Using prepositions. Urgh! Every English learner can relate to this! Just when you’ve learned how to form questions, and you’ve mastered the subtle art of asking questions adequately, you have to wrap your head around using ins, ons, ats, and other pesky buggers correctly. Urgh indeed.

But, seeing as how there’s no way around it, you’re left with a single course of action - take prepositions head on and hope for the best. Luckily, our guide will help you know prepositions a bit better before joining one of language courses in Los Angeles, California.

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WHAT ARE THE PREPOSITIONS OF TIME?

Tolstoy said that the two most powerful warriors are patience and time, and that’s exactly what you're going to need if you plan to master prepositions of time. But, first things first, let’s what we’re dealing with.

• On - “On” is primarily used with days and with weekend, for example I’m playing football on Sundays.
• In - You can use “in” with months, seasons, and years, as well as with times of day and time periods - I visited Spain in May. / I usually relax in the afternoon. / I’m leaving for Australia in three years.
• At - You would mainly use “at” when talking about an exact time an event has or will occur, or as “at night” - The temperature drops at night. / I have meeting at 4 o’clock.
• Since - “Since” is one of the prepositions used primarily with the Present Perfect Tense, and it shows a time period beginning in the past, lasting until the present moment - I haven’t visited my hometown since 2015.
• For - This preposition denotes an amount of time spent - I’m going to nap for just an hour.
• Ago - “Ago” describes how long ago (you see) something happened, and it is used at the end of a sentence - I graduated from college four years ago.
• Before - If you want to explain that an event transpired at a time earlier that something else, you use “before” - I always wake up before my parents.
• To - You can even use “to” when talking about time, especially when telling time - It’s two minutes to eight.
• From - This preposition is mainly used when talking about the time period during which an event is active - The theater is open from 8 to 7 in the evening.
• Until / Till - When you want to describe that an action was being performed up to a certain point in time, you’ll use “until” or the abbreviated form “till” - I waited for you until / till seven.

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HOW DO YOU USE PREPOSITIONS CORRECTLY?

When it comes to prepositions of time, we’ve pretty much already explained in which context to use them. We could very well tell you to read what we’ve said a couple of times, practice it, and be done with it.

We could also smother you with the many rules of using different prepositions in different situations, and tell you to learn it by heart, and also be done with it. But we’re not going to do so. We’re not going to burden you with the rules, nor are we going to insist you know the ins and outs of prepositions.

What we are going to do though is give you a couple of tips on how to practice using prepositions so as to minimize mistakes in speech. Mind you, you’re going to be making mistakes, but don’t let that discourage you, as it is the only way to learn.

HOW CAN I PRACTICE USING PREPOSITIONS CORRECTLY?

Try some of these methods and see just how great they are for practicing prepositions.

• Exercises - The dullest of the methods, but you should always begin learning prepositions by doing some gapped exercises.
• Phrases - Try to learn some of the most common phrases that include prepositions, as they will make you remember how to use them for longer.
• Rules - You can read through the rules once, but don’t try to learn them by heart, as that will only hinder your progress. So don’t go memorizing everything from the California Department of Education website.
• Listening - Listen to as much language as you possibly can, and try to note how people use prepositions.
• Reading - Reading every day can go a long way towards improving the quality of your language, prepositions included.
• Speaking - Don’t shy away from speaking. Speak and use prepositions as often as possible and ask others to correct the mistakes you’re inevitably going to make. Even the natives make mistakes with prepositions, so don’t worry about it.

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“WHO CAN HELP ME LEARN ABOUT PREPOSITIONS IN LOS ANGELES?”

If you can’t seem to fight your way through prepositions, you’re not the first one, and you definitely won’t be the last. Luckily, we’ve helped plenty of people living in Los Angeles, California with our language courses. We’re the College of English Language, and our staff will give it their all to help you win the war on prepositions. If you’re having trouble understanding everything going on at the Getty Center, stop by one of our schools and we’ll help you perfect your language.