What is a Preposition?
A Preposition is a word or group of words used especially before a noun or pronoun or verb to show place, position, time, method etc.
Eg: 1. The book is inside the bag.
2. He walked towards the shop.
The underlined words are prepositions. It shows the relationship between nouns to other nouns, adjectives or verbs.
Prepositions are classified as:
- Simple Preposition.
Simple prepositions are short words used to determine a relationship between nouns, pronouns or even to join parts of a clause or sentence. We will form simple sentences using these prepositions to better understand.
at, by, form, in, of, to, with, till, on, about, around, above, across, until, against, before, after, inside, outside, below, beneath, throughout, over, into, beyond, despite, behind, during, off, down, than, beside, besides, amid, within, without, towards, under, since, upon.
Ex: I am from Newland.
I’ve been living here since 2019.
Shela is waiting for you at the park.
Katte is better than Winston.
2. Compound Preposition / Phrase preposition.
Compound prepositions are made up of two or more words. They may be written as one word or as two or more separate words. This is a combination of works. You will notice that many of the following compound prepositions are formed with a directional word and a simple preposition.
along with, apart from, together with, onto, up to, away from, out of, such as, owing to, by means of, in comparison with, on account of, in accordance with, on behalf of, inspite of, instead of, in favour of, in case of, because of.
Ex: As a result of his hard work, he won the match.
He is drinking tea instead of juice.
My car is parked in front of your house.
3. Preposition of place.
Preposition of place shows the relationship of place between the nouns or pronouns to the other parts of a sentence. It tells us where an event has occurred.
Common preposition of place:
On, at, in, by, up, down, between, among, in front of, behind, above, over, under, below etc.
Ex: She is sitting on the bench
The flight is flying over the sea.
The ball is under the chair.
4. Preposition of time.
Preposition of time shows the relationship of time between the noun and pronoun to the other parts of a sentence. It tells us when an event occurs.
Common preposition of time:
In, at, on, from for, since, ago, before, after, till \until, by etc.
Ex: I go to church on Sundays.
He plays cricket since his childhood.
Ann will come by 10.30 pm.
5. Preposition of direction and movement.
The preposition of direction and movement are used to show movement from one place to another. These prepositions are most often used with verbs of motion and are found often verbs.
Common preposition of direction and movement:
To, towards, for, from, up, down, into, onto, out, of, off, across, through, along, etc.
Ex: We are moving to London.
Senya ran onto the stage.
They moved the chair into the room.
6. Preposition of manner.
Prepositions of manner are about the way something happens or something is done. They often use the word by. Some examples of prepositions of manner are by, in, like, on and with.
Ex: Many people say he laughs like a hyena.
Please carry this box with care.
He goes to work by train.
I work as a teacher.
7. Preposition of cause / reason / purpose.
These prepositions are used to express the cause or reason for something happens and its effect on another action. As, as a result of, because (of), consequently, due to, for, from, hence, on account of, since, therefore, since and through.
Ex: Due to the heavy rain the match was postponed.
They reject him for many reasons.
He doesn’t eat much on account of his disease
He cannot play because of his leg pain.
some common examples of prepositions.
- in: We use in for time to refer to seasons, years, time, months etc.
We play cricket in the evening.
She was born in 1998.
Jose comes here in the summer.
We also use in for refers enclose spaces (rooms, buildings, ) and limited areas
( towns, countries).
I missed my phone in his car.
Kelan lives in Germany.
My mom is in the kitchen.
2. By: is used to show the latest time by which action will be finished.
The class will be over by 5’O clock.
He will reach London by 9.30 pm.
3. For: is used to show how long an action takes place.
I’ll stay here for an hour.
I’ve been living here for ten years.
4. Over-above: Above speaks to something at a spot higher than someone else or an object.
Over speaks to something that is genuinely upward the someone else or object.
The stars were shining above the pilgrims.
I need a bulb over my bed.
He jumped over the fence.
We looked at the rock above us.
I live above the first floor.
5. in-into: it is used for a stable condition, and ‘into’ is used for movement.
The book is in the bag.
We are in the room.
He jumped into the pond.
They walked into the dark forest.