PREPOSITION IN, ON, AND AT

PREPOSITION IN, ON, AND AT

The prepositions in, on, and at can be used to indicate time and place. Notice how they are used in the following situations:

Preposition Time Place In Year, Month, In 1999, In December Country, State, City In Japan, In Utah, InTaipei On Day, Date On Saturday, On May 1 Street On Main Street, On 1st Ave. At Time At 8:00, At 7:30 Address At 815 East Main Street

In many languages, there is only one preposition for the above situations. In English there are three. Just remember that in usually indicates the "largest" time or place, and at usually indicates the "smallest" time or place.

Examples:
A: Where's your office?
B: In Taipei, Taiwan.
A: Really? What part of Taipei?
B: It's on Chung Shan North Road.
A: I know that area. Where exactly is it?
B: It's at 105 Chung Shan North Road, next to the bookstore.

C: When is the wedding?
D: It's in June.
C: What day?
D: It's on Saturday, the 25th.
C: What time?
D: It starts at 6:00.

Prepositions with articles and locations
When talking about locations, use at to indicate the general vicinity or area, and in to indicate inside the building, enclosed area, etc. For example:

at the swimming pool (on site)		in the swimming pool (in the pool itself i.e. in the water)
at the post office/bank (general)		in the post office/bank (inside the building)
at the zoo (visitors, general area)		in the zoo (animals in their cages)
at school		in the classroom

Sample sentences:

• I met my wife at the theater. (while watching a movie)
• I spilled my drink in the theater (on the floor of the building)
• She works at the library on Wednesdays.
• She found a rare coin in the library (building).
• Dr. Jones works at the hospital every day.
• John was in the hospital for a week with a broken leg.

For school, prison, and church, the is used to indicate the building. No article indicates the general situation. Note the following:

"practice"/situation		building
in school (studying, listening to teacher, etc.)		in the school (building)
in jail/prison (staying there as a criminal)		in the jail/prison (temporary)
in church (praying, listening to a sermon, etc.)		in the church (building)

Where's Dad?

in church (attending services)		in the church (fixing the windows)
at church		at the church
in prison (He committed a crime.)		at the prison (visiting his friend)

PRECISE TIME MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS DAYS and DATES

• at 3 o'clock in May on Sunday
• at 10.30am in summer on Tuesdays
• at noon in the summer on 6 March
• at dinnertime in 1990 on 25 Dec. 2010
• at bedtime in the 1990s on Christmas Day
• at sunrise in the next century on Independence Day
• at sunset in the Ice Age on my birthday
• at the moment in the past/future on New Year's Eve

Look at these examples:
•I have a meeting at 9am.
•The shop closes at midnight.
•Jane went home at lunchtime.
•In England, it often snows in December.
•Do you think we will go to Jupiter in the future?
•There should be a lot of progress in the next century.
•Do you work on Mondays?
•Her birthday is on 20 November.
•Where will you be on New Year's Day?


Notice the use of the preposition of time at in the following standard expressions:
Expression Example

• at night The stars shine at night.
• at the weekend I don't usually work at the weekend.
• at Christmas/Easter I stay with my family at Christmas.
• at the same time We finished the test at the same time.
• at present He's not home at present. Try later.

Notice the use of the prepositions of time in and on in these common expressions:

• in on
• in the morning on Tuesday morning
• in the mornings on Saturday mornings
• in the afternoon(s) on Sunday afternoons
• in the evening(s) on Monday evening

When we say last, next, every, this we do not also use at, in, on.

• I went to London last June. (not in last June)
• He's coming back next Tuesday. (not on next Tuesday)
• I go home every Easter. (not at every Easter)
• We'll call you this evening. (not in this evening)

SIMPLE FUTURE

SIMPLE FUTURE

The simple future tense is often called will, because we make the simple future tense with the modal auxiliary will.

How do we make the Simple Future Tense?
The structure of the simple future tense is:

subject	+	auxiliary verb WILL	+	main verb
		invariable		base
		will		V1

For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and main verb. For question sentences, we exchange the subject and auxiliary verb. Look at these example sentences with the simple future tense:

	subject	auxiliary verb		main verb
+	I	will		open	the door.
+	You	will		finish	before me.
-	She	will	not	be	at school tomorrow.
-	We	will	not	leave	yet.
?	Will	you		arrive	on time?
?	Will	they		want	dinner?

When we use the simple future tense in speaking, we often contract the subject and auxiliary verb:

I will	I'll
you will	you'll
he will she will it will	he'll she'll it'll
we will	we'll
they will	they'll

For negative sentences in the simple future tense, we contract with won't, like this:

I will not	I won't
you will not	you won't
he will not she will not it will not	he won't she won't it won't
we will not	we won't
they will not	they won't

How do we use the Simple Future Tense?

>No Plan
We use the simple future tense when there is no plan or decision to do something before we speak. We make the decision spontaneously at the time of speaking. Look at these examples:

• Hold on. I'll get a pen.
• We will see what we can do to help you.
• Maybe we'll stay in and watch television tonight.

In these examples, we had no firm plan before speaking. The decision is made at the time of speaking.

We often use the simple future tense with the verb to think before it:

• I think I'll go to the gym tomorrow.
• I think I will have a holiday next year.
• I don't think I'll buy that car.

>Prediction
We often use the simple future tense to make a prediction about the future. Again, there is no firm plan. We are saying what we think will happen. Here are some examples:

• It will rain tomorrow.
• People won't go to Jupiter before the 22nd century.
• Who do you think will get the job?

>Be
When the main verb is be, we can use the simple future tense even if we have a firm plan or decision before speaking. Examples:

• I'll be in London tomorrow.
• I'm going shopping. I won't be very long.
• Will you be at work tomorrow?

Going to
You can also use going to to express future. We use it to express predictions based on observing the present situation:

Example: It's going to rain. Look at the clouds!

Declarative sentences:

Subject	+	Auxiliary verb	+	Auxiliary verb	+	Verb
I/a dog etc.		is/are		going to		go/take etc.

• This team is definitely going to win the competition.
• I'm going to visit my grandma next week.
• Sheila is going to give birth in a couple of weeks.

Questions:

Auxiliary verb	+	Subject	+	Auxiliary verb	+	Verb
is/are		I/a dog etc.		going to		go/take etc.

• Is he going to apologise to Mary for his behavior?
• Is the USA going to close down military bases in Western Europe?
• I can see dark clouds in the sky. Is it going to rain?

Negative sentences:

Subject	+	Auxiliary verb	+	Auxiliary verb	+	Verb
I/a dog etc.		isn't/aren't		going to		go/take

• The Government is not going to lower the taxes.
• "Record is not going to change me," says Mark.
• I'm not going to take my driving test this year.

Shall
You can also use shall to express future in Future Simple. It is more formal than will, and usually appears in formal speeches, agreements or guarantees.

Examples:

• The guarantee shall be provided on the following conditions: (...)
• We shall never surrender!

Remember
We often use "will" with:

probably, most likely	I'll probably drop in on uncle.
I think	This gift is great. I think we'll love it.
I'm sure	It's not going to be boring there. I'm sure there will be a lot of boys at your age
I wonder (if, what, when, etc.)	It's a bit late. I wonder if he'll come.
I expect	I haven't seen Matthew today. I expect he'll call today.

SURPRISES and DISBELIEFS

SURPRISES and DISBELIEFS

Surprise or disbeliefs is : 

1. a feeling that we feel when we heard an amazing news which surprised and amazed us 
2. an expression that we show/say when we know/hear/see something that rather difficult to believe 
3. used to express something that we can’t or impossible. 

Surprise is a brief emotional state experienced as the result of an unexpected significant event. Surprise can have any valence; that is, it can be neutral, pleasant, or unpleasant. If a person experiences a very powerful or long lasting surprise it may be considered shock.


Surprise is expressed in the face by the following features: 

1. Eyebrows that are raised so they become curved and high. 
2. Stretched skin below the eyebrows. 
3. Horizontal wrinkles across the forehead. 
4. Open eyelids: the upper lid is raised and the lower lid is drawn down, often exposing the white sclera above and below the iris. 
5. Dropped jaw so that the lips and teeth are parted, with no tension around the mouth. 

To express surprises : 

• Wow! What a surprise! 
• That’s a surprise! 
• (Well), that’s very surprising! 
• Really? 
• What? 
• Are you serious? You must be joking! 
• You’re kidding! 
• Fancy that! 
• I must say it surprises me. 
• I find that hard to believe. 

How To Responds Surprises : 

• Yeah! 
• It is. 
• Yup! 
• Sure. 
• It’s true. 
• I’m Serious. 
• No. I’m not. 
• Does it? 
• It is, isn’t it? 
• 
  

Examples :
Maya : Whose BlackBerry is that?
Wija : It’s Yiyi’s
Maya : Are you kidding me?
Wija : No, I’m not.
          I saw her playing that Handphone this morning.
Maya : What a surprise!

NEUTRAL	INFORMAL	FORMAL
That’s very surprising. Really? Here? Is she? That is a surprise. What a surprise. Good heavens. That’s amazing/extraordinary. My goodness.	What? No! I don’t believe it! Are you serious? Well, I never! Oh, no! Fantastic! You don’t say. Who’d have thought it? Fancy that. You’re kidding.	I find that very surprising. I must say it surprises me. I find it extraordinary. Indeed? How very surprising. I must say it surprises me.

Disbeliefs is a state of the mind in which one is fully persuaded that an opinion, assertion, or doctrine is not true; refusal of assent, credit, or credence; denial of belief.

To Express Disbelief 

• I don’t believe it. 
• It can’t be true. 
• I can’t think of it. 
• I don’t trust you. 
• I don’t believe you. 
• I can’t believe this! 
• I didn’t know that.