  In "we saw a movie at the Megaplex in NYC", the Megaplex is the name of the specific theater whereas NYC is the more general location. 

"On" seems to be referring to when something is at a point or touching something.  Like "the glass is on top of the table" or "I'm right on time". 

I hope this helps!  I'm sure someone else could add to this

[lllllllllllllllllllllllll]

I appreciate the pointers you provided. Your example about Megaplex and NYC is really helpful as I sometimes commit the mistake of using "at" whenever I am referring to a place regardless if it is a specific or general location.

If you don't mind, I may need more help, though I am not even sure if this is even a matter concerning preposition. All I know is it involved "in" or "on", so I guess it is still part of preposition.  :beaten:  How would you say: Seek the guidance from above [should I use in or on (or maybe "for"?)] everything that you do.

[diprod]

I guess it's a common problem but once you get the hang of it, you won't have troubles dealing with it eventually. You just have to focus on the elements on the sentence I guess. This is just like the whole subject verb agreement problem.

[jtucci21]

If you don't mind, I may need more help, though I am not even sure if this is even a matter concerning preposition. All I know is it involved "in" or "on", so I guess it is still part of preposition.  :beaten:  How would you say: Seek the guidance from above [should I use in or on (or maybe "for"?)] everything that you do.

In this case it would be "for" and you could omit the "the" because it's non-specific.  You're referring to "for everything that you do" so it's just general guidance.  So the sentence reads: Seek guidance from above for everything that you do.  Seek the guidance of your savior for everything that you do.  This is one of those weird ones though because it would be ok to say "in everything that you do" in older English but it's not so commonly used like that today.  You could use "in" like this though:  See the beauty in everything around you. 

We can go back and forth on examples if you want!  Keep sending me the sentences that confuse you.  Maybe this thread will help someone else too!

[lllllllllllllllllllllllll]

I see. Tricky one, isn't it? I guess I'll give you a break for now. I'll post here if something comes up that confuses me regarding prepositions. 

[Alfonso]

It can be tricky sometimes, but I'm sure with practice, you'll get the hang of it. I just want mention you said you use on for date and time. As far as I know you can use on for dates but not for time. For time you want to use at. For example, "Meet me at 5:30 PM." or "Be there at the proper time.". This page might help you understand it better. http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/prepositions

[lllllllllllllllllllllllll]

Ok, so it's Q&A time again. 

How would you say: Find strength [which one should be used here, "in" or "through"?] difficult times. 

[sidney]

I haven't really had much trouble using propositions, since I always go with what "sounds better" if I'm confused regarding which prepositions to use. And it turns out, the one that sounded better always turns out to be the right one.

[1inamillion]

I appreciate the pointers you provided. Your example about Megaplex and NYC is really helpful as I sometimes commit the mistake of using "at" whenever I am referring to a place regardless if it is a specific or general location.

If you don't mind, I may need more help, though I am not even sure if this is even a matter concerning preposition. All I know is it involved "in" or "on", so I guess it is still part of preposition.  :beaten:  How would you say: Seek the guidance from above [should I use in or on (or maybe "for"?)] everything that you do.

A preposition describe a relationship between other words in a sentence. A word like 'in' or 'after' is rather meaningless and hard to define in mere words. When you do try to define a preposition line in or between, you invariable use your hands to show how something is situated in relationship to something else. A proposition is followed by a determiner and an adjective or two, followed by a pronoun or a noun. I have learned that using a preposition to end a sentence can cause serious breach to grammatical etiquette.