Prepositional phrases – usage & examples
PHRASES WITH AT
| at a glance | I could see at a glance that something was wrong. |
| at hand | We have no solutions at hand. |
| at last | You’re here at last! |
| at least | The disease killed at least two million people. |
| at once | They started singing at once. |
| at random | The candidates are selected at random. |
| at risk | The whole area is at risk of flooding. |
| at times | The children are at times aggressive and cruel. |
| at all times | You should keep an eye on your children at all times. |
| at any time | We can meet at any time you like. |
| at worst | At worst, you’ll go to prison. |
PHRASES WITH IN
| in advance | Let me know in advance. |
| in all | There were sixty of them in all. |
| in charge | Who’s in charge here? I’m the boss. |
| in common | Have we got anything in common? |
| in a hurry | She was in such a hurry that she forgot to take her passport. |
| in the long run | The machine will save energy in the long run. |
| in trouble | Have you ever helped anyone in trouble? |
| in vain | I tried to get in touch with him but in vain. |
PHRASES WITH ON
| on average | How much do teachers earn in your country on average? |
| on board | We met on board an ocean liner. |
| on business | She’s gone to Barcelona on business. |
| on good terms | We’re on good terms in spite of the divorce. |
| on offer | We have lots of goods on offer at present |
| on purpose | Mum, she did it on purpose! |
| on second thoughts | On second thoughts, I’d like to come. |
PHRASES WITH OTHER PREPOSITIONS
| by accident | We met by accident. |
| by heart | We had to learn the poem by heart. |
| by no means | This is not, by no means, the end of the matter. |
| for a change | We went to the seaside – just for a change. |
| for real | Our friendship is not virtual – it’s for real. |
| out of breath | I was out of breath after running from the city centre to the station. |
| out of order | The lift was out of order, so we had to use the stairs. |
| out of tune | She was singing out of tune. |
