For younger learners, for instance, try worksheets that include a sentence using a preposition and a corresponding image to color—such as an image showing “The cow jumped over the moon. ” You might buy, download, or make flash cards that contain an image on one side and a corresponding sentence using one or more prepositions on the other side.
A chart might use categories like “Time” and “Place. ” Note that a single preposition like “on” can appear in multiple categories—“on Wednesday” (time) and “on the table” (place)—which makes the inclusion of specific examples very helpful. Look over the charts regularly, but don’t try to just memorize everything in them. Instead, use them to write your own sample sentences, draw corresponding pictures, and so on.
A quiz might be as simple as picking the right preposition usage from 4 options, or filling in the blank in a sample sentence with the correct preposition. But simple quizzes can really work!
Podcasts and audiobooks are great listening options, because you get to listen at your own pace to speakers who typically have a strong command of English. That said, listening to anyone using the language helps to build your familiarity with different prepositions and their usage.
For instance, if you hear “He put his coat in the closet,” repeat it to yourself and picture a man putting his coat in the closet. Alternatively, jot down the phrases or sentences you identify. You can also make quick sketches—for instance, of a stick figure putting a coat into a closet.
Read slowly and carefully so you can pick out the prepositions.
If you’re not sure if you’ve found a preposition, ask yourself the following about the whole prepositional phrase: Does it establish a “when,” “where,” or “how” relationship among people, objects, locations, or actions within the sentence? For instance, in “She likes to go to the store,” the first “to” isn’t a preposition, but the second “to” is.
For example, your “on” page might include sentences like “Joe went on vacation last week,” “He wrote his phone number on a scrap of paper,” and “They got on the boat with a bit of trepidation. ” This exercise helps you to recognize and eventually memorize different ways in which common prepositions are frequently used.
You may want to make a game out of how many prepositions you can use: “I am sitting” (0); “I am sitting in my chair” (1); “I am sitting in my chair at home” (2); “I am sitting in my chair at home on a rainy day” (3). This is a useful activity at home alone and in a classroom setting. As a teacher, you might ask the class at different times during the school day, “OK, who wants to give us a “look at me now” update?”
Alternatively, you might play a variation on this game in which the goal is to follow the commands only when the correct preposition is used—for instance, “Stand on one foot” versus “Stand at one foot. ”
To reinforce what’s being learned, write out the answers, circle the prepositions, and underline the prepositional phrases.
