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V o c a b u la ry
Pîr@p®sitI®iïïiaD phrases

1We often use prepositions in fixed phrases, where little variation is possible.
Some prepositions go with groups o f similar words:
at: at breakfast, at lunch, at dinner, at supper
for: fo r example, fo r instance
on: on the phone, on my m obile
Sometimes we use more than one preposition in phrases:
out o f date out o f fashion
Words with related meanings often go with different prepositions:
in cash by credit card
on earth in the world
by accident on purpose
at the bottom in the bottom left-hand corner
by car on fo o t
on holiday at work
in a loud voice at the top o f my voice
Below are some common prepositional phrases

r at by for in on out of
at all times by accident for a change in (the) future on a diet out of breath
at arm’s length by airmail for a visit in a loud voice on account o f out of control
at breakfast by bus/train for a walk in a sense on arrival out of danger
at dawn by chance for a while in addition (to) on average out of date
at daybreak by cheque for ages in answer (to) on behalf of out of doors
at fault by coincidence for better or in cash on board out of earshot
at first by email worse in charge on business out offashion
at first sight by far for breakfast in conclusion on condition out offavour
at home by fax/phone for ever in control that out of luck
at last by hand for example in danger on duty out of money
at least by heart for fear of in detail on fire out of my own
at once by means of for fun in effect on foot pocket
at present by mistake for good in favour of on holiday out of order
at sea by myself for granted in general on leave out of practice
at the beginning by nature for life in haste on my own out of print
at the bottom by no means for luck in my opinion on no account out of season
at the end by sea/land/air for my sake in other words on purpose out of sight
at the latest by sight for nothing in pairs on second out of the way
at the moment by the arm for now in private thoughts out of time
at the same time by the rules for pleasure in the news on the left/right out of touch
at times by the way for sale in the West on the other out of tune
at work day by day for short in time hand out of use
for the moment on the phone out of work
on the whole
on time

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fo up fro m

to date up and down from ... to ...

to my advantage up and running from bad to worse
to my amazement up north from experience
to my surprise up-to-date from morning to night
to some degree up to now from my point of view
to some extent (be ) up to something from now on
to the full up to you from place to place
to the point up until/till from time to time

at the beginning or in the beginning? made of or made from?

• A t the beginning is usually followed by o f + • We use m ade o f when something keeps its
noun: nature, character or attributes after the process
W e’re leaving fo r France at the beginning o f the o f making.
month. • We use m ade from when something changes
• In the beginning is not usually followed by during the process o f making. Compare:
a noun (or of): The shirt is m a d e o f cotton. (Cotton is still
In the beginning, I really enjoyed my job; now I cotton after the shirt is made.)
don ’t. The box is m a d e o f plastic. (Plastic is still plastic
after the box is made.)
at the end or in the end? Wine is m a d e fro m grapes. (Grapes are not
grapes any more after wine is made.)
• A t the end (of) refers to the final part o f a Bread is m a d e fr o m flour, water and yeast. (The
period of time, event, activity, story, etc.: ingredients change form during the process of
H e’s leaving at the end o f October. making.) v ' ,
• In the end means ‘after a period of time or after
everything has been done’:
We waited and waited. In the end, we decided to
go back home.

on time or in time?
• On time means ‘at the planned time’:
Was your train on time?
• In time means ‘early enough for something/to
do something’:
I f we hurry, we’ll be there in time fo r lunch.
• In time can also mean ‘after a period of time,
when a situation has changed’:
In time, things will get better.

by bus or on the bus?

• By bus refers to the way you travel, to using a
bus as a means o f transport:
I usually go to work by bus.
• On the bus refers to where you are while
travelling:
There were a lot o f people on the bus.

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Q Choose the correct answer. 6 .............. my opinion, he’s the best football
player..............the world today.
0 In /(From)my point of view, there’s little
7 .............. dessert, we had a lovely cake made
advantage in buying shares now.
.............. almonds, chocolate and strawberries.
1 His health is going from /in bad fo r /to
8 Please make sure you arrive.............. time
worse.
from n ow ................
2 Your report was excellent: brief and on /to
9 Shall we g o .............. bus o r ............... foot?
the point. Well done!
10 ‘Is K ate.............. work?’ ‘No, she’s ..............
3 She accepted the award in /on behalf of her
leave until 16th April, I think.’
husband.
4 Would you please be quiet? I’m at /on the Q Complete the article. Use the correct
phone! prepositions.
5 You don’t think he would have broken the
window on /from purpose, do you?
6 He’s the officer at / in charge of the
investigation.
7 When Romeo met Juliet, it was love at / on
The way we lislen
first sight. New technology is always (0)....'W ... the news.
8 Why don’t you send him the file in / by Developments are taking place so quickly that
email? new devices quickly go (1).............. of date.
9 After the accident, she was rushed to When the cassette tape first appeared, it made
hospital; she is out o f / o ff danger now. records look very clumsy. To use a record
player, you had to listen to music (2)..............
10 W e’ll never make it in / on time for the
home but cassette recorders were portable
meeting!
and allowed you to listen to music (3)..............
all times and wherever you chose: you could
Q Complete the sentences. Use the correct
listen (4>.............. work, in the park or on a
prepositions.
picnic. Then came the Walkman. The Walkman
0 The report, which will be ready... # f. ... the was (5).............. first a huge success, allowing
beginning o f next week, will be sent to you you to listen to music (6)..............your own,
... ky . ... email. while you were out taking the dog (7)..............
a walk, for example. Next came the CD along
1 I agree with y o u .............. some extent but
with the CD Walkman, and the sound quality
.............. general, I would have put things
was excellent.
differently.
2 ..............the beginning, I really liked the But even that went quickly (8)..............of
book. Now I don’t because.............. the end, fashion with the appearance of MP3 and MP4
files, which can do everything CDs can and
the hero gets killed - and I hate books with
much more. So in a short space of time, we
sad endings!
have gone (9)..............using records to MPEG
3 He’s been.............. work for over six montits; he files. (10)..............time, CD sales will disappear
can’t afford to g o .............. holiday. completely - (11)..............the moment, most
4 I thought the chair was m ade.............. wood; people only buy CDs when they want to get
..............my surprise, Jo told me it was all someone a nice present for their birthday or
plastic. for Christmas. Before you know it, MP3 and
5 He was standing.............. the middle o f the MP4 files will be (12)..............of favour as well.
room, trying to learn that p o em .............. What is next?
heart.

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