Mastering Adverbs, Prepositions, and Their Usage

Posted on Mar 1, 2025 in English

Adverbs of Frequency

Adverbs of frequency change or qualify the meaning of a sentence by telling us how often something happens. Examples:

  • The incubator turns each egg hourly.
  • We take a vacation at least annually.
  • I usually shop for groceries on Saturday mornings.
  • He is often late for work.
  • We seldom see John.

Prepositions

A preposition is a word used to link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words within a sentence. Prepositions are usually short words and are normally placed directly in front of nouns. In some cases, you’ll find prepositions in front of gerund verbs.

Examples:

  • I prefer to read in the library.
  • He climbed up the ladder to get into the attic.
  • Please sign your name on the dotted line after you read the contract.
  • Go down the stairs and through the door.
  • He swam across the pool.
  • Take your brother with you.

Prepositions of Time

We use:

  • at for a PRECISE TIME
  • in for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES, and LONG PERIODS
  • on for DAYS and DATES

Examples:

  • I have a meeting at 9am.
  • The shop closes at midnight.
  • Jane went home at lunchtime.
  • In England, it often snows in December.
  • Do you think we will go to Jupiter in the future?
  • There should be a lot of progress in the next century.

Prepositions of Place

A preposition of place refers to a place where something or someone is located. There are three main prepositions of place:

  • Jessie waited for Jim at the corner.
  • The mall is located at the intersection of Main Street and Third Avenue.
  • We spent a quiet evening at home.
  • I’m growing tomatoes in my garden.
  • Marie was born in Paris, France.

Prepositions for Agent

A preposition for agent is used for a thing which is the cause of another thing in the sentence. An “Agent Phrase” indicates someone or something that performs an action on the subject of the sentence, where the action is always a passive verb. Different prepositions are used by different devices, instruments, or machines.

Examples:

  • This book is written by Shakespeare.
  • The work was completed by Janice.
  • The room was decorated by Jack.
  • The tub is filled with water.

Adjective + Preposition

The following is a sample list of commonly used adjective + preposition combinations that can be followed by gerunds:

  • His addiction to surfing the Internet is a problem.
  • He has the advantage of speaking English fluently.
  • Her anxiety about speaking in public caused her to lose the job.
  • His belief in not harming animals was something he learned from his mother.
  • She took credit for improving the filing system.

Noun + Prepositions

Many nouns have particular prepositions that normally follow them. Here are some common examples:

  • 18 is the age at which you are allowed to vote.
  • Fisk is making his third attempt at the world record.
  • What’s the reason for your unhappiness?
  • Nobody seems to have responsibility for the budget.

Verb + Prepositions

Some verbs are usually followed by prepositions before the object of the verb. These are called dependent prepositions, and they are followed by a noun or a gerund.