Prepositions Blast

This week was International Women’s Day. As I’m a great feminist, here are some jokes about men and women. All you need to do is fill in the prepositions.

Prepositions are little words that indicate position or relationship.

Here are some:

In, on, for, of, to, after, before, under, next to, between, until, by, at, above, underneath, over, across, opposite, behind, along, inside, with, from.

If you’re not sure how to use these, underneath this article there are some links to earlier articles about prepositions.

Problems with Prepositions

There are many problems with prepositions as there are some rules for them, but there are even more expressions that use prepositions that you just need to know.

So how should you learn those? It’s best if you listen to and read something in English every day.

But here are some examples of some expressions. For example, you say: I’m in love with you. And not to you.

That one you probably knew.

But do you know this one?

Sue arrived early ________ the date.

For or to? The right answer is for.

And do you know the difference between look for and look after?

You might have to look those up, right?

Differences between American and British English in Prepositions

There are also some differences between Americans and UK speakers of English in their use of prepositions. For example, in the US, most people say: Meet with. So they would say: I’m meeting with some friends for dinner. But in the UK, you don’t use a preposition with meet. So in the UK, people will say: I’m meeting some friends for dinner.

Okay, so here are the jokes. Well, I’m not sure they’re feminist or sexist. But they’re funny.

If you can do these quizzes without too many mistakes, you can give yourself a pat on the shoulder. You’re really an expert on prepositions.

For all these quizzes, choose or fill in a preposition.

TED "The Brain Show"

Brain Drain

Do this quiz online and check your answers.

A family was waiting ___________ the operation room. Inside lay their beloved father and grandfather, dying. Presently the surgeon pushed open the door.

“I’m afraid I don’t have good news_________ tell you,” he said. “I’ve tried everything I could with this patient, but the only option to give him any kind of a future is a brain transplantation.”

The family is in shock as they contemplate this news _________ a minute.

“What are our options?” asks the daughter.

“Well,” says the surgeon, “You’re looking _________ a relatively risk-free operation, but you’ll need to purchase a brain for him first.

The brain ___________ a man will set you back $5,000, and a woman’s brain costs $200.”

Again it was silent for a moment while the family members let the information sink _________.

At last the eldest grandson screwed _________ his courage and asked politely:

“Sorry, I might not have understood you, but why is there such a big difference __________ a man’s brain and a woman’s brain?”

The surgeon commended the boy for his astute question, and said: “Let me explain. It’s quite simple actually. The man’s brain has never been _________ use. The woman’s has.”