English for Specific Purposes
Wrld

3. Collocations with prepositions AT, ON, BY, IN

COLLOCATIONS WITH AT

AT CHRISTMAS         AT LEAST       AT ONCE                   AT THE SAME TIME

AT EASTER                AT LAST          AT PRESENT           AT THE WEEKEND

AT HOME                    AT NIGHT         AT THE MOMENT   AT WORK

COLLOCATIONS WITH ON

ON A DIET                    ON FIRE              ON THE RADIO       ON THE ONE HAND

ON BEHALF OF          ON FOOT             ON TV                      ON THE OTHER HAND

ON BUSINESS              ON HOLIDAY     ON TIME

ON DUTY                      ON PURPOSE      ON STRIKE

COLLOCATIONS WITH BY

BY ACCIDENT              BY MYSELF           BY YOURSELF                BY BUS

BY CAR                          BY AIR                    BY PLANE                        BY TRAIN

BY HAND                       BY MISTAKE         BY THE WAY                   BY ROAD

COLLOCATIONS WITH IN

IN A HURRY                IN INK                         IN PUBLIC                   IN TROUBLE

IN A MESS                  IN ITALICS                 IN SECRET                     IN LOVE

IN THE END                IN CONFIDENCE     IN DANGER                    IN FACT

IN PRIVATE                IN OTHER WORDS   IN WINTER                     IN MY OPINION

IN THE MORNING      IN THE EVENING      IN THE AFTERNOON   IN SUMMER

EXERCISES

Fill in the gaps using an appropriate collocation.

1. My friend is always ___________ - he is short of time all the time.
2. We met ___________, but became lifelong friends.
3. He spoke ___________ his coauthors who were unable to attend the conference.
4. The secretary informed us that her boss was neither _______ nor ________.
5. This message was sent to me __________. It made no sense.
6. The news of an earthquake in Australia was broadcast both ______ and _________.
7. ____________, it is rather uncommon to shake hands with a woman in Japan.
8. The information written ___________ is as a rule not read carefully by bank customers.
9. ___________ police detained the offender due to the public assistance.
10. Journeys _________ are less dangerous than ________.
11. People enjoy being _________ twice a year: either ______ or _______.
12. It is a common knowledge that children fall ________ at school.
13. Days are much longer ________ than ________.
14. You should sign the document ________ as the signature in pencil is invalid.
15. Lawyers consult their customers _________ , i.e. without any witnesses present.
16. I don’t have much _____________ in what he claims.
17. You must arrive _______ for your job interview.
18. ____________, she is always right, although others have some doubts about it.
19. The car model was made ________  without employing any instruments.
20. The house was _________. Nobody has tidied it for ages.

Answer keys

Resources
ONLINE EXERCISES
Galina Kavaliauskienė
Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius, Lithuania