Prepositions of location, in relation to Oscar and the sun.

Oscar is on (touching the surface of) the blanket. Oscar is over (covering) the blanket. Oscar is across from (opposite) me.
There is snow on Oscar's nose.  Oscar's nose is under the snow.
Oscar is behind the brown dog. The brown dog is in front of Oscar.
Oscar is between Andres's legs. Andrés is standing over (a higher place than) Oscar.
Oscar is above the snow (in a higher place than the snow). The snow is below Oscar (in a lower place than).
The fabric is in Oscar's mouth.
My hand is under the sun. The sun is next to my head.

Prepositions-TIME

Prepositions are extremely important because, depending the context of the preposition, they tell us the relation of something to something else.  There are many prepositions so I will focus on the ones that are most commonly used.

The rules for when we use prepositions of time

AT: 

General Rules:

At is used for the smallest periods of time.

Time of day (example 8:00)

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

At night

On: 

General Rules:

On is used for the medium periods of time.

The weekend

Days of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

Specific Dates (My birthday, September 18)

In: 

General Rules: 

In is used for the largest periods of time.

YEARS (IN 2014)

SEASONS: (SUMMER, WINTER, FALL, SPRING)

CENTURIES: (THE 21ST CENTURY)

PERIODS OF TIME DURING THE DAY (THE MORNING, THE AFTERNOON, THE EVENING)

Below is a triangle.  The smallest part for the smallest periods of time, the middle part for the medium size periods of time, and the largest part for the largest periods of time.

Exceptions

We don't use prepositions before these words:

Today

Tomorrow

Yesterday

This morning

Tonight

Last 

Next

Every

This

Every

TIME TO PRACTICE:

Fill in the sentences with the correct preposition.  

Some sentences don't require prepositions:

1.) Christmas is __________ December 25.

2.) What are you doing __________next weekend?

3.) Maria arrives in Santiago __________ Friday.

4.)  I always feel tired ____________ the morning.

5.) Will you be home ___________ the evening?

6.) Cristina will call her mom ___________  today.

7.) I went to the Dr. __________yesterday morning.

8.) Many important things happened ___________ the 20th century.

9.) I don't go out ______ night.

10.) We go to Aruba ______every summer.

11.) I go to my parent's house ______every weekend.

12.)  I have an important meeting __________Wednesday morning.

13.) I like to watch TV ________ night.

14.) I will go to Viña del Mar __________ next weekend.

15.) I will  visit my sister _________ lunchtime.

16.) My mother was born ___________ 1945.

To & For- Putting it all together

Here are sentences that either use TO or FOR

-Place either TO or FOR in the correct places. What are the rules for each sentence?

Check your answers below.-

1.      We are going __________ New York _________ visit The Statue of Liberty.

2.      Bill Gates has lived in Seattle  ________________ 6 years.

3.      Juan gave the present ______________ Maria.

4.      It is 10 minutes ________9:00 am.

5.      It takes approximately 3 hours to drive from Seattle ________Portland.

6.      This diamond ring is ________you.

7.      Let´s go _____Camino Real _________dinner.

8.      I scheduled a Dr. appointment ___________ May 3rd.

9.      I broke my arm.  Can you please write this letter ___________ me.

10.   Are you ____________ or against nuclear weapons?

11.   This chocolate is not _______ you, it is _________ me.

12.   I will give my pen _________ you.

13.   I am _____________Universidad de Chile and against Colo Colo.

14.    I prefer dancing salsa _______ walking.
15. I use my smart phone __________ talking on the phone and _________ taking pictures.

1.) To /To

2.) For

3.) To

4.) To

5.) To

6.) For

7.) To/For

8.) For

9.) For

10.) For

11.) For/For

12.) To

13.) For

14.) To
15.) For/For

To and For: When to use FOR

	Intended to belong Who is this chocolate for? This chocolate is for you.
	An arrangement When is your dentist appointment? My dentist appointment is for June 18
	In favor of Are you for or against the non-smoking laws? I am for (in favor of) the non-smoking laws.
	Reason: <--------What did you do that for?!! I did it for my boyfriend!  I am talking to him on the phone in this moment.
	Purpose + noun Where do you want to go for dinner? Let's go out for dinner at Tiramisu!
	Length of time How long has she lived in Santiago? She has lived in Santiago for 7 years.
	Movement  towards I left for Aruba this morning. I left for work at 7:00 this morning.
	To help somebody/on behalf of somebody Can you do my homework for me? No I can't do your homework for you! Can you write this report for me?  I cut my finger. Yes I can write this report for you.

To describe a purpose For + gerund (verb + ing) What do you use a computer for? I use a computer for writing reports and talking on Skype

-For more practice, create sentences for each rule above-

To and For: WHEN TO USE TO

	Destination: I´m going to Aruba in January
	Time: What time is it? It's a quarter to 2
	Distance: It's about 10,000 km to Seattle from Santiago, Chile
	Regarding Final Scores in a game Germany beat Argentina 4 to 2 in the 2014 World Cup championship game
	Comparing (preference) I prefer sleeping to working
	Action of giving something- focus is on the recipient I give all my money to you
	Motive/Reason (Answers Why?)     verb in infinitive form I eat vegetables to be healthy

-Practice-

Create similar sentences using the correct rules described above.

Common Idioms and expressions COLORS

Here are some common idioms with colors.

How many do you already know?

Out of the blue	Something that happens suddenly and unexpectedly
Once in a blue moon	Something that happens rarely, infrequently.
Black and blue	Bruised physically or emotionally
Feeling blue	Feeling sad, depressed
Red tape	A negative term for a lot of paperwork related to bureaucracy.
Green thumb	Someone who is a good gardener
Green light	You are given the approval to do something
Green with envy	Very jealous
Black and white	When the situation is clearly right or wrong.
Grey area	A grey area is when there is no clear right or wrong.  The opposite of black and white.
Black hole	If there is a black hole in financial accounts, money disappears.
Like white on rice	When someone or something is like white on rice, you do it very closely.

Practice- Place the idiom in the correct sentence on the right- answers are below

1.      Red tape	a)    Suddenly and ________________ I saw a dog leave the metro.
2.      Green with envy	b)      My husband and I go to the cinema 1 time per year.  We go _________________
3.      Grey area	c)     Maria fell from her bike on the street.  She was hurt and her legs were_______________.
4.      Black and white	d)      Alice was feeling ________________ when she learned that her grandmother was sick.
5.      Out of the blue	e)      In Chile there is a lot of _____________.  The government requires so many official documents.
6.      Black and blue	f)       My mom has a _____________.  Her garden is full of  flowers and vegetables.
7.      Black hole	g)      Maria's doctor gave her the _____________________ to return to work after 3 weeks of resting.
8.      Once in a blue moon	h)      Paul is ___________________ that  his brother won the lottery and doesn't have to work.
9.      Feeling blue	i)       The law about drinking and driving is _____________.  If the police catch you, you are going to jail, no exceptions.
10.   Like white on rice	j)       There is a lot of ______________________about the way to build a house.  There isn't a specific right or wrong way.
11.   Green light	k)     Maintaining my house has been a ___________________.  I spend so much money fixing things and making improvements.
12.   Green thumb	l)       My dog was with me like ______________.  He didn't want to leave my side because he was scared of the noise of the fireworks.

Answers:

1. E

2. H

3. J

4. I

5. A

6. C

7. K

8. B

9. D

10. L

11. G

12. F

What are other idioms that you know?  Share them in the comments section.