What is a Preposition
A. Kinds of Prepositions-
There are mainly two kinds of prepositions in English.
1. Simple prepositions. They are:-
about, above, across, after, against, along, among, at, before, below, behind, beside, between, beyond, down, except, by, for, from, in, into, of, off, on, over, round,
to, towards, under, until, up, underneath, upon, with etc.
2. Prepositional phrases
These are words compounded with prepositions
Examples:- In front of, by the side of, at the top of etc.
B. Meaning and use of Prepositions
Now let us discuss what are the meanings and use of some common prepositions we use in our daily life.
- On.
it means 'top' touching it.
Examples:
On the table
On the hose - Over/above
It means 'top' covering, not touching it.
Examples:
Over the head
Above the head
Over the roof
Above the roof - Under/below/beneath
It means lower than the position
Examples:
The stool is under the table
The fan is below the ceiling
There is a cow beneath the tree - In
It means inside.
Examples:
Water is in the bottle
Boys are in the class. - Into
It means going inside, it shows entrance or movement
Examples:
He went into the shop
He poured the tea into the cup - Upon
It means 'high on'
Examples:
The school is upon a hill
The bird is upon the tree - Prepositions referring to time and dates
a) At
Examples:
at a time, at 6 O' clock, at night, at Easter, at Xmas.etc
b) In
We can see that it is used for a period of time, for seasons, year, month, part of a day, etc.
Examples:
In winter, in August, in the morning, in 2009, in twenty minutes, in two days etc.
c) on and in - time
On time
It means exactly at the time fixed
Examples:
The train left on time
In time
means not late
Examples:
We were in time in the meeting
d) On
It is used before date and time
Examples:
On fifth of June
On Wednesday etc.
e) By
It means not later than. It is used with future time and future.
Examples:
He will be here by 4 p.m
The teacher will be here by 12 p.m
Bring the book by the next Friday
f) For and since
For- refers to a period of time
Examples:
He has been my teacher for the last two years
We have stayed here for ten years
Since- refers to a point of time in the past
Examples:
He has been here since 10 a.m
We have stayed here since 1983
g) From and Till
From- denotes the starting point
and Since- denotes the finishing point
Examples:
The office is from ten in the morning till five in the evening - Prepositions referring to place
a) At
It refers to the exact place; a small place.
Examples:
At the bus stop
At the junction
At school
b) In
It refers to a larger area.
Examples:
In India
In America
In Africa - Prepositions referring to movements
a) Direction towards a place- at, for, against, to, towards
Examples:
He looked at the crowd.
He left for home
I threw the ball against the wall
He went to the post office
She walked towards the child.
b) Direction from a place- from, off, out of.
Examples:
The bird flew from the tree
He took the book off the shelf
She gave money out of her purse.
c) from a place to a place-by, on
Examples:
We travelled by bus
I go to school on foot
He went on horse back - Referring or describing people
a) In
It is used to refer the dress
Examples:
She is in red clothing
A man in black suit
b) With
1) It refers to something carried by a person
Examples:
They are with their books
The lady is with a hand bag
2) It also refers to physical features
Examples:
A man with gray hair
The boy with a limp
c) Of
It refers to character, qualities or condition
Examples:
A man of common sense
A girl of fifteen
Now we have covered all the prepositions in English and explained well about its usages with examples. Please read it once again to familiarise with each usages and their meanings.