Prepositions


Prepositions are the words which are used to connect the different nouns, pronouns and phrases in a sentence. It functions to introduce or precede the word or phrase to be connected, called the object of the preposition.
The preposition usually indicates the relation between the words it is connecting. It tells whether the words are connected in actual space or a place, or related through time or are they part of a thought or process.
Prepositional phrases are the preposition and its object and any adjectives or adverbs that were applied to the object. The prepositional phrase as a whole can also be used as a noun, adverb or adjective.
- He found the book on the table.
  • Here the preposition is ‘on’ as it shows the relation in place between the book and the table.
  • The prepositional phrase is ‘on the table’ which is acting as an Adverb telling where the book was found.
- She went to sleep early.
  • In this sentence the preposition is ‘to’ which is introducing where or in what state had the noun gone into.
- Her house was beside a steep hill.
  • The preposition here is beside which is telling the place where the house was.
  • The prepositional phrase is ‘beside a steep hill’ which is acting as an adverb.
Kinds of Prepositions -
Simple Prepositions
These prepositions are constructed by only one word like -
On, at, about, with, after, for, etc.
- He found the book about dogs on the table, in the bedroom.
Double Prepositions
These prepositions are formed by combining two words or two Simple Prepositions-
Into, within, upon, onto, etc.
- The dog jumped onto the bed and left marks upon the sheets.
Compound Prepositions
These prepositions are two word prepositions.
According to, because of, next to, due toetc.
- He was upset because of his son's behaviour.
Participle Prepositions-
Participles are actually verbs that end with ‘-en’ or ‘-ing’. As these verbs were commonly and very popularly used as prepositions by the people, these verbs have been given a special status as prepositions.
Considering, during, given, including etc.
-Considering what he had to work with, he did a pretty good job.
Phrase Prepositions
These prepositions are a combination of the preposition + a modifier (optional) + the object. They are used to modify the nouns, verbs or sentences and also complete clauses.
At home, in time, with me, from my father, under the blanket, etc.
- The clothes left on the bed have been ironed and kept back.
These classifications are based on the construction of the prepositions themselves. Apart from this, prepositions are also categorized based on their use in a sentence as -
  • Prepositions of Place
  • Prepositions of Movement
  • Prepositions of Time
List of Prepositions
Prepositions can only be learnt by memory; unfortunately there is no method or particular way to recognize and learn them. To help you with memorizing the different prepositions, here is a list of common prepositions.
Simple Prepositions
For
By
At
On
Of
Off
To
Double Prepositions
Into
Onto
Upto
From Behind
From Beneath
Out Of
Upon
Compound Prepositions
Across
Along
Beside
Behind
Before
Without
Inside
Participle Prepositions
Concerning
Notwithstanding
Pending
During
Given
Failing
Excluding
Phrase Prepositions
At high speed
By all means
For a change
In accordance with
On a journey
Out of curiosity
To the best of

Prepositions of Place

Prepositions of place refer to those prepositions that can be used to show where something is located.
There are three prepositions of place:
At
‘At’ is used for a point:
At the end of the lane.
At the door/entrance/exit.
At the corner.
At the desk.
Note: There are many standard expressions that are exceptions to this rule:
At home.
At work.
At school/college/university.
At the side.
In
‘In’ is used for enclosed spaces:
In Mumbai/India.
In the room.
In the store.
In my pocket/bag.
In the building/tower.
Note: There are some standard expressions that are an exception to this rule:
In the book/magazine/newspaper.
In the sky.
On
‘On’ is used for surfaces:
On the table.
On the rug.
On the floor.
On the cover.
On the page.
Note: There are many standard expressions that are exceptions to this rule:
On the bus/train/plane/ship.
On the radio/television.
On the left/right.
On the way.

Prepositions of Place

Prepositions of place refer to those prepositions that can be used to show where something is located.
There are three prepositions of place:
At
‘At’ is used for a point:
At the end of the lane.
At the door/entrance/exit.
At the corner.
At the desk.
Note: There are many standard expressions that are exceptions to this rule:
At home.
At work.
At school/college/university.
At the side.
In
‘In’ is used for enclosed spaces:
In Mumbai/India.
In the room.
In the store.
In my pocket/bag.
In the building/tower.
Note: There are some standard expressions that are an exception to this rule:
In the book/magazine/newspaper.
In the sky.
On
‘On’ is used for surfaces:
On the table.
On the rug.
On the floor.
On the cover.
On the page.
Note: There are many standard expressions that are exceptions to this rule:
On the bus/train/plane/ship.
On the radio/television.
On the left/right.
On the way.

Prepositions of Time

There are three prepositions of time:
At
‘At’ is used for precise times:
At ten o’clock.
At 10.30am.
At the moment/present/same time.
At sunrise/sunset/noon/dinnertime/bedtime/dusk/dawn.
Note: At night is a standard expression that is an exception in this case.
In
‘In’ is used for months, years, decades, centuries, and long periods of time:
In January.
In 1991.
In the 70s.
In this century.
In the Dark Ages.
Note: In the morning(s)/afternoon(s)/evening(s) are standard expressions that are exceptions in this case.
On
‘On’ is used for days and dates:
On Wednesday.
On Friday.
On the 10th of January
On Christmas.
Note: ‘on’ is also used when you specify the day followed by the part of the day. For example on Wednesday mornings.

Prepositions of Movement

There are 9 prepositions that pertain to movement:
To
‘To’ is used when there is a specific destination in mind. The destination can be a number of things:
A place:
- I’m going to the doctor’s.
- Can you direct me to the nearest post office?
An event:
- Are you going to the party?
- I have never been to a concert.
A person:
- She came up to me.
- I go to my father for advice.
A position:
- The bathroom is to your left.
- Keep to the left.
Towards
‘Towards’ is used in the following instances:
When one has movement in a particular direction in mind, rather than simply a destination:
- He was walking menacingly towards me.
Or to refer to a position, in relation to a direction from the point of view of the speaker:
- He was sitting with his back towards me.
Through
‘Through’ refers to the following types of movement:
Within a space, which can be thought of as surrounding, enclosing or around the object:
- The train went through the tunnel.
Movement across something, i.e. from one side of it to the other:
- He cut through the gauze.
Into
‘Into’ refers to the following types of movement:
Movement from the outside to the inside of something that can be imagined as surrounding, enclosing or around the object:
- He got into the car.
Movement causing something to hit something else:
- He swerved into the tree.
Across
‘Across’ is used to describe:
Movement from one end of something to the other:
- He walked across the road.
- He strode across the bridge.
Something’s position when it stretches over the surface it is on:
- There was a barricade across the road.
To describe something’s position when it is at the opposite end from one’s position:
- We went to the restaurant across the road.
Over
‘Over’ is used in the following instances:
To describe something’s position when it is above something else:
- The bottle is in the cabinet over the sink in the kitchen.
To describe something’s position when it covers a surface:
- A white cloth had been spread over the corpse.
Along
‘Along’ is used to describe:
- Movement in a line:
- We walked along the river.
The collective position of a group of things that are in a line:
-He lived in one of the houses along the river.
In
‘In’ is used in the following instances:
Something’s position in relation to the area or space or place surrounding it:
- We are going to have our picnic in the park.
- I left my car in the garage.
To express towards the inside of something:
- Put the pickle in the cabinet.
On
‘On’ is used in the following instances:
To describe something’s position in relation to a surface:
- There was an array of food on the table.
To describe movement in the direction of a surface:
- The rain falling on the roof kept me from sleeping.

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