Prepositions like in, of, at, from, and to are used very frequently in English!
However, there are some cases in which you shouldn’t use one – and in today’s lesson, you’ll learn 5 times you should not use a preposition.
Case #1
After go, we usually use to + place:
- I’m going to the mall.
- We went to Paris last year.
Exceptions: home and downtown.
Do not use “to” with these!
- I’m going home.
- We went downtown last night.
Case #2
We usually use on + a day and in + a month:
- I have a meeting on Friday.
- We’ll call you on March 1st.
- The concert is in June.
Do NOT use in/on with yesterday, tomorrow, this, last, next
- I have a meeting tomorrow.
- We’ll call you next Friday.
- The concert is this June.
Case #3
We usually use into for movement from outside to inside:
- She came into my room.
- Let’s go into the house.
Exception: enter
- She entered my room.
- Let’s enter the house.
Enter into is only used for starting agreements, negotiations, discussions, etc.
- The two companies entered into a financial agreement.
- Spain and France will enter into trade negotiations next month.
Case #4
We don’t use to after attend when it means to go or to be present:
- Nine students attended the lecture.
- I regularly attend yoga classes.
You could use go to instead of attend:
- Nine students went to the lecture.
- I regularly go to yoga classes.
Attend to means to pay attention to or handle something:
- Doctors attended to the people who were injured in the accident.
- We’ll attend to that problem later.
Case #5
Do not use of when lack is used as a verb:
- I sometimes lack confidence.
- Last night’s dinner lacked salt.
We use of when lack is used as a noun:
- I’m trying to overcome my lack of confidence.
- The lack of salt made the food tasteless.
English grammar can certainly be complicated, and it’s easy to make mistakes when you’re learning. If you want to learn English grammar in detail, join my Advanced English Grammar Course.
The lessons cover all the verb tenses as well as adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, sentence structure, and other more complex topics. What’s even better is that each lesson includes a writing task, and you can send me your texts for feedback!
