The word that shows the placement or position of the noun is called a Preposition. In other words, it is called as the magic word of English Grammar. In this session learn Preposition Rules, Preposition Words and example of Sentences with Prepositions.
Prepositions are essential components of English grammar, serving as connectors that establish relationships between words in a sentence. They indicate direction, location, time, and other abstract relationships. Understanding preposition rules, common preposition words, and their correct usage in sentences is crucial for clear and effective communication.
What are Prepositions?
Prepositions are words that link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words within a sentence. They often describe spatial or temporal connections, such as in, on, at, by, for. For example: – The book is on the table. (spatial) – She will arrive at noon. (temporal)
Types of Prepositions
Prepositions can be categorized based on their function:
Prepositions of Place – Indicate location. In (enclosed spaces): She is in the room. On (surfaces): The keys are on the desk. At (specific points): He is at the door.
Prepositions of Time – Specify when something happens. At (exact times): The meeting starts at 3 PM. On (days/dates): We leave on Monday. In (months/years): She was born in 1990.
Prepositions of Direction/Movement – Show movement from one place to another. To: They went to the park. – Into: She jumped into the pool. Towards: He walked towards the exit.
Prepositions of Agent/Instrument – Indicate the doer or means of an action. By: The book was written by her. With: He cut the paper with scissors.
Prepositions of Manner – Describe how something is done. Like: She sings like a professional. With: He spoke with confidence.
AT
1. We generally use at before an exact point/moment of time.
Ex. – At 3.30 PM, At 6 O’ clock, At noon, At sunset, At midnight etc.
We also say at the beginning of the lesson, at the end of the lesson.
2. Besides, we also use at before the festivals which are taken as important points in the year.
Ex. – At Christmas, At Easter, At New Year
We give presents to each other at New Year.
We also say at bed time, at breakfast time and at dinner etc.
ON
1. We use on before names of specific dates.
Ex. – On 17th January, On August 15, 1947.
2. We also use on before names of specific days.
Ex. – On Sunday, On Friday, On Tuesday.
3. We use on before names of special days.
Ex. – On New Year’s Day, On Christmas Day, On her wedding day
4. We also use on before a specific part of any such days and dates.
Ex. – On Friday morning, On Chirstmas evening, On the night of 10th October.
IN
1. We use in before longer periods of time.
Ex. – In Summer, In Spring, In August, In 1972, In the 20th century, In the Middle Ages.
2. We also use in before parts of a day.
Ex – In the morning, In the afternoon, But, We commonly say At night.
I work best at night.
3. ‘In’ is also used to show how long something takes to happen.
Ex. – I can run 200 meters in 25 seconds.
4. We use ‘In’ to say how soon something will happen.
Ex. – I will be ready in a few minutes.
During
1. During can be used instead of in before longer period of time.
(a) We shall be on holiday in/during August.
(b) I woke up three times in/during the night.
2. But during can not be replaced by in
(a) When the idea of the duration of time is stressed by the use of words such as whole and entire etc.
Ex. – Ranu was absent from college during the whole of August.
(b) When we refer to an activity, rather than to a period of time.
Ex.- During the journey I came to like and respect him.
3. We don’t use during, but in, when the periods are contrasted.
Ex. – My parents usually visit Puri in October, but last year they visited in April.
BY
By means not later than a particular point of time and perhaps before. In other-words, by means at or before/on or before.
Ex. – You must be home by 10 P.M. (at or before 10 P.M.)
UNTIL or TILL
Until or Till is generally used to show that an action stops when a particular point of time is reached.
Ex. – He will wait until 10 A.M.
Let’s wait until 5 P.M. (The action of waiting may continue upto 5 P.M. but then stops at that point)
FOR
‘For’ is used to indicate a period of action without definite starting or ending points. ‘For’ is generally used to show how long an action or state lasts. In can be used to talk about the past, present and future.
Ex. – I haven’t seen him for a month.
They will be away for a week.
Since
Since is used to give the starting point of an action or situation that continues or continued upto the moment of speaking. It is mainly used with perfect aspect.
Ex. – I haven’t seen him since Monday.
We have been working since 6 a.m. this morning.
FROM ….. TO
From ….. to is generally used to talk about a period of action with a definite starting point and ending point.
Ex. – They are working in the fields from 6 A.M. to 6 p.M.
EXCEPTION
1. The prepositions at, in & on are not used when the time expressions begin with last, next, each, every, some, any, this, that, these etc.
Ex. – I met him last week.
They met her this morning.
2. Yesterday, today, tomorrow & tonight etc. beside being noun phases, are used as adverbs, and therefore donot take prepositions before them.
Ex. – I met him yesterday.
It may rain tonight.
prepositions used before place Expressions (IN, AT, ON):
Places of work and living :
(a) When no specific place is named, we use IN –
1. My friend lives in a village.
2. He lives in a European country for 5 years.
3. Rakesh prefers to live in the city.
Similarly we say in a town, in the desert, in an island (if big in size)
But we say at the sea side and on an island (if it is small in size)
(b) We also use ‘in’ before the names of large land area, i.e countries, continents, provinces, districts, blocks etc.
Similarly ‘in’ is also used before names of capital, cities and large cities like Delhi, Mumbai, London and Paris, etc.
1. They used to live in India.
2. My brother lives in London.
(c) But we normally use at before the names of villages, towns & small cities.
He stayed at Baripada for some days.
But when the speaker thinks that he belongs to the place, either because he lives there or he happens to be there at the moment of speaking, he may use in.
1. We are staying in Bhubaneswar these days.
2. I still prefer to live in Pipili.
Place of residence (buildings & houses etc.)
(a) When no specific building is named or presupposed, we use IN.
Ex. 1. He spent two nights in a college.
2. They wanted to stay in a hotel.
Similarly we say in a flat, in a mansion, in a modern house etc.
(b) When the name of the building, or its address is given or pre-supposed, we use at.
Ex. 1. He spent two nights at Hotel Taj, New Delhi.
2. He lives at 16, Ashok Nagar, Bhubaneswar.
(c) We use in before names of streets & roads :
Ex. 1. My friends live in Link road, Cuttack.
2. They live in Lewis road, Bhubaneswar.
Places of Work :
(a) If a particular place is indicated, we use at.
Ex. My brother works at the Main Branch, SBI, Bhubaneswar.
Similarly we say at the public library, at the Railway station, at the Airport etc.
(b) When a particular place is not indicated we use in, provided it is a building.
Ex. 1. His mother works in a bank.
2. The shopkeeper was in the shop.
Similarly we say in an office, in a shop, in factory etc. But if it is not a building, on is used.
1. They used to work on a farm.
2. The principal lives on the college campus.
Similarly : on the railway, on a tea plantation, on an estate.
(c) We use in before names of particular department.
Ex. I work in the education department of Orissa.
Similarly in the Health Department, in the Works Department etc.
Prepositions Referring to movement and position (AT, IN, TO):
At or IN :
(a) At is used to say where you are in a general way. It does not tell us exactly whether you are in, on, under or behind.
1. I am sitting at my desk.
2. He is at home.
3. My sister is at the University.
Similarly at school, at the airport, at the bus-stop.
(b) But ‘In’ is more specific than at.
1. I keep my pens in my desk.
2. There are some policemen in the University.
(c) Arrive In/At :
Arrive at the station, at the airport, at the sea. (But we say arrive in a village, in a town, in a city, in a place)
TO or AT :
To suggests movement.
But at suggests the final point of the movement.
Ex. – He goes to the door (movement)
He is at the door (position)
Again, in a sense “At” suggests aggresion, “To”, co-operation.
Don’t throw the stone at me. (Aggresion)
Throw the ball to me. (Co-operation)
AT or IN :
When we think at the event, we use at.
Ex. – Were there many people at the party ?
Similarly : at the meeting, at the match, at the film. But, when we think of the building, we use in.
Ex. – Were there any people in the hotel ?
IN and INTO :
Into refers to movement, but in refers to rest or position.
Ex – 1. The coin fell into the glass. (Movement)
2. Then coin was in the glass (No movement)
“In” can also be used for movement. Ex. – Come in (movement).
ON, ONTO :
Onto is used like into to show movement, from one place to another. But “On” is used to show position or rest.
Ex. – The ball fell onto the floor. (Movement)
The ball was on the floor. (Position)
Simillarly, we say : A calender on the wall, on the second floor. On may also suggest moment.
Ex. – The soldiers were marching on the enemy.
Similarly, we say that a place is on the coast, on a river, on a road.
Ex. – London is on the River Thames.
Again, we say in the corner of a room, but at/on the corner of a street.
Ex. – There is a TV in the corner of the room.
There is a telephone box at/on the corner of the street.
Above and Below :
Over and Under – Over and under describe a vertical relationship, on the other hand, above and below describe the relative points of two things when one is higher/lower than the other.
Ex. – 1. The man is leaning over the wall.
2. The cat is under the table.
But, 1. The plane was flying above the clouds.
2. The temperature is below zero in the poles.
Against:
Ex. – He is swimming against the current.
He was leaning against the wall.
Raju was pushing against the wall.
Between and Among:
Between is normally used in relation to two persons/things or two rows of persons/things.
Ex.- Y is between X and Z.
Among is used in relation to more than two persons and things.
Ex. – It’s nice to be among friends.
Across, Through, Along :
Across is used to show that someone is crossing something from one side to another.
Ex. – The child ran across the road to greet his friend.
We drove across the field.
Through is used to indicate the movement of something in an area.
Ex. – We travelled through the forest.
Along is used to indicate the movement of somebody or something on the side of something like road and river.
Ex. – We walked along the road.
The cattles are grazing along the river
Fixed prepositional expressions:
There are number of words that are used with definite prepositions. These prepositional phrases are used as fixed expressions such as on business, on purpose, by day, by road, in figure, in cash etc.
(a) AT
At ease, At sight, At rest, At once, At heart, At work, At war, At present, At length, At hand, At first, At sea, At peace, At least, At last, At the end (End point of a period), At short notice, At a temperature, At a speed of, In the end (Finally), At play, At the age of.
(b) BY
By accident, By day, By oneself, By chance, By night, By letter, By design, By good fortune, By hand, By heart, By name, By surprise, By post, By sight, By mistake, By cable, By rights, By telegram.
(c) IN
In brief, In ink, In danger, In fact, In due course, In love, In general, In common, In cash, In difficulty, In words, In secret, In figure, In need, In reply, In the sun, In the rain, In time (without being late, soon enough), In bad weather, In stock, In block letters, In turn, In particular, In public.
(d) ON
On purpose, On foot, On a tour, On horse back, On radio, On time (punctual), On TV, On duty, On a cruise, On fire, On sale, On a diet.
(e) OUT
Out of control, Out of reach, Out of danger, Out of doors, Out of turn, Out of hearing, Out of place, Out of work, Out of order, Out of stock, Out of sight, Out of date.
(f) THOSE Relating to Means of transport :
Generally we use by before the means of transport :-
By bus, By plane, By land, By bicycle, By car, By sea, By coach, By air, By ship, By train
But we can’t use ‘by’ before a means of transport if it is used with a pronoun or determiner. In that case ‘on’ is used if the means of transport is an open vehicle and ‘in’ is used if it is a closed and privately owned vehicle.
Ex.- On my scooter, In his car, On a bicycle, In a taxi, On foot, In the jeep
Read more : Prepositions used with certain adjectives & verbs.
Preposition Rules
Prepositions are essential components of English grammar, serving as connectors that establish relationships between words in a sentence. They indicate direction, location, time, and other abstract relationships. However, their usage can be tricky, and adhering to specific rules ensures clarity and correctness in communication. Below are key preposition rules to follow.
1. Prepositions must have an Object
A preposition always requires an object—a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase—to complete its meaning. Without an object, the preposition becomes grammatically incorrect.
Correct: She is waiting for the bus.
Incorrect: She is waiting for.
The preposition for requires an object the bus to make the sentence complete.
Correct: The book is on the table.
Incorrect: The book is on.
Here, on must be followed by the table to convey a clear meaning.
If a sentence ends with a preposition, it still must have an implied object.
Correct: This is the book I was looking for.
Implied object: This is the book I was looking for [it].
2. Avoid Dangling Prepositions
A dangling preposition occurs when a preposition is placed at the end of a sentence without a clear object, making the sentence awkward or unclear. While ending a sentence with a preposition is sometimes acceptable in informal contexts, formal writing often requires restructuring to avoid it.
Informal: Who are you going with?
Formal: With whom are you going?
Informal: This is the house I told you about.
Formal: This is the house about which I told you.
Rewriting sentences to avoid dangling prepositions enhances readability in professional or academic writing.
3. Use the Correct Preposition for Context
Prepositions can change the meaning of a sentence entirely, so selecting the right one is crucial. Many prepositions have similar meanings but are used in different contexts.
Time-Based Prepositions
At: Used for specific times (e.g., at 5 PM).
On: Used for days and dates (e.g., on Monday).
In: Used for months, years, and general time periods (e.g., in July).
Location-Based Prepositions
At: Refers to a specific point (e.g., at the door).
In: Indicates being inside something (e.g., in the room).
On: Refers to surfaces (e.g., on the table).
Direction-Based Prepositions
To: Indicates movement toward a place (e.g., She went to the store).
Into: Shows movement inside something (e.g., He walked into the room).
Toward: Suggests direction without arrival (e.g., She ran toward the park).
Using the wrong preposition can lead to confusion. For example:
Correct: She is good at math.
Incorrect: She is good in math.
4. Prepositions in Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs consist of a verb and a preposition (or adverb) that together create a new meaning. The preposition in a phrasal verb is inseparable from the verb and must be used correctly.
Give up (to quit) – He gave up smoking.
Look after (to take care of) – She looks after her brother.
Run out of (to have no more) – We ran out of milk.
Misplacing the preposition changes the meaning:
Correct: She turned down the offer. (Rejected)
Incorrect: She turned the offer down the street. (Changes meaning entirely)
Some phrasal verbs allow the object to be placed between the verb and preposition:
Correct: He took off his jacket.
Also correct: He took his jacket off.
5. Avoid Redundant Prepositions
Redundant prepositions occur when unnecessary prepositions are added, making sentences wordy or incorrect.
Incorrect: Where is he at?
Correct: Where is he?
Incorrect: She fell off of the chair.
Correct: She fell off the chair.
Another common redundancy is using prepositions where they are not needed: – Incorrect: The meeting will start at around noon. – Correct: The meeting will start around noon.
Common Mistakes with Prepositions
Prepositions are small but crucial words that establish relationships between different elements in a sentence. Despite their importance, they are frequently misused, leading to confusion and grammatical errors. This article explores common mistakes involving prepositions, including incorrect pairings, unnecessary prepositions, and confusing similar prepositions.
1. Incorrect Pairings
One of the most frequent preposition errors involves incorrect pairings with verbs, adjectives, or nouns. Many words require specific prepositions, and using the wrong one can alter the meaning of a sentence.
Depend on vs. Depend of Incorrect: “Success depends of hard work.”
Correct: “Success depends on hard work.” The correct pairing is depend on, not depend of.
Arrive at vs. Arrive to Incorrect: “She arrived to the airport.”
Correct: “She arrived at the airport.” Arrive is typically followed by at for places and in for cities or countries.
Angry with vs. Angry at Incorrect: “He was angry at the weather.”
Correct: “He was angry with the weather.” Angry with is used for people, while angry at is less common and often informal.
2. Unnecessary Prepositions
Sometimes, prepositions are added where they are not needed, making sentences redundant or awkward.
Where at / Where to
Incorrect: “Where is the library at?”
Correct: “Where is the library?” The preposition at is unnecessary because where already implies location.
Meet with vs. Meet
Incorrect: “Let’s meet with tomorrow.”
Correct: “Let’s meet tomorrow.” Meet with is used when referring to a formal discussion, but for general meetings, meet suffices.
Off of
Incorrect: “Get off of the table.”
Correct: “Get off the table.” Off alone is sufficient; of is redundant.
3. Confusing Similar Prepositions
Some prepositions are similar in meaning but are used in different contexts, leading to confusion.
In vs. Into In indicates a static position, while into suggests movement.
Incorrect: “She walked in the room.”
Correct: “She walked into the room.”
On vs. Upon On is more common, while upon is formal and often used in fixed expressions.
Incorrect: “The decision is on further review.”
Correct: “The decision is under further review.”
Between vs. Among Between is used for two items, while among refers to more than two.
Incorrect: “Divide the prize between the three winners.”
Correct: “Divide the prize among the three winners.”
4. Prepositions in Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs (verb + preposition combinations) often cause confusion because their meanings can differ from the individual words.
Turn off vs. Turn on
Incorrect: “She turned on the light when she meant to turn off.”
Correct: “She turned off the light.”
Look after vs. Look for
Incorrect: “She is looking after her keys.”
Correct: “She is looking for her keys.”
5. Prepositions in Time Expressions
Time-related prepositions (at, on, in) are often misused.
At for specific times, On for days, In for longer periods
Incorrect: “I will see you in Monday.”
Correct: “I will see you on Monday.”
Conclusion
Mastering prepositions enhances clarity and precision in writing and speaking. By understanding their types, rules, and common usage, you can avoid errors and communicate more effectively. Practice constructing sentences with prepositions and pay attention to idiomatic expressions to strengthen your command of English grammar.