Grammar Practice Exercises [ 34 ] , Upper Intermediate

34 - ] Grammar Practice Exercises 

Upper Intermediate

 19 - ] Common Prepositions Of Time .

at , on , in , by , before , after , since , for , during , until / till , from a time to / until / till

We use at with festivals and religious celebrations : at Easter

Complete the gaps with a suitable preposition of time .

Basma and Gamila are friends .

Example

B : Gamila , how would you like to come round for a meal (1) on  Saturday ?

G : Yes , that sounds a good idea . (2) --------------the evening , do you mean ?

B : Yes . (3) --------------------about 8 o’clock if that’s O.K.

G : Sure , that would be fine . The only thing is , I’ll have to leave (4) ------------about midnight because I’ve got to get up early (5) -----------Sunday morning .

B : That’s all right . I don’t like staying up much (6) -----------midnight anyway .

G : No , neither do I . I stayed up (7) ---------------three o’clock last Saturday and I felt terrible (8)---------------Sunday morning .

B : So what were you doing (9) ---------------------three o’clock ?

G : Oh , Kamilia came down (10) ----------------the weekend . We actually got home (11)

----------------about half past twelve (12) ---------------Saturday night but then we stayed up talking (13) -------------another two and a half hours .

B : Oh , how is Kamilia ? I haven’t seen her (14) --------------------your party last year .

G : Oh she’s a bit fed up . She’s just split up with her husband (15) --------------four years together .

B : Oh , poor Mamilia .

G : Yes , and they split up just (16) -------------------her exams started too . In fact , I think she had her first exam the next day . Isn’t that awful ? Anyway , I’ll tell you about it (17) ---

Saturday .

B : O.K. I’ll see you then .

20 ] Common Prepositions Of Position And Movement

Notes

- We usually use on rather than onto  . We use onto when we want to emphasize the movement from one place onto another .

Examples

I drove onto the motorway . ( I drove off another road onto the motorway .)

I drove on the motorway . ( That’s where I drove . / That’s how I got there . )

- in as an adverb : When does the train get in ?

- on a train , bus , plane

- in a car

Complete the gaps with a preposition ( or adverb ) of position or movement .

Two friends , Badria and Mariam , are talking .

Example

B : I didn’t see you (1) at the club last night . Where were you ? Did you stay (2)-------home?

M : Yes , I thought it was time to stay (3) -----------for a change and , besides , I didn’t feel very well . I just lay (4) ---------------bath reading for ages . I decided I wasn’t going to get (5) ---------------the bath until I’d finished the book . But then Rashida turned up (6) ----------

the doorstep so I had to get (7) --------------to see her .

B : So are you feeling well enough to come out later on ?

M : I think so .

B : Well , I’m going round (8) -------------Huda’s at 5.00 and we’re going to take the train (9) ------------------Qusia ---------------Assiut . So we should get (11) ------------nice café(14) ----

the riverbank . And if we see Hassan there , he might invite us (15) ------------his boat .

M : Oh , that would be nice .

B : Did he tell you about Khalid pushing him (16) --------------last week ?

M : No . So he fell (17) ----------------the boat , did he ?

B : Yes , and straight (18) ---------------------the river . He was soaked , and pretty cold too .

Complete the gaps with a suitable preposition or adverb of time or place .

Example

It was 8 o’clock (1) on a cold morning (2) -------------January . She was still asleep . She usually stayed (3) --------------bed (4) ----------------about 9 o’clock (5) ---------------- the winter . Suddenly she was woken up by a knocking at the door . She got (6) ---------------bed and went (7)---------------the door . There was a man (8) ----------------the doorstep . She thought she recognized him . ‘Hello Rania,’ he said . ‘It’s Tamer . Can I come (9) ----------?’

And then she knew who it was but she didn’t quite believe it . She hadn’t seen him (10) -----

thirty years , not (11) --------------the summer of 1990 when she’d said goodbye to him the night (12) -----------------his final departure . That was when he went off(13) ----------war.

It was two years (14) ------------that when she received the letter (15) --------------- the War Office which said that Tamer had been missing (16) -------------some time and was now presumed dead . She kept on hoping that they were wrong right up (17) -----------the end of the war . But then she gave up . (18) ----------------then , she’d continued to think of Tamer every day . (19) ----------------his birthday , she always stayed (20) ----------------home all day because she couldn’t bear to meet anybody . She’s met Tamer (21) ---------------the age of sixteen and they’s had a wonderful time together (22) ------------the start of the war . She was nineteen when war broke out and they’d been together (23) -----------three years . They were going to get married (24) --------------the war .

She looked at his face . It was still the same face but with quite a few lines (25) ---------------it and there was a bit less hair (26) --------------his head . He put his hand(27) ----------his pocket and took out a small photograph . It was one she’s sent him just (28) ---------------his disappearance . It was a picture of her (29) ---------------a teenager (30) -------------the war . She held it (31) ------------her hand and remembered back to those times . She felt rather hot and dizzy and thought that she might fall (32) -------------the floor at any moment . She asked him to come (33) -----------------the living-room and they sat down together to tell their stories .