Prepositions "On," "At," and "In"

A preposition is a word that links a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to some other part of the sentence.

Prepositions can be tricky for English learners. There is no definite rule or formula for choosing a preposition. In the beginning stage of learning the language, you should try to identify a preposition when reading or listening in English and recognize its usage. 

• to the office
• at the desk
• on the table
• in an hour
• about myself

A preposition is used to show direction, location, or time, or to introduce an object. 

Here are a few common prepositions and examples.

On

Used to express a surface of something:

• I put an egg on the kitchen table.
• The paper is on my desk.

Used to specify days and dates:

• The garbage truck comes on Wednesdays.
• I was born on the 14th day of June in 1988.

Used to indicate a device or machine, such as a phone or computer:

• He is on the phone right now.
• She has been on the computer since this morning.
• My favorite movie will be on TV tonight.

Used to indicate a part of the body:

• The stick hit me on my shoulder.
• He kissed me on my cheek.
• I wear a ring on my finger.

Used to indicate the state of something:

• Everything in this store is on sale.
• The building is on fire.

At

Used to point out specific time:

• I will meet you at 12 p.m.
• The bus will stop here at 5:45 p.m.

Used to indicate a place:

• There is a party at the club house.
• There were hundreds of people at the park.
• We saw a baseball game at the stadium.

Used to indicate an email address:

• Please email me at abc@defg.com.

Used to indicate an activity:

• He laughed at my acting.
• I am good at drawing a portrait.

In

Used for unspecific times during a day, month, season, year:

• She always reads newspapers in the morning.
• In the summer, we have a rainy season for three weeks.
• The new semester will start in March.

Used to indicate a location or place:

• She looked me directly in the eyes.
• I am currently staying in a hotel.
• My hometown is Los Angeles, which is in California.

Used to indicate a shape, color, or size:

• This painting is mostly in blue.
• The students stood in a circle.
• This jacket comes in four different sizes.

Used to express while doing something:

• In preparing for the final report, we revised the tone three times.
• A catch phrase needs to be impressive in marketing a product.

Used to indicate a belief, opinion, interest, or feeling:

• I believe in the next life.
• We are not interested in gambling.

Can - Cannot - Can't

Can - Cannot - Can't

Can is a modal verb.

Can is used to express ability or to say that something is possible.

Can is the same for all subjects. We don't add an 'S' in the third person (like other verbs)

The verb that comes after Can is in the infinitive without to:

• I can speak Spanish. (= it is possible for me to speak Spanish = I have the ability to speak Spanish)
• He can swim well.
• We can see my neighbour in the garden.
• They can play the guitar.

Negative

To form the negative we add "not" after can to form one word: cannot.

We can also contract the negative to form can't. (can't = cannot)

• I cannot play the piano. We can't go to the cinema tonight.
• She cannot speak French very well. He can't drive a car.

Questions

To from the question we change the position of the subject and the auxiliary verb.

The main verb is still in the infinitive without to.

• Where can I buy an ice-cream?
• Can I go to the party, please?
• Can you speak Japanese?
• What can we do on Saturday?

Remember that you can use short answers:

• Can I sit here please? Yes, you can.
• Can you speak Chinese? No, I can't.

Impersonal Can

Sometimes You can and Can you…? are impersonal and refer to people in general.

• You can see many stars at night from here. (= people in general can see many stars)

It doesn't necessarily refer to you but people in general.

• You can't run naked in the middle of the street.

Not necessarily saying YOU can't run naked in the middle of the street but in general it is not possible for anyone.

Present Continuous for Future

The Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous tense is most often used for the following:

- For actions happening now
- For future arrangements
- To express annoyance at repeated actions

How to form the present continuous

For actions happening now

When we want to talk about an action that is happening now or at this time (and is unfinished), we use the present continuous tense. We also use this tense when we want to make clear that the action is temporary.

• Sorry, she can't come to the phone right now; she is having a bath.
• Look! Someone is trying to break into your car.
• This work is good! Your handwriting is getting better and better.
• I'm wearing these old trousers to school this week, as we're doing a pottery course and it's very messy work!
• Of course she likes you. You're just being stupid!
• Where's John? - He's playing soccer in the sports hall.
• This calculator isn't working properly. Do you have another one.
• You can go outside now. It isn't raining any more.
• What are you doing? - My watch is broken and I'm trying to fix it.
• Why are you talking? You should be listening to me.

For future arrangements

We usually use the present continuous tense for future events that have already been arranged:

• I'm meeting my mother at the airport tomorrow.
• Our grandmother is visiting us at Christmas.
• Sorry, I can't stay after school today; I'm playing tennis with Jun-Sik.
• My mother's going to the dentist tomorrow.
• I'm not going home at Christmas, so I can come to your party after all!
• Are you doing anything on Sunday morning?
• Do you know if he is going to the dance with Maiko next week?

To express annoyance at repeated actions

Usually the present simple is used for repeated actions. For example, He always gets up before 7 o'clock, but .. the present continuous is the correct choice when the speaker wants to express annoyance at a repeated action. (Note how often the word "always" is used in such statements):

• You are always interrupting me when I'm talking and I don't like it!
• She's always tapping her pencil on the desk and it's getting on my nerves!
• My ESL teacher's always giving detentions; how can anyone be so mean?
• I'm getting tired of you always coming late to class.
• Why is it always raining in Germany?
• Why are you always criticising me?

This use of the present continuous is not possible as a negative statement.

PAST TIME EXPRESSIONS

Simple Past Tense 
Expressions Showing Past Time

In English, the simple past tense is used for finished actions or situations that began and ended before now. There are three ways to make simple past tense. In order to show when an action or situation happened in the past, particular words and phrases (time adverbials)  are often used. Here are some of the most common ones: 1.   yesterday This refers to the day before today, but not at any specific time.       2.   last _____ This time adverbial is similar to yesterday, but it can be used with many different time references: last night last week last month last year last Tuesday last summer etc.       3.   a / an / one _____ ago A singular noun phrase showing a period of time follows a, an, or one: a / one minute ago an / one hour ago a / one week ago a / one week ago a / one month ago a / one year ago etc.       4.   (plural number or expression) _____ ago A plural noun phrase showing a period of time is used before ago: two minutes ago three hours ago several days ago a few weeks ago a number of months ago many years ago etc.       5.   the day before yesterday This time adverbial has the same meaning as two days ago.       6.   the _____ before last This common time adverbial is similar to the day before yesterday, but it can be used for many more time references: the night before last the week before last the month before last etc.       7.   past dates Any time expression that refers to a date before now requires a past tense. Examples: in 1998 on June 21st (if this date was before now) on June 21st, 2000 during 1995 in the 19th Century last Christmas etc.       8.   past events Any time that refers to an event that happened before now also requires a past tense. Examples: on my last birthday at the beginning of my class during my childhood when I got up this morning when my grandfather was a boy etc. ____________________________________________ Special Notes: 1.   Any time expression that refers to "before now" can require past tense. If "now" is Monday afternoon at 2:15 PM, for example, these time adverbials require past tense if they refer to Monday: at 2:00 PM at noon this morning   in the morning at lunch etc.       2.   "Last" is very commonly used, but not with "day": use yesterday, not *last day.       3.   Two or more time adverbial can be combined: at 2:30 yesterday afternoon late last night early in the morning a couple of days ago every Thursday last summer etc. Note that when two or more time adverbials are combined, shorter periods of time come before longer periods of time.

Simple Past

FORM

[VERB+ed] or irregular verbs

Examples:

• You called Debbie.
• Did you call Debbie?
• You did not call Debbie

USE 1 Completed Action in the Past

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.

Examples:

• I saw a movie yesterday.
• I didn't see a play yesterday.
• Last year, I traveled to Japan.
• Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.
• Did you have dinner last night?
• She washed her car.
• He didn't wash his car.

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Examples:

• I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
• He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.
• Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

USE 3 Duration in Past

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.

Examples:

• I lived in Brazil for two years.
• Shauna studied Japanese for five years.
• They sat at the beach all day.
• They did not stay at the party the entire time.
• We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
• A: How long did you wait for them?
  B: We waited for one hour.

USE 4 Habits in the Past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.

Examples:

• I studied French when I was a child.
• He played the violin.
• He didn't play the piano.
• Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?
• She worked at the movie theater after school.
• They never went to school, they always skipped class.

USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression "used to."

Examples:

• She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.
• He didn't like tomatoes before.
• Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?
• People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.

IMPORTANT When-Clauses Happen First

Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word "when" such as "when I dropped my pen..." or "when class began..." These clauses are called when-clauses, and they are very important. The examples below contain when-clauses.

Examples:

• When I paid her one dollar, she answered my question.
• She answered my question when I paid her one dollar.

When-clauses are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the Simple Past. Both of the examples above mean the same thing: first, I paid her one dollar, and then, she answered my question. It is not important whether "when I paid her one dollar" is at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. However, the example below has a different meaning. First, she answered my question, and then, I paid her one dollar.

Example:

• I paid her one dollar when she answered my question.

VERB TO BE -PAST TENSE

To Be - Past Tense

To Be - Affirmative

Subject	To Be	Examples
I	was	I was tired this morning.
You	were	You were very good.
He	was	He was the best in his class.
She	was	She was late for work.
It	was	It was a sunny day.
We	were	We were at home.
You	were	You were on holiday.
They	were	They were happy with their test results.

To Be - Negative Sentences

The negative of To Be can be made by adding not after the verb (was or were).

Subject	To Be	Examples
I	was not	I was not tired this morning.
You	were not	You were not crazy.
He	was not	He was not married.
She	was not	She was not famous.
It	was not	It was not hot yesterday.
We	were not	We were not invited.
You	were not	You were not at the party.
They	were not	They were not friends.

To Be - Negative Contractions

The can make negative contractions of the verb To Be in the Past tense by joining the verb (was or were) and n't (e.g. were not = weren't). We don't make a contraction of the subject and the verb (e.g. I was).

I was not tired this morning.	OR	I wasn't tired this morning.
You were not crazy.	OR	You weren't crazy.
He was not married.	OR	He wasn't married.
She was not famous.	OR	She wasn't famous.
It was not hot yesterday.	OR	It wasn't hot yesterday.
We were not invited.	OR	We weren't invited.
You were not at the party.	OR	You weren't at the party.
They were not friends.	OR	They weren't friends.

* Notice that we don't have contractions for To Be in Past Tense affirmative sentences.

To Be - Questions

To create questions with To Be, you put the Verb before the Subject.

Affirmative	You	were	happy.
	Subject	Verb
Question	Were	you	happy?
	Verb	Subject

Affirmative	Question
I was late	Was I late?
You were sick.	Were you sick?
He was surprised.	Was he surprised?
She was from Italy.	Was she from Italy?
It was a big house.	Was it a big house?
We were ready.	Were we ready?
You were early.	Were you early?
They were busy.	Were they busy?

To Be - Short Answers

In spoken English, we usually give short answers in response to questions.

Was he from Japan? - Yes, he was (from Japan). The last part (from Japan) is not necessary. We use shorts answers to avoid repetition, when the meaning is clear.

Question	Short Answers**	Short Answers
Was I late?	Yes, you were.	No, you weren't.
Were you sick?	Yes, I was.	No, I wasn't.
Was he surprised?	Yes, he was.	No, he wasn't.
Was she from Italy?	Yes, she was.	No, she wasn't.
Was it a big house?	Yes, it was.	No, it wasn't.
Were we ready?	Yes, we were.	No, we weren't.
Were you early?	Yes, we were.	No, we weren't.
Were they busy?	Yes, they were.	No, they weren't.

** With To Be, We don't use contractions in affirmative short answers.

Present Simple and Present Continuous

'I surf / I am surfing.'

What's the difference between the Present Simple / Present Continuous and how to use them.

We use the present simple tense when we want to talk about fixed habits or routines – things that don’t change.

We use the present continuous to talk about actions which are happening at the present moment, but will soon finish.

Compare these two statements:

• (present simple) I play tennis.
• (present continuous/ progressive) I am playing tennis.

(present simple) ‘I play tennis’ tells us that playing tennis is something the speaker always does. It is part of a routine or habit. We can call this a permanent situation.

(present continuous/ progressive) ‘I am playing tennis’ tells us that the speaker is playing tennis right now. Soon the game will be over. We call this a temporary situation.

With the present simple we say:

I play tennis

You play tennis

We play tennis

They play tennis

He/she/ it plays tennis.

With the present continuous we say:

I am playing tennis

You are playing tennis

We are playing tennis

He/she/it is playing tennis

Frequency Adverbs we use with the Present Simple

With the present simple we use these frequency adverbs:

(Notice that the adverb comes before the main verb in the sentence.)

Always: ‘I always read before I go to bed.’

Often: ‘Her sister often comes shopping with us.’

Frequently:‘Michael frequently visits his family.’

Sometimes:‘You sometimes go to the gym, don’t you?’

Occasionally:‘It occasionally rains in summer.’

Seldom:‘They seldom ask for help.’

Rarely: ‘He rarely goes out without his backpack.’

Hardly ever:‘I hardly ever eat pizza.’

Never: ‘Japanese people never wear shoes inside.’

Time Expressions we use with the Present Continuous

With the present continuous we use these time expressions:

(Notice that the time expression can come at the start or at the end of the sentence.)

At the moment: ‘I’m watching TV, at the moment.’

These days: ‘Paul’s living in Cardiff, these days.’

Now: ‘What are you doing, now?’

Nowadays: ‘I think you are smoking too much, nowadays.’

Present Progressive/Continuous 

1) actions happening at the moment of speaking

Peter is reading a book now.

---

2) fixed plan in the near future

She is going to Basel on Saturday.

---

3) temporary actions

His father is working in Rome this month.

---

4) actions happening around the moment of speaking (longer actions)

My friend is preparing for his exams.

---

5) trends

More and more people are using their computers to listen to music.

---

6) repeated actions which are irritating to the speaker (with always, constantly, forever)

Andrew is always coming late.

---

Signal words

now, at the moment, Look! Listen!

---

Form

to be (am, are, is) + infinitive + -ing

---

Examples

Affirmative sentences:

I am playing football. I'm playing football.

You are playing football. You're playing football.

Negative sentences:

I am not playing football. I'm not playing football.

You are not playing football. You're not playing football. You aren't playing football.

Questions:

Am I playing football?

Are you playing football?

Present continuous spelling rules

Continuous verbs

To make continuous verbs add -ing to the base verb:

do becomes doing
ask becomes asking

Silent 'e'

When the verb ends with a silent e, drop the e and add -ing:

make becomes making
take becomes taking

One-syllable verbs

For short, one-syllable verbs, that end with consonant + vowel + consonant (CVC), we must double the last consonant and then add -ing:

swim becomes swimming
run becomes running

w, x and y

For words that end w, x and y, do not double the last consonant; just add -ing:

enjoy becomes enjoying
study becomes studying

Two-syllable words

When words have two or more syllables ending in CVC, you must double the last consonant if the last syllable is stressed. When the last syllable is not stressed, just add -ing.

The last syllable is stressed:
commit becomes committing

The last syllable is not stressed:
whisper becomes whispering

-ie verbs

For verbs that end in -ie, change the ie to y before adding -ing:

die becomes dying