PREPOSITION
Definition: Prepositions are a class of words that indicate
relationships between nouns, pronouns and other words in a
sentence. Most often they come before a noun. They never change
their form, regardless of the case, gender etc. of the word they are
referring to.
Some common prepositions are:
about by outside
above despite over
across down past
after during since
against except through
along for throughout
among from till
around in to
at inside toward
before into under
behind like underneath
below near until
beneath of up
beside off upon
between on with
beyond onto within
but out without.
Prepositions typically come before a noun:
For example:
after class
at home
before Tuesday
in London
on fire
with pleasure
A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical
relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence.
For example:
The book is on the table.
The book is beside the table.
She read the book during class.
In each of the preceding sentences, a preposition locates the
noun "book" in space or in time.
Prepositions are classified as simple or compound.
Simple prepositions
Simple prepositions are single word prepositions. These are all
showed above.
For example:
The book is on the table.
Compound prepositions
Compound prepositions are more than one word. in between and
because of are prepositions made up of two words - in front of, on
behalf of are prepositions made up of three words.
For example:
The book is in between War and Peace and The Lord of the
Rings.
The book is in front of the clock.
Examples:
The children climbed the mountain without fear.
There was rejoicing throughout the land when the government
was defeated.
The spider crawled slowly along the banister.
The following table contains rules for some of the most frequently
used prepositions in English:
Prepositions of Time:
English Usage Example
on days of the week on Monday
months / seasons
in August / in
time of day
winter
year
in in the morning
after a certain
in 2006
period of time
in an hour
(when?)
for night
at night
for weekend
at at the weekend
a certain point of
at half past nine
time (when?)
from a certain point
since of time (past till since 1980
now)
over a certain
for period of time (past for 2 years
till now)
a certain time in the
ago 2 years ago
past
earlier than a
before before 2004
certain point of time
to telling the time ten to six (5:50)
past telling the time ten past six (6:10)
to / marking the
from Monday to/till
till / beginning and end
Friday
until of a period of time
in the sense of how
till / He is on holiday
long something is
until until Friday.
going to last
I will be back by 6
in the sense of at
o clock.
by the latest
By 11 o'clock, I had
up to a certain time
read five pages.
Prepositions of Place:
English Usage Example
room, building, in the kitchen, in
street, town, London
country in the book
in
book, paper etc. in the car, in a taxi
car, taxi in the picture, in
picture, world the world
meaning next to,
by an object at the door, at the
for table station
for events at the table
at place where you at a concert, at the
are to do party
something typical at the cinema, at
(watch a film, school, at work
study, work)
attached the picture on the
for a place with a wall
river London lies on the
being on a surface Thames.
for a certain side on the table
on
(left, right) on the left
for a floor in a on the first floor
house on the bus, on a
for public transport plane
for television, radio on TV, on the radio
by,
left or right of Jane is standing
next
somebody or by / next to /
to,
something beside the car.
beside
on the ground,
lower than (or the bag is under
under
covered by) the table
something else
lower than
the fish are below
below something else but
the surface
above ground
covered by put a jacket over
something else your shirt
meaning more than over 16 years of
over getting to the other age
side (also across) walk over the
overcoming an bridge
obstacle climb over the wall
higher than
a path above the
above something else, but
lake
not directly over it
getting to the other walk across the
side (also over) bridge
across
getting to the other swim across the
side lake
something with
limits on top, drive through the
through
bottom and the tunnel
sides
movement to
go to the cinema
person or building
go to London /
to movement to a
Ireland
place or country
go to bed
for bed
enter a room / a go into the
into
building kitchen / the house
movement in the
direction of go 5 steps towards
towards
something (but not the house
directly to it)
movement to the jump onto the
onto
top of something table
in the sense of a flower from the
from
where from garden