Prepositions of place and movement

Test 3. Complete the sentences with in, at or on.

1. Mike lives ___ Oxford. He’s a student ___ Oxford University.

2. Write your name ___ the top of the page.

3. Who is this boy ___ that photo?

4. Meet me ___ the bus stop ___ the end of Regent Street.

5. There is somebody ___ the door. Shall I go and see who it is?

6. You’ll find the sports results ___ the back page of the newspaper.

7. Where are the children playing? They are playing ___ the beach.

8. She lives ___ the ground floor.

9. It can be dangerous when children play ___ the street.

10. I usually buy a newspaper ___ my way to work in the morning.

11. London is ___ the river Thames. I like swimming ___ the river.

12. I was sitting ___ the back of the class.

13. His signature was ___ the back of this photo.

14. I don’t know where my umbrella is. Perhaps I left it ___ the chair.

15. Tom is ill. He wasn’t ___ work today. He was ___ home ___ bed.

16. They live ___ Seal, a small village ___ the road to Vladimir.

17. Let’s meet ___ the entrance to the Supermarket.

18. If you walk to the end of the street, you’ll see a small shop ___ the corner.

19. I wasn’t in when you phoned. I was ___ my sister’s house.

20. The exhibition ___ the Museum of Modern Art finished on Saturday.

Test 4. Complete the sentences with in, at or on.

1. The garden is ___ the back of the house.

2. Write your name ___ the back of this envelope.

3. The bus was full. There were too many people ___ it.

4. Tom is ___ work. He works ___ Cambridge ___ the University.

5. When we were ___ the south we stayed ___ a small hotel ___ the coast.

6. Meet me ___ the entrance to the supermarket ___ Oxford Street.

7. There is a public telephone ___ the corner of the street.

8. I haven’t seen Kate for some time. I last saw her ___ Dave’s wedding.

9. It was a very slow train. It stopped ___ every station.

10. When we were ___ France we stayed ___ a hotel.

11. Nick was waiting ___ the bottom of the stairs.

12. Is Tom ___ this photograph? I can’t find him.

13. She waited for him ___ the bus stop ___ the end of Green Street.

14. There was a knock ___ the door.

15. You’ll find details of TV programmes ___ page seven of the newspaper.

16. There’s nobody living ___ the island. It’s uninhabited.

17. I think her flat is ___ the third floor of that building.

18. It was a lovely day. There wasn’t a cloud ___ the sky.

19. We stopped at a small village ___ the way to London.

20. Brighton is ___ the south coast of England. I like swimming ___ the sea.

Test 5. Complete the sentences with in, at or on.

1. They live ___ Baker Street ___ number 12.

2. Sign your name ___ the dotted line ___ the bottom of the page.

3. I saw a taxi ___ the end of the street.

4. Is there anything interesting ___ the paper today?

5. I waited ___ the door for five minutes.

6. There’s an unusual photograph ___ the back page.

7. Don’t sit ___ the grass.

8. My office is ___ the first floor. It’s ___ the left as you come out of the lift.

9. I love to look up ___ the stars ___ the sky at night.

10. ___ my way home I met Nick. He was standing ___ the corner and waiting for somebody.

11. What time did you arrive ___ the hotel?

12. I was standing ___ the back, so I couldn’t see very well.

13. I was sitting ___ the back of the car when we crashed.

14. Have you ever worked ___ a farm?

15. I hate staying ___ home. That’s why I’ve applied for a job ___ the United Nations ___ Geneva.

16. San Francisco is ___ the west coast of the United States.

17. I didn’t see you ___ the party on Saturday. Where were you?

18. (in a restaurant) ‘Where shall we sit?’ ‘Over there, ___ the corner.’

19. I was ___ Ann’s house last night. The rooms ___ her house are very small.

20. We went to the theatre last night. We had seats ___ the front row.

Test 6. Read the text and fill the gaps with a preposition from the list below. There may be several possibilities.

Mary’s Day Out

The sun rose ___ (1) Mary’s house. It was a beautiful day. Mary came ___ (2) her front door and went ___ (3) the path, ___ (4) the gate and ___ (5) the street. She crossed ___ (6) the road and walked ___ (7) the bus stop. The bus arrived and she got ___ (8) the bus. It went ___ (9) the corner, ___ (10) the High Street, ___ (11) all the shops and ___ (12) the countryside. It stopped ___ (13) the duck pond ___ (14) the next village, and Mary got ___ (15). She climbed ___ (16) a stile and started walking ___ (17) a big field. Suddenly, she saw a huge bull running ___ (18) her! She raced ___ (19) the far side of the field and squeezed ___ (20) the hedge. Out of breath, she sat down ___ (21) the grass ___ (22) the river. She leant back ___ (23) a rock. The sun was warm. Mary closed her eyes and listened to the water flowing ___ (24). Soon she was fast asleep. When she awoke, the sun had disappeared ___ (25) the horizon.

10.3. VERBS WITH PREPOSITIONS

Test 7. Fill in the correct prepositions to, about, at, from, for, in, into, on, with.

1. I want to talk ___ the group ___ their exams.

2. All last winter he suffered ___ coughs and colds.

3. When will you write ___ Bill ___ your plans?

4. If you don’t understand any of these words, you could refer ___ a dictionary.

5. The accident sadly resulted ___ the death of a man.

6. The police are appealing ___ witnesses to come forward.

7. It wasn’t his car, in fact I don’t know who it belongs ___.

8. Nurses are very badly paid, I think they should insist ___ higher rates of pay.

9. The poor driver. I really sympathize ___ him, it wasn’t his fault.

10. The buses are often late, so you can’t depend ___ them.

11. Do you qualify ___ a state pension when you are 55?

12. Keep enough money to pay ___ your ticket.

13. Have you heard ___ what had happened ___ him? Oh, I don’t care ___ it.

14. I said ___ you I was thinking ___ going to America. I actually dreamt ___ it.

15. She listened ___ me and then told me ___ her problems.

16. The bus ran ___ the wall of a house.

17. People started to shout ___ the driver.

18. Who was the boy you were all laughing ___?

19. I saw somebody staring ___ me from the other side of the road.

20. He was always arguing ___ his brother.

Test 8. Fill in the correct prepositions to, about, from, in, into, on, with, for.

1. I bumped ___ an old friend of mine the other day.

2. I agree ___ you that we should wait a bit longer ___ her.

3. She never apologizes ___ arriving late.

4. I thought we should look ___ someone else to do the job.

5. If you want to travel, that would be a good job to apply ___.

6. The land belongs ___ a rich man.

7. She then referred ___ the Minister’s report.

8. I congratulate her ___ her success in the exams.

9. The boss disagreed ___ me.

10. The match resulted ___ a draw.

11. His failure resulted ___ lack of attention to details.

12. Tonight I’m going to talk ___ my favourite books.

13. You can count ___ me.

14. You can rely ___ him to be polite.

15. They complained ___ me about the noise.

16. Mary turned her head to speak ___ him.

17. The daughters sided ___ their mothers.

18. Can I speak ___ Jane, please?

19. Can you explain this word ___ me?

20. Can you explain ___ me what you mean?

Test 9. Fill in the correct prepositions to, about, at, from, for, in, of, with.

1. He told me his name but I can’t think ___ it now.

2. This house reminds me ___ the one I lived in when I was a child.

3. We called the doctor because Nick was complaining ___ a pain in his stomach.

4. That’s a good idea. Why didn’t I think ___ that?

5. Look at this photograph of Ann. Who does she remind you ___?

6. She left Boston ___ Paris when she was 19.

7. If something is wrong, why don’t you do anything ___ it?

8. Peter likes his job but he doesn’t talk ___ it much.

9. I like to listen ___ the radio while I’m having breakfast.

10. Please don’t shout ___ me!

11. How often do you borrow books ___ the library?

12. Yes, you are right. I agree ___ you.

13. Cheers! Let’s drink ___ your success.

14. My brother is living ___ a French girl.

15. My children are looking forward ___ Christmas.

16. They arrived ___ the party at 8 p.m.

17. What time did you arrive ___ London?

18. I must introduce you ___ my cousin.

19. Something has happened ___ him.

20. Shall we ring ___ a taxi?

10.4. ADJECTIVES WITH PREPOSITIONS

Test 10. Fill in the correct prepositions of, to, with, at, about, for.

1. He was afraid ___ his enemies.

2. I’ve always been terribly fond ___ you.

3. He is unaccustomed ___ the heat.

4. They may feel jealous ___ your success.

5. I was terrified ___ her.

6. That was clever ___ you.

7. I turned the job down, which was stupid ___ me.

8. My problems are very similar ___ yours.

9. He was dedicated ___ his job.

10. I could never be bored ___ football.

11. He was very pleased ___ her.

12. He was shocked ___ the hatred they had shown.

13. She has always been bad ___ languages.

14. It’s difficult ___ young people to live on their own.

15. It was unusual ___ them to go away at the weekend.

16. It was rude ___ him to leave so suddenly.

17. She was rude ___ him for no reason.

18. She was still angry ___ the results.

19. They’re getting pretty fed up ___ him.

20. If you continue to support someone who is in trouble you are loyal ___ them.

Test 11. Fill in the correct prepositions of, to, with, at, about, for, from.

1. If two things are almost the same, one is similar ___ the other.

2. Someone who is a fine athlete is good ___ games.

3. I was proud ___ my brother.

4. I’m very surprised ___ you. I can’t understand the way you behave.

5. Life is very different ___ what it used to be.

6. Who is responsible ___ this mess?

7. I’m delighted ___ the result. It’s exactly what I wanted.

8. In the army, a sergeant is senior ___ a corporal.

9. If two houses are exactly the same, one is identical ___ the other.

10. If something makes you very unhappy, you are very upset ___ it.

11. If someone makes you very angry, you are furious ___ them.

12. If you feel that you do not trust someone, you are suspicious ___ them.

13. If you treat someone very well, you are being kind ___ them.

14. If you have agreed to marry someone, you are engaged ___ him/her.

15. Everyone was very critical ___ the way he behaved.

16. We were very happy ___ the way they treated us.

17. I was very displeased ___ the way they looked.

18. I feel sorry ___ Nick. He has a lot of problems.

19. I’m sorry ___ the noise last night. We were having a party.

20. That was not very polite ___ you.

10.5. MIXED PREPOSITIONS

Test 12. Fill in the gaps below.

Originally I worked ___ (1) a school teacher, but I applied ___ (2) a grant to study medicine ___ (3) university and was accepted. I specialized ___ (4) mental disorders and then started my present job. I believe completely ___ (5) what I am doing, I never take any time ___ (6) work, and I am totally committed ___ (7) my clients. I have ___ (8) listen carefully to what they say, and sometimes explain ___ (9) them what I think the problem is. Sometimes they start to depend ___ (10) me too much. What is my job? Oh, I forgot to tell you. I am a psychiatrist.

Test 13. Read the letter below and add the preposition which best fits each space.

Dear Mrs Jones,

I am writing ___ (1) reply to your advertisement ___ (2) secretaries to work ___ (3) your central offices. I have already heard ___ (4) you from a friend of mine, Jenny Mansfield, who worked ___ (5) you a few years ago ___ (6) the sales department. I would be interested ___ (7) applying ___ (8) a full-time post. I am quite experienced ___ (9) secretarial work, and would have little difficulty ___ (10) the duties the current job involves. I think I’m quite skilled ___ (11) wordprocessing. I also have wide experience ___ (12) handling members of the public.

I enclose a reference ___ (13) my previous employer and copies ___ (14) my certificates. I would be happy to come for an interview at any time which is convenient for you.

I look forward ___ (15) hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Anne Dale

Test 14. Read the text below and add the preposition which best fits each space.

Living a Long Time

It is often said that Japanese people, ___ (1) average, live much longer than Europeans. ___ (2) a large extent this must be due to the food most Japanese people eat since from the point of view of life-style, life ___ (3) modern Japan is no less stressful than ours ___ (4) the west. The Japanese live ___ (5) a diet largely made up ___ (6) fish and rice. ___ (7) lunch-time a typical Japanese family will consume ___ (8) least twice as many vegetables as we do in Europe. ___ (9) comparison with Europeans, the Japanese eat far less meat and fewer potatoes; ___ (10) the same time, they eat seven times more fresh fish than we do which makes their diet much healthier ___ (11) far. It would be fair to say that, ___ (12) general, the Japanese – frequent visitors ___ (13) Europe ___ (14) business or ___ (15) pleasure – are discovering the pleasures and dangers of western-style eating habits.

Test 15. Fill in the gaps in the following letter.

Dear Marjorie,

I’m having problems ___ (1) my studies at school. I find it difficult to get down to work in the evenings and I can’t concentrate ___ (2) anything at the moment. I spend most of my time listening ___ (3) records or watching TV instead ___ (4) doing my homework. The other students in my class are much better than I am and I have difficulty ___ (5) keeping up with them. I sometimes have problems ___ (6) following the lessons as well. I can’t always take ___ (7) the important things my teacher says because I write so slowly. She has told me that I’m falling ___ (8) with my studies. I’m not good ___ (9) writing essays and I usually hand ___ (10) my homework late because I put ___ (11) doing it until the last minute. So I often have to invent silly excuses to explain why I haven’t done the work. I’m sure I’m not going to get ___ (12) my final exams in June. I’m now so far ___ (13) that I don’t know how I’m going to catch up ___ (14) them. My teacher spent some time going ___ (15) my homework with me but she found so many mistakes that I felt even more depressed. What do you suggest I do?

Yours desperately,

George

VOCABULARY