PREPOSITIONS
1. WHAT
IS PREPOSITION?
A preposition is a word
or group of words used to link nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in
a sentence. Some examples of prepositions are single words like in, at, on,
of, to, by and with or phrases such as in front of, next to, instead of.
Prepositions in English
are most frequently dictated by fixed expressions. While there are some general
guidelines to follow, many prepositions are used idiomatically with certain
verbs. In these cases, it is best to memorize the phrase instead of the
individual preposition.
2. EXAMPLES
OF PREPOSITIONS?
Example of preposition are: Towards, Inside,
At, In, Into, above, under, over, on, down, behind, beside, across, near, out,
along etc.
3. TYPES
OF PREPOSITIONS
Basically there are 3 types of
Prepositions –
1. Preposition of Place,
2. Preposition
of Time
3. Preposition of Direction.
To know more in
details about the types of preposition:
PREPOSITIONS OF
DIRECTION
TO
This preposition is used to indicate the
destination.
For example, I am going to the airport to
receive my mom.
TOWARDS
Towards is used to indicate the direction.
For example:
1. Reena is going towards the bus
station.
ALONG
This preposition is used to indicate the movement
of something/somebody in a certain line in a particular direction.
For example, Tahir was driving along a narrow
road.
AGAINST
It is used in the sense of the opposite of
something.
For example:
1. The boat sank as it was trying hard to sail against the strong current.
Used in the sense of pressing on.
For example: Bring that boy who is leaning against the tree.
ACROSS
It is used when we talk about a thing/person moving
from one side to another.
For example, Deepa and her friend were going across the field.
When something is stretched from one side to another.
For example, Alok stood on the bridge built across the river Ganga.
To indicate the opposite side of something.
For example, Harpreet saw me across the hall and waved at me.
UP
It is used to show movement from a lower position
to a higher position.
For example, Raghu climbed up the tree to get himself some fresh fruits.
DOWN
It is used to show movement from a higher position
to a lower position.
For example, Children love walking down the hill as it is less tiring.
INTO
It is used to show movement in an enclosed space.
For example: Gargi recently moved into her new
apartment.
ONTO
It is used to show movement on a surface.
For example: I asked my sister to move her things onto the second shelf.
OVER
It is used to show movement both in a forward and
upper direction.
For example: The sprinter ran over more than
10 hurdles in his last race.
PREPOSITIONS OF TIME
AT
It is used to denote precise time.
For example:
1. At 9 O’clock.
At is used with –
sunrise, sunset, dusk, dawn, noon, midnight, and night.
For example: He asked me to meet him at midnight.
IN
This preposition is used before months, years,
centuries and long periods.
For example:
1. My sister is planning to visit me in November.
“In” is used
before morning, evening, and afternoon.
For example: I used to go for a walk in the
morning.
NOTE: When we add additional information like a date after morning, evening,
or afternoon, then we use the preposition before them as in “I remember I first
met him on the evening of May the fifth”
ON
It is used before days and dates.
For example:
1. I am not free today. Therefore, I will come on Monday.
FOR
We use this preposition to indicate a period of
time.
For example: Hanu has been working for this company for over a year now.
SINCE
We use this preposition to indicate a point of
time.
For example: Bina has been living in this locality since 1989.
AFTER and BEFORE
We use these prepositions for a point of time.
For example:
1. He married Shreshtha after Diwali.
2. I will complete my work before this week.
BY
It is used to indicate a point of time.
For example: By next Monday, I would have submitted my thesis to you.
DURING
This preposition is used to indicate duration.
For example: During World War 1, several million people died.
FROM
It is used to show when something starts.
For example: The movie show is from 7
p.m. to 10 p.m.
That was all about the prepositions. Keep
practising questions such as error spotting, sentence improvement or
fill-in-the-blanks based on prepositions for a better result.
PREPOSITION OF PLACE OR POSITION
AT
We use this preposition before a point position or location.
For example: Shruti was sitting at her desk when I saw her last.
When we talk about a company or a workplace refer
to an activity.
For example: There are more than a million people currently
working at Apple.
We use this preposition before school, university,
cinema, theatre, home, etc.
For example: My sister will not be at home at the moment.
IN
We use this preposition when we refer to a place
with a larger area.
For example: My aunt lives in Shimla.
When we talk about a company or a workplace only
for its physical location.
For example: Lola works in an office in Gurugram.
ON
We use this preposition when we refer to a surface.
For example: Ram left his phone on the table last Friday.
When we refer to a place/position along a road or
river and by a lake or by the sea.
For example: Banaras is a city on the banks of the river Ganges
in Uttar Pradesh.
When we refer to a floor in a building.
For example: My new flat is on the 5th floor.
When we talk about a person travelling on a public
means of transport.
For example: Shobha was on the train when the mishap happened.
ABOVE and BELOW
These prepositions are used when we talk about
levels.
For example:
1. I am below thirty.
2. Rehan’s expenditures are above his income.
UNDER and OVER
This preposition is used to talk about a vertical
position.
For example:
1. I kept a box under your table.
2. There is a lamp over your head, so watch for it.
BETWEEN
This preposition is used for two things/persons.
For example: I distributed the sweets equally between my sister and
brother.
Note:
1. We also use objective case after between as in “Between
you and him”
2. We also use ‘and’ after between as in “Between Ram and Shyam”
AMONG or AMONGST
We use these prepositions when we talk about more
than two things/persons. Among is used before a consonant-sounding word.
Amongst is used before a vowel-sounding word.
For example:
1. Pinku distributed toffees among his classmates.
2. Christmas hats were distributed amongst us.
AMIDST
These prepositions are used when more than two
things/persons are being talked about.
For example:
Rukmini is feeling lonely, even amidst her friends.
Note: Among is used in the sense of “being a member of something”, whereas
amidst is used in the sense of “in the middle/surrounded by something”.
Because of their crucial roles, prepositions are
referred to in English as “the biggest little words”. It is a vast chapter, yet
not a hard nut to crack. Do follow up on the second part of the prepositions
for the rest of this important topic. At, In, Into, above, under, over, on,
down, behind, beside, across, near, out, along etc.
Frequently
Asked Questions-
Que 1. What is the definition
of Prepositions?
Ans – A Preposition is a word which is used
to express the relationship between a Noun or Pronoun with the Object. It shows
time, place, relationship, distance, location etc.
At, In, Into, above,
under, over, on, down, behind, beside, across, near, out, along, towards, onto,
since, and for are some examples of Preposition.
Que 2. What are the rules
of Prepositions?
Ans – Rule No. 1- Preposition must be
followed by an object. and if any verb comes after a preposition it must be in
gerund form.
For Instance, Shreya
prevented her from committing mistakes.
Rule No. 2- When an
interrogative pronoun comes as an object then the preposition mostly comes at
the end or front position.
For Instance, What is she thinking
of?
Rule No. 3- When a
sentence is formed like an infinitive (to+verb), in such case preposition is
always placed after the infinitive.
For Instance, Royal Inn is a
good place to stay at.
Rule No. 4- And when an
object is a relative pronoun ‘that’ in that case, the preposition comes at the
end.
For Instance, This is an
activity that I’m fond of.
Rule No. 5- In the
formation of interrogative sentences preposition comes at the beginning of the
sentence.
For Instance By which Bus
did he go?
Que 3. What are examples
of Prepositions?
Ans – Towards, Inside, At, In, Into, above, under, over, on, down,
behind, beside, across, near, out, along etc.
Que 4. How many Types of
Prepositions?
Ans – Basically there are 3 types of
Prepositions –
Preposition of Place, Preposition of
Time and Preposition of Direction.
References:
1. Adapted in part from George Yule’s
Oxford Practice Grammar. Advanced, Oxford, 2006, pp. 124-137 and
http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/grammar/prepositions by
Guillaume Filion © 2017, the CAC, University of Victoria.
2. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/rules-of-preposition-and-how-to-use-them/
3. https://byjus.com/govt-exams/prepositions-rules/
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