Prepositions
A preposition is a word which shows the relation between the noun or pronoun and other words in the sentence.There are three kinds of prepositions which are commonly used:
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Simple Prepositions:
Prepositions like for, by, at, on, of, off, with, above, across
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Compound and Phrase Prepositions:
They are a group of words used like a single preposition. Examples - in regard to, according to, in favour of, because of, in order to
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Participial Prepositions:
They are used without any noun or pronoun attached to them. Examples - considering, regarding, barring, concerning
Prepositions of Place
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 Wednesdays.
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 e.g. 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 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 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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