Pronouns and Prepositions
AdvancedSwap nouns for pronouns (I/me, he/him) and use in, on, at correctly for places and times.
- Subject pronouns do the action (I / he / she / we / they); object pronouns receive it (me / him / her / us / them)
- After a preposition always use the object form: for her · with me · between us
- Time: at 3:00 (clock) · on Monday (day) · in the morning
文體小知識：Small words, big mistakes.
§Text Passage
1My cousin Amy and I found a wallet between two seats on the MTR last Sunday morning. The train was crowded, so nobody else noticed the wallet. She picked it up and showed it to me. Inside it, there was some money, an Octopus card and a student ID card. Its owner was a tall man with glasses, but he was not on the train. We looked at each other and made a decision quickly.
2We gave it to the station officer, and she thanked us with a smile. She wrote our names in a small notebook and asked us to describe the wallet. The officer put the wallet in a safe drawer behind her desk. On the way home, Amy and I talked about what we would do if we lost our own wallets. We both agreed that honesty is more important than money.
3The man telephoned the station in the evening, and he came the next morning at ten o'clock. He shook our hands and said, 'You are honest students.' He even bought us two boxes of chocolate biscuits, but we only accepted one. Amy and I felt proud of ourselves because we helped someone that day. It was a small act, but it made the city a little warmer.
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
My cousin Amy and I found a wallet between two seats on the MTR last Sunday morning.
上星期日早上，我同表姐 Amy 在港鐵兩個座位之間撿到一個銀包。
The train was crowded, so nobody else noticed the wallet.
車廂很擠迫，所以沒有其他人留意到那個銀包。
She picked it up and showed it to me.
她撿起了那個銀包，遞給我看。
Inside it, there was some money, an Octopus card and a student ID card.
裡面有些錢、一張八達通同一張學生證。
Its owner was a tall man with glasses, but he was not on the train.
失主是個戴眼鏡的高個子男人，但他不在車上。
We looked at each other and made a decision quickly.
我們面面相覷，很快就決定了怎麼做。
We gave it to the station officer, and she thanked us with a smile.
我們把那個銀包交了給站務員，她笑著多謝我們。
She wrote our names in a small notebook and asked us to describe the wallet.
她把我們的名字寫在一本小簿子上，還叫我們形容一下那個銀包。
The officer put the wallet in a safe drawer behind her desk.
職員把銀包放在她桌子後面一個上鎖的抽屜裡。
On the way home, Amy and I talked about what we would do if we lost our own wallets.
回家途中，我同 Amy 聊起如果自己不見了銀包會怎麼做。
We both agreed that honesty is more important than money.
我們都認為誠實比錢更加重要。
The man telephoned the station in the evening, and he came the next morning at ten o'clock.
那個男人晚上打電話去車站，第二天早上十點鐘親身來到。
He shook our hands and said, 'You are honest students.'
他同我們握手，說：「你們是誠實的學生。」
He even bought us two boxes of chocolate biscuits, but we only accepted one.
他還買了兩盒朱古力餅給我們，但我們只收了一盒。
Amy and I felt proud of ourselves because we helped someone that day.
那天幫了人，我同 Amy 都覺得很自豪。
It was a small act, but it made the city a little warmer.
這是件小事，但令這個城市溫暖了一點。
1Summary 重點摘要
Swap nouns for pronouns (I/me, he/him) and use in, on, at correctly for places and times.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
I, you, he, she.
I, he, she.
Me, him, her.
My, his, her.
In, on, at.
Does the action.
Receives the action.
In, on, under.
3Step by step Steps
- SubjectThe doer: I, he, she, we, they. From the passage: She picked it up and showed it to me. — She is Amy (subject); me is the writer (object).
- ObjectThe receiver: me, him, her, us, them. Examples: He shook our hands. We gave it to the station officer.
- Placeat a point, on a surface, in an area, between two things: a wallet between two seats on the MTR; in a safe drawer behind her desk.
- After prepositionsAfter a preposition always use the object form: for her, with me, between us — The officer put the wallet in a safe drawer behind her desk.
- Timeat for clock times, on for days, in for months and years: at ten o'clock, on Monday, in July. From the passage: he came the next morning at ten o'clock.
- Matching pairsCheck every pair: Amy and I felt proud of ourselves. We gave it to her. Say He and I go, never Me and him go.
- From the passageWe both agreed that honesty is more important than money. Subject We opens the sentence; object us closes it: She thanked us with a smile.
4Diagrams Diagrams
5Worked example Example
Fill in with pronouns and prepositions from the passage: She picked it up and showed it to ___ (I). The wallet was ___ two seats. The man came ___ ten o'clock ___ the next morning.
- Step 1: After a preposition always use the object form — to me, for us, with her (never to I).
- Step 2: Position — between two seats (in the middle of two things), behind her desk.
- Step 3: Time — clock times take at ten o'clock; parts of the day take in (in the morning).
- Step 4: Use it for things — Amy picked it up; it is the wallet.
- Step 5: Read the whole sentence aloud to check it flows.
- Answer: Answers: showed it to me (after the preposition to we use the object pronoun me); The wallet was between two seats (between = in the middle of two things); The man came at ten o'clock in the morning (clock times take at, parts of the day take in). Remember: after a preposition always use me, him, her, us or them — never I, he, she, we or they.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1Which is subject?
Q2Which is object?
Q3Which preposition for time?
Q4Which preposition for place?
Q5Possessive of I?
8Recap Recap
- Subject pronouns do the action (I / he / she / we / they); object pronouns receive it (me / him / her / us / them)
- After a preposition always use the object form: for her · with me · between us
- Time: at 3:00 (clock) · on Monday (day) · in the morning
- Place: at the station · on the desk · in the room · behind the desk
- Lesson of the passage: honesty is more important than money — Amy and the writer returned the wallet