Preposition

s
 What is a Preposition?

A preposition is a word which

shows the relationship between one
thing and another.
It links nouns, pronouns and
phrases to other words in the
sentence.
The word or phrase that the
preposition introduces is called the
object of the preposition.
 Here are some more prepositions.

before behind from beneath

across below down throughout with

past among near above during under

outside toward upon over after

through
 Object of the preposition
 The Object of the Preposition
Recognize an object of the preposition when
you see one.
 Prepositions often begin prepositional phrases.
To complete the phrase, the preposition usually
teams up with a noun, pronoun, or gerund, or
the object of the preposition. Here are some
examples:
 At noon
 At = preposition; noon = noun or the object of the
preposition.
 Behind them
 Behind = preposition; them = pronoun or
the object of the preposition.
 Object of the preposition
 Without sneezing
 Without = preposition; sneezing = gerund or the object of
the preposition.

 The object of the preposition will often have modifiers that

add description:
 At the kitchen counter
 At = preposition; the, kitchen = modifiers; counter = noun
or the object of the preposition.

 Between us only
 Between = preposition; us = pronoun or the object of the
preposition; only = modifier.
 Without completely finishing
 Without = preposition; completely = modifier; finishing =
gerund or the object of the preposition.
 Preposition Practice
Identify the prepositions in the following
sentences, then identify the object of the
preposition.

1. I don’t want to go before the judge tomorrow.

2. Andrew tossed the ball into the air.
3. Sarah quickly ran across the yard.
4. Christian walked inside the house to get his dad.
5. Kalvin is a great musician and often plays piano
around the country.
@ Simple prepositions: Prepositions
which consists only one word.
e.g. in, on, at, with, against etc..,
@ Compound prepositions:
Prepositions which consists of two or
more words.
e.g. instead of, in the middle of, by
the side of etc..,
Types of Prepositions
 Prepositions of Place
Some prepositions show where something
happens. They are called prepositions of place.
Examples:-

Sunan was sitting under a tree.

The juicy, red apple was on the book.

There’s a wooden floor underneath the carpet.

Some geese flew over their house.

Subhan and Sarah were hiding inside the wardrobe / closet / attire /
clothing.

There was a tree beside the river.

I have a friend who lives in America.

 Preposition for Place. (in, on, at)

• Prepositions “in, on or at” are

usually used for different
places.
• “In” is usually used for place which
have some boundary (boundary may
physical or virtual).
• “On” is  used for surface
• “At” is used for specific place.
Preposition Place Nature
 Place having some boundary (physical or virtual boundary) 
In Examples.
In hall
In school
In a building
In a box
In a car
In library
In garden
In America
In room
In cupboard

On
 Surface of something. 
Examples.
On a table
On blackboard 
On a page
On the wall
On the roof
On a map
 Specific Place.
At Examples.
At the entrance
At the bottom of glass
At front of the chair
At bus stop
At the edge of roof
 Examples

         She lives in Lahore.

          Students study in the library.
          The wedding ceremony will be held in the
hall.
          There are some books on the table.
          The teacher wrote a
sentence on blackboard.
          He was flying kite on the roof.
          Her parents were waiting for her at the
entrance of school
          There was a huge gathering at bus stop.
          His house is at the end of street.
 Prepositions of Time

Some prepositions show when something

happens. They are called prepositions of time.
Examples:-
School starts at nine o’clock.

We’re going to the zoo on Saturday.

No, you can’t watch a video. It’s past your bedtime already.

I visited my grandparents during the summer.

You must finish the work by Friday.

I’ll do my homework before dinner.

 Prepositions – Time
The following table contains rules for some of the most frequently used
prepositions in English:

English Usage Example

on days of the week on Monday
in months / seasons in August / in winter
time of day in the morning
year in 2019
after a certain period of time (when?) in an hour

at for night at night

for weekend at the weekend
a certain point of time (when?) at half past nine

since from a certain point of time (past till now) since 1980

for over a certain period of time (past till for 2 years

now)
 Prepositions – Time
ago a certain time in the past 2 years ago

before earlier than a certain point of before 2004

time
to telling the time ten to six (5:50)

past telling the time ten past six (6:10)

to / till / marking the beginning and end from Monday to/till Friday
until of a period of time

till / until in the sense of how long He is on holiday until Friday.

something is going to last

by in the sense of at the latest I will be back by 6 o’clock.

up to a certain time By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.
 What else can prepositions tell you?

A preposition may tell you the

position of something in relation
to something else.
The gentle, brown dog slept
beside the fluffy /feathery / light or airy
white rabbit.
 Prepositions of Direction

Some prepositions show where something is

going Or something is travelling in relation to
something else. They are called prepositions of
direction.
Examples:-

The boys chased / pursued after each other.

The gallant /chivalrous / magnanimous /brave horseman was
riding along the windy shoreline / beach.
The football rolled down the hill.
A man was walking his dog along / alongside / beside the
riverbank.
The freeway goes right through the city.
 Preposition of direction (to, toward,
through, into)

Prepositions like to, towards, through, into

are used to describe the direction.
Following examples will help in better
understanding.
Examples.
         She went to the library.
         He jumped into the river.
         He ran away when he felt that
someone was coming toward him.
 Prepositions – Place (Position and
Direction)

English Usage Example

in room, building, street, town, country in the kitchen, in London
book, paper etc. in the book
car, taxi in the car, in a taxi
picture, world in the picture, in the world
at meaning next to, by an object at the door, at the station
for table at the table
for events at a concert, at the party
place where you are to do something at the cinema, at school, at work
typical (watch a film, study, work)
on attached the picture on the wall
for a place with a river London lies on the Thames.
being on a surface on the table
for a certain side (left, right) on the left
for a floor in a house on the first floor
for public transport on the bus, on a plane
for television, radio on TV, on the radio
 Prepositions – Place (Position and
Direction)

by, next to, beside left or right of somebody or Jane is standing by / next
something to / beside the car.
under on the ground, lower than the bag is under the table
(or covered by) something
else
below lower than something else the fish are below the
but above ground surface
over covered by something else put a jacket over your shirt
meaning more than over 16 years of age
getting to the other side walk over the bridge
(also across) climb over the wall
overcoming an obstacle

above higher than something a path above the lake

else, but not directly over it
across getting to the other side walk across the bridge
(also over) swim across the lake
getting to the other side
 Prepositions – Place (Position and
Direction)

through something with limits on top, bottom drive through the tunnel
and the sides
to movement to person or building go to the cinema
movement to a place or country go to London / Ireland
for bed go to bed

into enter a room / a building go into the kitchen / the

house
towards movement in the direction of go 5 steps towards the
something (but not directly to it) house

onto movement to the top of something jump onto the table

from in the sense of where from a flower from the garden

 Other important Prepositions

English Usage Example

from who gave it a present from Jane

of who/what does it belong to a page of the book

what does it show the picture of a palace

by who made it a book by Mark Twain

on walking or riding on horseback on foot, on horseback

entering a public transport get on the bus
vehicle

in entering a car / Taxi get in the car

 Other important Prepositions

off leaving a public transport get off the train

vehicle

out of leaving a car / Taxi get out of the taxi

by rise or fall of something prices have risen by
travelling (other than walking or 10 percent
horseriding) by car, by bus

at for age she learned Russian

at 45
about for topics, meaning what about we were talking
about you
 You can sometimes begin a sentence
with a preposition.

Without fear, the brave child climbed

the tall mountain.
Under the four poster bed, the lazy
cat was having a snooze / sleep.
Inside the old house there were all
sorts of strange looking people.
Along the hall crawled / crept the
large, spindly / long or tall, and usually frail
spider.
 Prepositions with special uses

Usage of OF
Our modules are full of real life
examples.
I ate a plate of rice and a quarter of
milk.
Would you like a glass of lemon
juice?
I need three pieces of paper.
Most of the children in my class like
Education.
There are several ways of cooking
Usage of “WITH”

He pounds nails with a hammer.

Mix the flour with water.

She painted the picture with her new paints.

Would you like to come with us to the cinema?

I can do difficult problems with help from

Mom.

Who is the man with the beard?

Prepositions with Adjective ,Verbs .
Prepositions are used with some verbs.
The verbs in these examples are printed
in color.

I’m looking for my pencil. Have you seen it?

Can you think of another word for
‘pleased’?
Does this book belong to you?
We’re listening to CDs.
I agree with you.
Tell me about the show you saw.
Cut the cake into five pieces.
They borrowed money from the bank.
 TRY THIS:
1. A cat was sitting _______the roof of my car.
(place)
2. Some people were talking ___the movie. (time)
3. A man was coming____ us on his bike.
(direction)
4. The party starts_____ six o’clock. (time)
5. She put the book ____her bag. (place)
6. We walked____ the street to the park. (place)
7. She keeps her slippers____ her bed. (place)
8. We always wash our hands ____meals. (time)
9. She ran ____the dog because she was
frightened. (direction)