Unit 5 OTHER PREPOSITIONS

 

ON/ IN/ AT/ (OTHER USES)

Expressions with on: on television, on the radio, on the phone; (be/go) on strike, on a diet; (be) on fire; on the whole (= in general); on purpose (= intentionally).

 

(Be/go) on holiday, on business, on a trip, on a tour, on a cruise etc.; but: go to a place for a holiday, for my holiday(s).

Expressions with in:   

in the rain, in the sun, in the shade, in the dark, in bad weather etc.;

(write) in ink, in biro, in pencil;

in words, in figures, in BLOCK LETTERS etc.;

(pay) in cash, but by cheque, by credit card;

(be/fall) in love with somebody;

in (my) opinion.

 

Expressions with at: at the age of…, at a speed of…, at a temperature of….

 

E x e r c i s e s

 

5.1. Complete the sentences using on or in + one of the following.

strike, a tour, television, fire, holiday, a diet, the phone, purpose, block letters, cash, my opinion, love, pencil, the shade, cold weather

1) Look! That house is on fire. Somebody called the fire brigade.

2) I like to keep warm, so I don’t go out much …...

3) It’s difficult to contact Alice because she’s not …...

4) I never use a pen. I always write …...

5) Workers at the factory have gone ….. for better pay and conditions.

6) Soon after they arrived, they were taken ….. of the city.

7) They fell ….. with each other almost immediately.

8) I’m going ….. next week. – Are you? Where are you going?

9) We felt bored yesterday evening. There was nothing worth watching …...

10) Please write your address clearly, preferably …...

11) My sister doesn’t like the sun. She prefers to sit …...

12) I’m sorry. I didn’t do it …...

13) My brother thinks the restaurant is OK, but ….. it isn’t very good.

14) I have put on a lot of weight recently. I should go …...

15) People in Belarus hardly ever use a credit card or cheques. They prefer to pay for things …...

 

5.2. Put in the correct prepositions: on, in, at or for.

1) The Earth travels round the Sun at a speed of 107, 000 kilometres an hour.

2) In Belarus children start school ….. the age of seven.

3) My friends wouldn’t like to go ….. a cruise. They think they’d get bored.

4) There is an interesting programme ….. TV this evening.

5) She got married ….. 17, which is rather young to get married.

6) We won’t be here next week. We are going..... a trip to Scotland.

7) I didn’t go ….. business last month. I stayed at home.

8) Can you turn on the light, please? We don’t want to sit ….. the dark.

9) Did you enjoy your holiday? – Not every minute, but ….. the whole, yes.

 

 

BY

By is used in a number of different ways:

a) to say how to do something: send smth by post, do smth by hand, pay by cheque;

b) to say that something can happen by mistake, by accident, by chance (in these expressions by + noun is used without " a" or " the " );

c) to say how somebody travels:

by car, by train, by plane, by boat, by ship, by bus, by bicycle;

by road, by rail, by air, by sea, by underground (in these expressions by + noun is used without " a/ the/my ", etc.) but on foot

Compare:

in + noun is used with " a/ the/my" , etc. for cars and taxis: They came in a taxi ( in my car)

on + noun is used with " a/ the/my" , etc. for bicycles and public transport (buses, trains, etc.): We travelled on the 6.45 train ( on the train)

d) to say that something is done by somebody/something (passive): Have you ever been bitten by a dog?

Compare by and with : The door must have been opened with a key (= somebody used a key to open it). The door must have been opened by somebody with a key.

NOTE: a play by Shakespeare, a painting by Rembrandt, a novel by Tolstoy

By also means “next to/ besides”: Come and sit by me (= beside me).

Note the following use of by: My salary has increased by $100 (by ten per cent). John and Roger had a race over 100 meters. Roger won by about five metres.

 

E x e r c i s e s

 

5.3. Put in the correct preposition by/ in/ on or with.

1) These photographs were taken with a very good camera.

2) These photographs were taken..... a friend of mine.

3) They managed to put the fire out..... a fire engine.

4) Their team lost the game only because of a mistake..... one of their players.

5) There was a small table..... the bed..... a lamp and a clock on it.

6) What's that music? – It's..... Beethoven.

7) Shall we get a taxi or shall we go..... foot?

8) We don't mind going..... car but we don't want to go..... your car.

 

5.4. Complete the sentences using by + one of the following

chance, cheque, hand, mistake, satellite

1) It was only by chance that she found out what had happened.

2) The two countries were connected..... for a television programme.

3) If you haven't got any cash, you can pay.......

4) She didn't put the blouse in the washing machine. She washed it......

5) I didn't intend to take your briefcase. I took it......

 

5.5. Write your own sentences using by.

1) I went to my friend's house to see my friend but he had gone out 5 minutes before I arrived. I missed him by 5 minutes.

2) There was an election. Bob got 55 votes and Robert got 53.

3) The daily newspaper used to cost 60 pence. From today it costs 80 pence.

4) My salary was $500 a month. Now, it is $600.

 

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