set_expressions

On/in/at/by

Expressions with on

(to be / to go) on holiday / on business / on a trip / on a tour / on a cruise etc.:

• Tom's away at the moment. He's on holiday in France

• Did you go to Germany on business or on holiday?

• One day I'd like to go on a world tour.

Note that you can also say: 'go to a place for a holiday:

• Tom has gone to France for a holiday.

• Where are you going for your holidays next summer?

on television / on the radio:

• I didn't watch the news on television, but I heard it on the radio.

on the phone/telephone:

• You can't phone me. I'm not on the phone. (= I haven't got a phone.)

• I've never met her but I've spoken to her on the phone.

(to be/to go) on strike / on a diet:

• There are no trains today. The railway workers are on strike.

• I've put on a lot of weight. I'll have to go on a diet, (be) on fire:

(to be) on fire

• Look! That car is on fire! – машина горит

• The house is on fife! (дом горит) Call the fire brigade!

on the whole (= in general):

Sometimes I have problems at work but on the whole I enjoy my job.

on purpose (= intentionally) - специально:

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to annoy you. I didn't do it on purpose.

on time (=opposite “late”) – вовремя (противоположно «поздно»)

• 'Was the train late?' 'No, it was on time.' (просто бы задержался)

Expressions with in

in time (=opposite “too late”) – вовремя (противоположно «слишком поздно»)

• The driver stopped the car just in time to prevent an accident. (если бы не остановил, то произошла бы авария)

in the rain / in the sun (= sunshine) / in the shade / in the dark / in bad weather etc.:

• We sat in the shade. (в тени)

• It was too hot to sit in the sun. (на солнце)

• Don't go out in the rain. (в дождь) Wait until it stops.

(write) in ink / in biro (шариковой ручкой) / in pencil – писать чернилами, …

• When you do the exam, you're not allowed to write in pencil.

Also: in words, in figures, in BLOCK LETTERS etc.:

• Please fill in the form in block letters. (заполнять заглавными буквами)

(to pay) in cash: - платить наличными

• I paid the bill in cash.

but I paid by cheque / by credit card.

(to be/to fall) in love (with somebody) - влюбиться

• Have you ever been in love with anybody?

in (my) opinion – по моему мнению (по-моему)

• In my opinion, the film wasn't very good.

Expressions with at

We say:

at the age of... / at a speed of... / at a temperature of... etc.

• Jill left school at 16. or ...at the age of 16.

• The train was travelling at 120 miles an hour, or ...at a speed of 120 miles an hour.

• Water boils at 100 degrees celsius.

Expressions with by

Используется когда нужно сказать как, каким образом или кем что-то сделано.

send smth by post

do smth by hand (руками)

by mistake (по ошибке)

by accident (случайно)

by chance (случайно)

by car / by train / by plain / by boat / by bus / by sea / by bicycle etc.

by road / by rail / by air / by underground (каким видом транспорта, по воздуху …)

предлог by не используется с притяжательными местоимениями и артиклями, например мы говорим: in my car, on the train etc.

smth is done by smb

• Have you ever been bitten by a dog?

• The program was watched by millions of people.

a play by Shakespeare / a painting by Rembrandt / a novel by Tolstoy etc. (кем написано)

Compare by and with:

• The door was opened with a key.

• The door was opened by somebody with a key.

by = рядом

Come and sit by me.

“Where is the light switch?” “It’s by the door.”

Пожалуйста, обращайте внимание на то, что очень часто предлоги при переводе на русский язык не совпадают с предлогами в английском или вообще отсутствуют!!! Поэтому они вызывают определенные трудности и должны быть выучены наизусть!!!