PREPOSITIONS
WHAT IS A PREPOSITION?
A preposition is a word placed before a noun or noun equivalent to show
its relationship to another word in the sentence. It is used especially before
a noun or pronoun to show place, position, time, etc.
In the sentence “Lisa placed her hand on the desk,” the word on shows
the relationship between the hand and the desk. Omitting the word on
makes no sense.
The hand may be on the table, under the table, or above the table. The
relation between hand and table is not known until some preposition is
inserted. The word on is, therefore, a preposition.
WHAT IS A PREPOSITION?
WHAT IS A PREPOSITION?
TASK 1
Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with prepositions choosing the correct ones from the brackets:
1. Cloth is sold………………..the metre. (by/with/as)
2. Do not shout …………….. others are reading. (while/during/by)
3. I shall be reaching home…………………. 6 pm on Monday. (by /until/on)
4. He did not fulfil his promise ………………… it was too late. (until/by/after)
5. The ship sailed……………………..the West. (towards, in, for)
6. The young man was employed …………….. my father’s secretary. (like / as)
7. The secret was kept away from him……………… his own family. (from/on/by)
8. Tom came first in his class ………………..expected by everyone. (as / like)
9. You are free to keep the book …………….. Friday, but I must have it back …………………..
Monday. (until/by)
10. He orders his friends about, ………………they were his servants. (as if/as)
TASK 1-ANSWER KEY
1. By
2. While
3. by
4. Until
5. Towards
6. As
7. By
8. As
9. Until-by
10. As if
There are six types of Prepositions
1. Simple Prepositions
2. Double Prepositions
3. Compound Prepositions
4. Participle Prepositions
5. Phrase Prepositions
6. Disguised Preposition
TYPES OF PREPOSITIONS
SIMPLE PREPOSITIONS
Simple prepositions
Simple Prepositions are at, after, by, for, from, in, of, on, out, over,
through, till, up, under, with, off, till, over, etc.
● I put my keys on the table.
● The plane flew over the mountains.
● I will cook dinner with my mom tonight.
● Please turn off the lights when you leave the room.
● He will arrive at 10 a.m
Double prepositions
Double prepositions
When a single preposition is not sufficient to express the sense, two simple prepositions
are combined to express the sense completely.
Some Double Prepositions are into, from among, from within, from behind, over against,
out of, etc.
● He was chosen from among a group of talented musicians.
● The cat emerged from within the bushes.
● The thief sneaked away from behind the parked car.
● The car was parked over against the wall.
● The bird flew out of the tree and into the sky.
Compound prepositions
Compound prepositions
Compound prepositions are formed by combining two or more words
to form a new proposition. Compound prepositions are usually formed
by prefixing a preposition with a noun, an adjective, or an adverb.
Some two-word compound prepositions are according to, as for, due
to, instead of, apart from etc.,
Some three-word compound prepositions are as well as, by virtue of,
in accordance with, with respect to, with regard to etc.,
Participle prepositions
Participle prepositions
Some present or past participles such as considering, concerning, regarding,
pending, notwithstanding, etc. are used as prepositions. These words are known
as Participle Prepositions.
● Notwithstanding her boss’s criticism, the employee submitted her
report.
● Regarding this matter, I cannot provide any additional information.
● The stream flows past the meadow.
● Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the plane will take off on time.
● Concerning her artwork, critics have mixed opinions.
Time Prepositions
Time Prepositions
Prepositions of time indicate the connection of time between noun and the remaining
words of the sentence.
Prepositional Phrases
Prepositional phrases
When a phrase begins and ends with a Preposition (of, at. by.
with, from, over etc.) it is called a Prepositional Phrase.
Some common Phrase Prepositions are – On the eve of, In
consequence of, In the place of, In company with, At enmity with,
In keeping with, In prospect of, Because of, By force of, In pursuit
of, With an eye to, By the side of, By means of, etc.
Disguised prepositions
When the prepositions ‘on‘ and ‘of‘ are changed, into ‘a‘ and ‘o‘
respectively they are called Disguised prepositions
This fair is held once a year” – “A” is used here as a shortened form
of “on,” indicating that the fair is held on a yearly basis.
“It’s ten o’clock now” – “O” is used here as a shortened form of
“of,” indicating that the time is ten hours of the clock.
TASK 2 Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions.
(a) The magician made the girl disappear ________ my own eyes.
(b) He climbed ________ the ladder.
(c) There is a supermarket ________ our house.
(d) The train was late ________ three hours.
(e) We lost the match ________ you.
(f) ________ me, I think we would have reached now if we had started at 6 AM.
(g) The misbehaving students were asked to go _______ the class.
(h) Walking _______ the principal’s office often was not very comfortable for me.
Pick the right answer from here for Task 2
1. past
2. Out of
3. According to
4. Because of
5. By
6. near/in front of
7. up
8. before
TASK 2 ANSWER KEY
1. Before
2. Up
3. near/in front of
4. By
5. Because of
6. According to
7. Out of
8. past/by
TASK 3 Link the words from the different columns to produce meaningful sentences.
One has been completed as an example. Write out the correct sentences in your
notebook.
TASK 3 ANSWER KEY
He went on foot.
She is ill in hospital (NB: Not ‘at hospital’).
They’re so much in love.
The Prince came by air.
The poor animal is in pain.
That’s enough for/at the moment.
The style is out of date.
They met by chance.
The house is not for sale.
He’s not at work.
