PREPOSITIONS

 

PREPOSITION

•       Look at the following sentences. What part of speech do the underlined words belong to?

•       1. The train leaves at 2.45. p.m.

•       2. I will come on Friday.

•       3. We work during the day and sleep during the night.

•       4. It rained continuously for 24 hours.

•       5. What are you listening to?

 

What are prepositions?

•       Prepositions are words such as in, on, at, by, from, to , etc.

What are prepositions used for?

•       Prepositions are used to express place, time, agency, manner, cause, movement, measure, contract, concession, motive and source.

•       Many prepositions have multiple meanings.

•       For example, at can be used to express time and place

•       She was not at home

•       She left at 10 ‘o clock.

•       She looked at me.

 

Classifications of prepositions

 

•       Prepositions  can be classified in two ways:

•       1. According to their meaning and function

•       2. According to their form

 

Prepositions according to their meaning/ function

Prepositions of:

•       Place

•       Position and direction

•       Time

•       Instrument/means

•       Manner

•       Agent

•       Beneficiary/recipient/goal

•       Reason/ purpose

 

 

Prepositions of place

•       These prepositions indicate the place of a noun

•       Examples:

•       At, in on, inside, under, above, outside, ….

 

Preposition of position and direction

•       These prepositions can either indicate positive or negative position and direction

Prepositions of time

•       These prepositions indicate the time of an action/event

•       Examples:

•       On, in, at, from, to, during, before, after, for, since, by, until, ago, …

 

Prepositions of instrument/ means

•       These indicates the means/ instrument with which an action is performed

•       Examples

•       With ( gun)

•       By ( bus)

•       By( train)

•       On ( foot)

Prepositions of manner

 

•       Manner prepositions indicate the manner in which an action is performed

•       Example

•       In ( nice way)

With ( a frown)

 

Prepositions of agent/doer)

•       They indicate the performer ofr the doer of an action

•       Example

•       By ( my mother)

•       By ( the government)

 

Prepositions of beneficiary/ goal/recipient

 

•       The person who is the receiver is indicated

                by means of these prepositions

Examples:

To ( his aunt)

For ( his wife)

 

Prepositions of reason/purpose

•       Examples

•       For( getting first rank)

•       From( fever)

•       Because ( of his courage)

 

Where do prepositions come in a sentence?

•       Prepositions usually come before a noun or pronoun or noun phrase or – ing form

•       In the park, at home ,on the desk, to office, of cooking, of baking, by him

•       Prepositions can also come immediately after a verb

•       They arrived on time

•       She stared at him

He walked towards the door

 

Prepositions according to their form

 

•       1. simple

•       2. compound

•       3. phrasal

•       4. participial

 

Simple prepositions

 

•       These are single word prepositions like

•       In, on, at, up, with, out, under, above, behind, among, beside, through, down, along, off, till, since, for, before, …

 

Compound prepositions

•       These are two word prepositions like

•       Into, onto, as to, as for, alongside, instead of, out of, all over, …

 

Phrasal prepositions

•       These are prepositions more than two words like

•       By means of, with reference to, with regard to, in comparison with, in the direction of, in front of, at the back of, in spite of, on top of, ….

 

Participial  prepositions

•       These are prepositions which have the participial –ing or-ed ending: like

Considering,, Concerning,  Regarding, Respecting, Barring, Excepting, Pending

 

Prepositions of places(1)

•      In, at, on

•       In a room/shop/car/the water

•       At the bus stop/the door/ the traffic lights/ her desk

•       At the top/ at the bottom/ at the end of

•       On a shelf/a plate/the floor/

•       On a horse/ on a bicycle/ on a motor -bike

 

Prepositions of places (2)

 

•       In        at         on

•       In bed

•       In hospital/ in prison

•       In a street

•       In the sky

•       In the world

•       In a newspaper/ in a book

•       Ina car/ taxi

•       In the middle of

 

Prepositions of places (2)

 

•      At

•       At home

•       At work/ at school

•       At university/ at college

•       At the station/ at the airport

•       At his house

•       At a concert/at a party/ at a foot ball match

 

 

 

Prepositions of places (2)

 

•      On

•       On a bus/ on a train/ on a plane/ on a ship

Did you come here on the bus?

On the ground floor/  first floor etc.

                The office is on the first floor

On the way to/ on the way home

                I met him on the way to work/ on the way home

 

Prepositions of time

•       At eight o’ clock (for the time of the day)

At 10.30

At Midnight etc.

 

On Monday (for days and dates)

                                On 25 April

                                On new year’s day etc.

 

In April (for weeks, fortnights, months, seasons, years ,etc.)

                                In 2020

                                In summer/ spring etc.

               

Prepositions of time

•      We say

•       At the week end

•       At night

•       At Christmas

•       At the end of…

•       At the moment

•       At present

•       At the same time

•        

Prepositions of time

               

•       We say

•       In the morning/ in the afternoon in the evening

•       But

•       On Monday morning/ on Tuesday afternoon/on Friday evening on Sunday night etc.

•        

Prepositions of time

 

•       We do not use at/ on/ in before:

•       This….. ( this morning/ this week etc.)

•       Last…. ( last August/ last week etc.

•       Next….. ( next Monday/ next week etc.

•       Every…… ( every day/ every week etc.

 

Prepositions of time

At, in, on ( to indicate time)

•      in

•       Months: in January / in April
Seasons: in spring / in winter
Years: in 1984 / in 2015
Centuries: in the 20th century
Times of day: in the morning / in the evening/  in the afternoon             
Longer periods of time: in the past / in the 1990s / in the holidays

•       on

•       Days of the week: on Monday
Days + parts of days: on Tuesday afternoon / on Saturday mornings
Dates: on November 22nd
Special days: on my birthday / on New Year’s Eve

•      at

•       Clock times: at 7.30 a.m. / at 5 o’clock
Festivals: at Christmas / at Easter
Exceptions: at night / at the weekend

•      We do not use at, in, or on, before these:

•       Everyday/week/month etc.

•       I take yoga lessons every week.(not in/at/on every week

•       Last week/ month/year/Monday etc.

•       We had a meeting last Monday.

•       Next week/ month/ year/January etc.

•       My son will be in London next March.

•       This week/month/year/Friday etc.

•       The sales have been good this month.

 

Prepositions of time
exercise 1

•       Write the preposition to fill the gaps.

•       1.I  finish school early ……. Wednesdays.

•       2. Are you going to work …… the summer holidays?

•       3. I only ever see my cousins …..Christmas.

•       4. ……. the past, you couldn’t buy such a variety of different foods.

•       5.What shall we do ….. the weekend?

Answers

•       1. On Wednesdays

•       2. In the summer holidays

•       3. At Christmas

•       4. In the past

•       5. At the week end

 

Prepositions of time
exercise 2

•       Which sentence is correct?

•       We were waiting during five hours.

•       We were waiting for five hours.

We were waiting at five hours

 

•       Which sentence is correct?

•       What are you doing at the weekend?

•       What are you doing in the weekend?

What are you doing the weekend?

 

•       Which sentence is correct?

•       It's so beautiful in the park on summer!

•       It's so beautiful in the park at summer!

•       It's so beautiful in the park in summer!

 

•       Which sentence is correct?

•       We woke up on dawn because of all the mosquitoes!

•       We woke up in dawn because of all the mosquitoes!

•       We woke up at dawn because of all the mosquitoes!

From….. To./ till/ Until, by ( to indicate time)

•       1. When do we use the prepositions from…. To/till/until?

•       We use from to indicate the beginning and to/till/until to indicate the end of an action

•       We played basket ball from 4.00p.m. to 6.00p.m.

We swam in the pool from 4.00p.m.till sunset

 

•       When do we use till/ until

•       We use till/ until to indicate the end of an action.

•       We use till in informal contexts, particularly in spoken contexts and until in formal and written contexts

•       Goodbye till we meet again.

•       The crowd cheered until the end of the game

•       We usually use until and not till at the beginning of a sentence

•       Until you are beckoned in, you are supposed to stand outside the class.

 

•       When do we use by?

•       We use by to mean not later than the time mentioned

•       Can you return the book by Monday?

I may visit your house by 11a.m today

 

Prepositions: since, for

•       Since- to denote a point of time

•       For- to denote a period of time

•       Examples:

•       He has been away since March.

•       The road has been closed for traffic since last Tuesday

•       The repair work will last for a week

•        

The idiomatic use of prepositions

•       1.  My sister is afraid of dogs( not from)

•       2. We are angry with a person but at something he does or says

•       3. People die of  a disease or illness, but from doing something

–      Many people have died of malaria

–      He died from over- eating

•       4. She is interested in stamp collecting ( not with)

•       5. Flour is made from wheat ( not of)

•       6. Her dress is made of silk( not from)

•       7. The teacher was pleased with the boy’s progress( not for)

•       8. I prefer coffee to tea ( not than)

•       9. Take care of your health ( not for)

 

•      Which preposition do we use with each time phrase? Write on, at, in, or no preposition before the words and phrases.

•       1. …….. 3 o’ clock

•       2……….. Tuesday

•       3. ………. 10.30

•       4. ……… the morning

•       5……… next week

•       6. ……. June

•       7. ………tomorrow

•       8. …….. 2022

•       9. ……. 25 March

•       10. ……… last month

•       11. ……… Friday afternoon

•       12. ………six weeks time

•       13……… lunch time

 

•      Fill in the following blanks with suitable prepositions:

 

•       1. My son was good…… music when he was young.

•       2. I have been in PARK ……. 3 years

•       3. I have been in PARK …….. 2017.

•       4. Rama went ….. Her friend’s house.

•       5. He will be …. Work …….Tuesday.

•       6. He was not prepared to act ……… his principles.

•       7. ------ tomorrow evening the report will be ready.

•       8. Noise has recently become a topic ……  great interest

 

•      Add suitable prepositions:

•       1. I do not agree…. what you say.

•       2. I am willing to agree ….. your suggestion

•       3. What are you looking……. ?

•       4. You should abstain ……. all alcoholic liquor.

•       5. For information you should apply …the secretary

•       6. Doctors and nurses care……. the sick.

•       7. I must reply….. his letter.

•       8. The train will depart ……. the other platform

 

•        

•      Add suitable prepositions in the blanks:

•       1.I prefer humorous play……. a serious one

•       2. She prefers coffee…… tea.

•       3. Are you interested…… modern art?

•       4. She is very clever…… making dresses.

•       5. She is not capable ….. doing that work.

•       6. Who is responsible ….. breaking this chair?

•       7.He died……. over eating.

•       8. He died……. malaria

 

Prepositions ( dos and don’ts)

•       Don’t say:                                                                                           

•       He pointed the tree                                                       

•       He listened the music

•       I am looking a book

•       What are you looking?

•       Where has this bus come?

We entered into the room

•      Say:

•       He pointed to/at the tree

•       He listened to the music

•       I am looking for/ at  a book

•       What are you looking at?

•       Where has this bus come from?

•       We entered the room.