Preposition
Pre + Position = Preposition
Pre = before and Position = place
Preposition is a word used before a Noun or a Pronoun to show its relation with the other words of the
sentence.
The book is on the table.
The cat is under the chair.
The pen is between the inkpot and the chair.
In the given sentences on, under, between are used before, the table, the chair, the inkpot, that tell the
relation with other words - the book, the cat, the pen. So on, under, between are prepositions.
Prepositions into generally divided in to three categories:
Preposition of
Time Place Travel and Movement
at, on, in, for, before, after, on, in, behind, within, under, by, on from, to into, at in
since, till/until, between, inside, over, above, to at, out, off
behind upon
Prepositions of Time:
At:
At is used for fixed time: at 7 o' clock, at midnight
At is used before time showing words: at night, at dawn, at dusk, at midnight, afternoon.
On:
On is used with a specific day and date: On Saturday, On 17th June, On the Sports Day.
A special part of day: On the morning of September 11th.
In:
In is used before words which denote a period of time: In April, in summer, in a moment, in half an
hour.
with months/seasons: in August, in winter
After a certain period of time (duration of time): in an hour
By:
By denotes not later than a special time/ upto a certain time: By Thursday, by next Sunday I will be
back by 6 o'clock.
By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.
After:
After is used for later than something: He went there after five days.
Before:
Before is used for earlier than: You must reach the office before 9 o'clock
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During:
During is used to show 'in course of: The Sun gives us light during the day.
Till/Until:
Till/Until is used to show 'not later than' / before ending time: They waited till 5 O'clock.
Within:
It is used to denote 'before the end of: She will return within a week. (i.e. before the end of a week)
Since/for:
Since is used for a point of time; for is used for a period of time. 'Since' and 'for' both should be used
with Perfect Tense / Perfect Continuous Tense of the verb: Since 2 o'clock, since morning, since
yesterday, for two hours, for three days, for a week.
From:
It denotes the starting point of an action: We were at Manali from 18 to 24 June. I began English
from the age of ten.
Upto:
Used to denote 'not more than the specified time': upto 06 hours a day.
Prepositions of Place:
In:
Before names of big cities, states, countries, continents: The Prime Minister lives in Delhi. We live in
India.
In is used with the following phrases: In the night, In the evening, In the morning, In the afternoon
For the kind of house or residence, when no specific one is mentioned: She lives in a cottage.
My friend lives in a flat.
At:
For villages and smaller towns: My brother lives at Darbhanga.
For a particular house or place of residence: She lives at 33, Nehru Street
On:
In sense of 'In contact with' / attached / a position on a line: There is a flower vase on the table.
A position on a line: Delhi is on the river Yamuna.
For a certain side (left, right): On the left
Between/Among
Between is normally used with two persons, things or groups of things: There was a beautiful
painting between two windows.
Among is used when things are not taken as separate but in groups: I felt relieved to find myself
among my own people.
Above/Over
Above is used to indicate that something is higher than something else, but not directly over it: The
flags waived above our head.
Over means vertically over / cover / covered by something else: Put a jacket over your shirt.
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Below/Under
Below is used to show lower than something else: The fish is below the surface.
Under is used to show lower than or covered by something else: The cat is under the table.
Behind/In front of
Suggest positions opposite to each other: A long queue had formed behind/in front of me.
Prepositions of Direction and Movement:
Prepositions of direction: to, towards, into, at, for, against
To/Towards: To has a sense of destination; towards has a sense of direction
We went to school (destination is school)
We went towards school (direction is towards school)
Into denotes movement towards the interior of something
The dog jumped into the well
At has an idea of hitting.
She threw a stone at the thief.
For suggests the beginning of a movement
The workers left for the factory
Against shows pressure or contact
He threw the ball against the wall
Prepositions of direction: from, off, out of
From is used with the point of departure.
She has already gone from the office.
Off shows separation. It is used in the sense of; from the surface of, down from.
He fell off the cycle.
Out of is the opposite of into.
The birds flew out of the cage.
Through points to someone or something moving from one end to the other end of an opening.
Please go through that door and then turn left. (Move from one side of the door to the other side.)
Some More Prepositions:
By/With
By is used to express the agent or doer of an action. With relates to the instrument with which the action is
done. The cow was beaten by some strangers with a stick.
After/ In
After is used to denote some period of time in the past. In is used to show some period of time in the future.
She came back home after an hour.
We will come back in an hour
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Beside / Besides
Beside means by the side of.
Please put the bag beside the box.
Besides means in addition to.
Besides giving me books, she gave me her notes.
On time/in time
On time = at the arranged time not before.
We will come back home in an hour.
In time = not late with a comfortable margin.
We reached the station in time for the train.
Before/After: on the left/right” to the left/right:
Before, After
Before and After is used to show which person or thing is closer to us and which is further.
The public library is before the railway station.
On the left, On the right:
“to the left and to the right” is used to show on which side of a person or thing is.
The railway station is to the left of the public library.
Across / Along
Across – is used to point to the other side of a road or space.
Along – is used to point to someone or something located beside or at a particular point on something which
has a long thin shape; for example, on roads, streets, rivers, etc.
Larry lives across the road from me / Larry lives along Smith Street
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