Prepositional Phrases of Place and Time

تانية بكالوريا English

الدرس ده عن إيه؟

A prepositional phrase is a small group of words that starts with a preposition (at, in, on, during, for, across, along…) and ends with a noun. Phrases of place tell us where something is or happened. Phrases of time tell us when something happened or for how long.

الدرس ده عن الكلمات الصغيرة اللي بتيجي قبل المكان أو الوقت: at / in / on / during / for / from … to / across / along. الكلمة دي اسمها preposition (حرف جر)، ولما نحط بعدها اسم بتبقى عندنا prepositional phrase (جملة صغيرة بحرف جر) زي in Luxor أو during the reign of Ramesses II.

في الكتاب الدرس ده في Unit 3: Echoes of the Past، Lesson 3.1، جزء Grammar Focus (صفحة 80-81)، وبيرجع تاني في الـ Presentation Checklist (صفحة 93) وفي Consolidation Review B. الكتاب بيقول إنها essential (أساسية) في الكتابة التاريخية والوصفية علشان بتحدد المكان (location) والترتيب (sequence) والمدة (duration).

ليه مهمة؟ لأنك لما توصف معبد أو متحف أو اكتشاف أثري لازم تقول فين بالظبط وإمتى وقد إيه. لو حرف الجر غلط، المعنى بيبوظ أو الجملة تبان ضعيفة.

الفكرة ببساطة: من الكبير للصغير

Think of in, on and at as a pyramid: in for big or closed areas and long periods, on for surfaces and days, at for exact points and exact times.

فيه حيلة مشهورة: تخيل هرم مقلوب:

يعني كل ما المكان أو الوقت يصغر ويبقى أدق، ننزل من in لـ on لـ at.

• The temple is in Luxor. The statue is on the wall. We met at the entrance.in مدينة كبيرة، on على سطح الحيطة، at عند نقطة محددة (البوابة).
• The museum opened in 2025, on a Saturday, at 10 a.m.in سنة، on يوم، at ساعة. من الكبير للصغير.

جدول حروف جر المكان (Place)

Prepositions of place answer the question Where?

جدول حروف جر الوقت (Time)

Prepositions of time answer the questions When? and For how long?

أهم فرقين: during ولا for؟ و for ولا since؟

during + a period or event (when?). for + a length of time (how long?). since + the starting point (from when?).

دول أكتر حاجة الطلبة بيتلخبطوا فيها، فخلينا نفصّلهم:

• We stayed in Aswan for three days.قعدنا قد إيه؟ 3 أيام (مدة). for.
• We visited Philae Temple during our stay in Aswan.زرنا المعبد إمتى؟ أثناء الإقامة (فترة معروفة). during.
• The Rosetta Stone has been in London since 1802.من إمتى؟ من سنة 1802 لحد النهارده. since.

أمثلة من موضوعات الوحدة

الأمثلة دي عن موضوعات Unit 3: المعابد، المتحف المصري الكبير (GEM)، الاكتشافات الأثرية، والتراث.

• At the entrance to Karnak, visitors walk along the avenue of sphinxes.عند مدخل الكرنك، الزوار بيمشوا على طول طريق الكباش. at نقطة، along خط طويل.
• In the Hypostyle Hall, 134 huge columns stand in sixteen rows.جوّه صالة الأعمدة. in مكان مقفول.
• Ancient scenes are carved on the walls and on the columns.المناظر محفورة على الحيطان والأعمدة. on سطح.
• The temple was expanded during the reign of many pharaohs.اتوسّع أثناء حكم فراعنة كتير. during فترة.
• Karnak has preserved Egypt's memory for more than two thousand years.الكرنك حافظ على ذاكرة مصر لمدة أكتر من 2000 سنة. for مدة.
• Temples were built across the Nile Valley, from Abu Simbel to the Delta.المعابد اتبنت في كل أنحاء وادي النيل، من أبو سمبل للدلتا.
• The Grand Egyptian Museum stands near the Giza Pyramids.المتحف الكبير واقف قريب من أهرامات الجيزة.
• The statue of Ramesses II greets visitors in the Grand Atrium.تمثال رمسيس بيستقبل الزوار في البهو الكبير. in مكان مقفول.
• The tomb was discovered in November 1922, beneath the sand of the Valley of the Kings.المقبرة اتكشفت في نوفمبر 1922 تحت رمل وادي الملوك. in شهر وسنة، beneath تحت.
• By the end of the day, the students had visited three galleries.بحلول آخر اليوم كانوا زاروا 3 قاعات. by = قبل أو عند آخر اليوم.
• On the 22nd of February, the sun lights up the statues inside the temple of Abu Simbel.يوم 22 فبراير الشمس بتنوّر التماثيل جوّه معبد أبو سمبل. on تاريخ.

تعبيرات ثابتة لازم تحفظها

Some phrases are fixed. Learn them as whole chunks.

إزاي نستخدمها في الكتابة والـ Presentation

In historical and descriptive writing, start or end your sentences with prepositional phrases to give clear location, sequence and duration.

لما توصف موقع أثري (زي الـ Presentation في الكتاب)، استخدم الترتيب ده: فين؟ ← اتبنى إمتى؟ ← فضل قد إيه؟ ← ليه مهم؟. ولاحظ إن ممكن تبدأ الجملة بالـ phrase وتحط بعدها فاصلة علشان تشد الانتباه.

شوف الفقرة دي، والـ prepositional phrases مكتوبة بالـ bold:

Abu Simbel is located in the far south of Egypt, near the border with Sudan. It was built during the reign of Ramesses II, in the 13th century BC. For more than three thousand years, the two temples have amazed visitors. Today, they stand on the west bank of Lake Nasser. In the 1960s, the whole site was moved to higher ground to save it from the rising water. Twice a year, at sunrise, the sun shines into the inner sanctuary and lights up the statues.

لاحظ: in للمنطقة، near للقرب، during للعصر، in للقرن، for للمدة، on للضفة (سطح/جانب)، in للعقد (الستينات)، at للحظة.

الكتاب كمان بيديك جمل جاهزة في Build your Ideas: The site is located in / at… و It was built during / in…

إزاي بييجي في الأسئلة؟

الأسئلة في الكتاب والمراجعات بتيجي بالأشكال دي. هنحل مثال لكل شكل:

1) Only one sentence in each group is grammatically correct. Choose the correct answer.

a. The guide met us in the gate of the temple at 8 a.m.

b. The guide met us at the gate of the temple at 8 a.m.

c. The guide met us on the gate of the temple in 8 a.m.

d. The guide met us at the gate of the temple on 8 a.m.

الإجابة: b. البوابة نقطة محددة = at، والساعة = at. (a) in للمكان المقفول، (c) و(d) حرف جر الساعة غلط.

2) Read the text and fill in the gaps with the appropriate prepositional phrases. (زي تمرين B صفحة 81)

Our class arrived (1) ______ Aswan (2) ______ Monday morning and stayed there (3) ______ two days.

الإجابة: (1) in Aswan (مدينة) · (2) on Monday morning (يوم، حتى لو معاه morning) · (3) for two days (مدة بالأرقام).

3) Read the passage, find the mistakes, then correct them. (زي تمرين C صفحة 81)

Philae Temple was moved in an island near Aswan at the 1970s.

الإجابة: in an island ← to an island (الحركة لمكان = to) · at the 1970s ← in the 1970s (عقد/فترة = in).

تدريب

A. Choose the correct answer from a, b, c or d.

1. 1. The famous scenes of the Battle of Kadesh are carved ______ the walls of the temple. a. at b. on c. during d. across

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   b. on — الحيطة سطح.

2. 2. Tutankhamun's tomb was discovered ______ 1922. a. on b. at c. in d. for

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   c. in — مع السنة بنستخدم in.

3. 3. Karnak was developed ______ the reign of many pharaohs. a. during b. for c. since d. along

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   a. during — بعدها اسم فترة (the reign) من غير رقم.

4. 4. Visitors walk ______ the avenue of sphinxes to reach the first pylon. a. across b. along c. in d. on

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   b. along — الطريق خط طويل، فبنمشي على طوله.

5. 5. News of the discovery spread quickly ______ the whole country. a. along b. at c. across d. on

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   c. across — منطقة واسعة (البلد كلها).

6. 6. The museum opens ______ 9 a.m. and closes ______ 6 p.m. a. in / in b. on / on c. at / at d. at / in

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   c. at / at — الساعة دايمًا at.

7. 7. The Rosetta Stone has been in the British Museum ______ 1802. a. for b. since c. during d. in

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   b. since — نقطة بداية والفعل present perfect (has been).

8. 8. The papyrus remained hidden ______ more than three thousand years. a. since b. during c. for d. at

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   c. for — رقم + مدة.

B. Only one sentence in each group is grammatically correct. Choose the correct answer.

1. 9. a. We visited the GEM on last Friday. b. We visited the GEM in last Friday. c. We visited the GEM last Friday. d. We visited the GEM at last Friday.

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   c — مع last مفيش حرف جر.

2. 10. a. Our guide waited for us at the entrance to the temple. b. Our guide waited for us in the entrance of the temple. c. Our guide waited for us on the entrance to the temple. d. Our guide waited for us from the entrance of the temple.

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   a — at the entrance to = عند مدخل (نقطة محددة).

3. 11. a. The divers found statues under the water near Alexandria in 14th October. b. The divers found statues under the water near Alexandria on 14th October. c. The divers found statues on the water near Alexandria on 14th October. d. The divers found statues under the water at Alexandria during 14th October.

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   b — التاريخ on، وتحت المية under. (c) on the water يعني فوق سطح المية.

4. 12. a. In the end of the tour, we bought souvenirs. b. At the end of the tour, we bought souvenirs. c. On the end of the tour, we bought souvenirs. d. During the end of the tour, we bought souvenirs.

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   b — at the end of + الحاجة = في آخرها. in the end لوحدها من غير of ومعناها «في النهاية».

C. Read the text and fill in the gaps with the appropriate prepositions.

Last summer, my cousin Omar went on a trip (13) ______ Cairo (14) ______ Luxor. He arrived (15) ______ night and stayed in a hotel (16) ______ the Corniche. (17) ______ the morning, he took a boat (18) ______ the Nile to the West Bank. (19) ______ the visit, the guide explained the scenes painted (20) ______ the walls of the tombs.

1. 13-14. a trip ______ Cairo ______ Luxor

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   from Cairo to Luxor — من مكان لمكان.

2. 15. He arrived ______ night

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   at night — تعبير ثابت.

3. 16. a hotel ______ the Corniche

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   on the Corniche — الكورنيش شارع على النيل (زي on the street / on the river). وممكن along لو بنوصف إنه على طول الكورنيش.

4. 17. ______ the morning

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   In the morning — تعبير ثابت مع أجزاء اليوم.

5. 18. a boat ______ the Nile

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   across the Nile — عدّى من ضفة للضفة التانية (الشرق للغرب).

6. 19. ______ the visit

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   During the visit — أثناء فترة معروفة.

7. 20. painted ______ the walls

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   on the walls — سطح.

D. Find the mistakes and correct them. Then write.

1. 21. Find and correct the mistake: Many statues were found during the ground near the temple.

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   during ← in / under / beneath: Many statues were found in the ground near the temple. — during للوقت بس.

2. 22. Find and correct the mistake: The Grand Egyptian Museum has been open for 2025.

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   for ← since: … has been open since 2025. — 2025 نقطة بداية مش مدة.

3. 23. Find and correct the mistake: The workers rested on noon and continued in the afternoon.

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   on ← at: rested at noon. — noon لحظة محددة.

4. 24. Write ONE sentence about a heritage site using a prepositional phrase of place and one of time.

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   مثال: In Old Cairo, the Hanging Church has stood above the gate of a Roman fortress for many centuries. — in للمنطقة، above للمكان، for للمدة.

5. 25. Write FOUR sentences describing an Egyptian historical site you know. Use at least four different prepositions.

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   مثال: The Citadel of Salah El-Din stands on a hill in the heart of Cairo. It was built in the 12th century, during the rule of Salah El-Din. At the top, visitors can see the whole city. For centuries, it was the home of Egypt's rulers. — on / in / during / at / for.