use of preposition

within

1. If it rains tonight, they'll stay dry within the tent. (within = inside)  2. Within this cake, there's a creamy filling.  3. The last time I bought a dozen eggs, there were a couple of broken eggs within the carton. (dozen = 12)  4. A pitcher keeps the ball within his mitt until he's ready to throw it.  5. After they first met, they got married within six months. (within = inside an amount of time)  6. He usually gets tired of running within ten to fifteen minutes.  7. If you get food from a fast-food restaurant, your order will be ready to go within just a few minutes.

up to

1. An elephant can eat up to 400 pounds of food in one day! up to: as much as; almost  2. There are some Americans who spend up to eight hours a day watching television.  3. He spends up to two or three hours on the phone every day at work. 4. A sudden thunderstorm flooded the srteets. The water was up to the top of his tires. up to: as high as 5. A: Which lesson are you up to on this website? B: I'm up to Lesson Eight in the Yellow Level.  6. She worked her way up to a management position very quickly.  7. Most of the big decisions in the company are left up to him.  8. A: What's Roger up to these days? B: Not much. He lost his job, so he spends a lot of time rollerblading now. up to: this idiom is used for activity: What are you up to? What are you doing?  9. He walked up to a police officer and asked for help in finding his mother. walk up to / go up to: to address a person; say something

up

 

1. They're traveling up the escalator.
2. You need to walk up the stairs to get to the temple.
3. The arrow on this sign points up.
4. Helen likes to hang up pictures that her children have drawn. She puts the pictures up on the wall in her office. (The word "up" is often used with verb phrases.)
5. After ten minutes of work, their tent is up. ("Up" is used as an adjective in this sentence.)
6. This hot-air balloon is up in the air.
7. It's dangerous to get up close to a lion. (get up close: get very close; to move near something)

until

1. The sun doesn't rise until after dawn. (dawn = the time just before the sun comes up; the light that appears before the sun rises)  2. It's still light outside until dusk. (dusk = the time after the sun goes down; the light in the sky before the darkness, before the moon and the stars come out.)  3. He can't wait until winter. (can't wait: to look foward to something; to be happy about a future event)  4. They can't wait until summer.  5. She won't leave work today until 6:30 p.m.  6. He probably wont start walking until the age of one.  7. Fire escapes weren't put on buildings until the end of the 19th century.  8. Most Americans felt safe living in the United States until September 11, 2001.  9. He usually waits until he gets to work to have a cup of coffee. (In this sentence, "until" is used as a conjunction joining two clauses.)

underneath

 

1. The cat is hiding underneath a chair.
2. They're sitting underneath an umbrella.
3. She's protected from the sun underneath an umbrella.
4. These gazelles are staying cool underneath a shady tree.
5. The sand underneath his feet feels soft.
6. The fire underneath the beef is perfect for a barbeque.
7. He remains anonymous underneath his sunglasses. (anonymous = unknown; a person whose identity is not revealed.)
8. It's hard to tell if that's a man or a woman underneath all that make-up.