Section outline

  • What are Prepositions?

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    Prepositions are words that show a relationship between a noun (or pronoun) & an another word in a sentence. 

    Words: pre means before, position means placed

    Thus, 'preposition' means placed or positioned before.

    Features & position:

    1. Preposition is always followed by an object.
    2. It keeps a sentence together by expressing place, position, time or direction.
    3. It is usually placed before a noun or pronoun (object).
    4. It appears at the end of sentence in questions or informal communication.

    Object of Preposition:

    Object of Preposition is the noun or pronoun before which the preposition is placed.

    Examples:

    1. The cat is under the table.
    2. The train will stop at the station.
    3. The children are in the classroom.
    4. Who are you talking to?

    Here,

    1. Words 'under, at, in, to' are prepositions.
    2. They are placed before the objects 'table, station, classroom'.
    3. As example 4 is question, the object is 'who' & 'to' is the preposition which is placed at the end.

    • There are three major types of prepositions:

      They are:

      Types

  • Preposition of Place

    Prepositions of place tell us about the place, location or position of a noun or pronoun with respect to something else.

    Important prepositions of place & their correct use:

    Preposition Refers to Examples
    In limited area or enclosed space The books are in the box.
    At specific point or location He is at the bus stop.
    On  surface The pen is on the table.
    Above higher than something The plane is flying above the clouds.
    Below lower than something The valley lies below the mountain.
    Under below something The shoes are under the bed.
    Over position above something There is a bridge over the river.
    By next to Her office is by the lake.
    Beside adjacent / by the side The lamp is beside the bed.
    Near close to but not adjacent The hotel is near the beach.
    Between separating two things / people She sat between her friends.
    Among among many things The pen is kept among the pencils.
    Behind back of something The window is behind the curtains.
    In front of ahead of something The bench is in front of the house.
    Across from one side to another They swam across the river.
    Beyond on other side or farther The town is beyond the hills.

  • Preposition of Time

    Prepositions of time indicates duration or when something happens.

    Important prepositions of time & their correct use:

    Preposition Refers to Examples
    In

    		 period in which things will happen People hunted animals in the ancient era.
    part of the day, month, year, season, century I will work in the morning.
    At

    		 exact time  The train arrives at 8 am.
    indefinite periods of time We met our friends at Diwali.
    On 

    		 days & dates. We have a meeting on Monday.
    Let's party on Christmas Eve.
    For duration We lived in Mumbai for ten years.
    By deadline We need to finish the project by evening.
    Since starting point of an action that continues in present She is sleeping since afternoon.
    During a time when something happens We had coffee during the break.
    Until 

    		 time up to a point. They will wait here until 6 pm.
    Till He stayed in the room till noon.
    About approximate time We left about an hour ago.
    Around They will arrive around 7 pm.
    Between duration between two points of time The show will run between 9 pm to 10 pm
    After later in time We went for a walk after dinner.
    Before earlier in time The hosts arrived before the guests.
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  • Preposition of Direction

    Prepositions of direction tell us about direction or movement of people or things.

    Important prepositions of direction & their correct use:

    Preposition Refers to movement Examples
    To towards a specific point He went to the park.
    Into to the interior The fish jumped into the pond.
    Onto on a particular surface / place The dog jumped onto the roof.
    Towards in specific direction The runners ran towards the finishing line.
    Over across something She jumped over the fence.
    Across from one side to the other He walked across the street.
    Along which is parallel  He walked along the beach.
    From of departure He has left from the office.
    Off of separation The boy fell off the bicycle.
    Up towards a higher position She climbed up the ladder.
    Down towards a lower position He slid down the hill
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  • Summary

    In this course, we learn't,

    1. Prepositions are words that help us to relate a noun or pronoun to something else in the sentence.
    2. Three types of prepositions: place, time & direction.
    3. Prepositions of place & their use: in, at, on, by, below, above, between, behind, etc.
    4. Prepositions of time & their use: in, at, on, by, for, since, during, till, until, around, etc.
    5. Prepositions of direction & their use: into, to, towards, along, across, from, over, up, sown, etc.

    In the next course, we'll learn about interjections.

    Not available unless: You are enrolled into this course!