1. Department of English
Course Name: Elementary English
Grammar
Topic: Preposition
Course Code: ENG111
Semester: Summer’12
Course Teacher: Antara Basak
3. A preposition links nouns, pronouns and
phrases to other words in a sentence. The word
or phrase that the preposition introduces is
called the object of the preposition.
A preposition usually indicates the temporal,
spatial or logical relationship of its object to the
rest of the sentence as in the following
examples:
4. • The book is on the table.
• The book is beneath the table.
• The book is leaning against the table.
• The book is beside the table.
• She held the book over 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.
5. Common use of Prepositions:
About: Approximation & usually is used to
describe things that cannot be seen.
Ex. It’s about 5 o’clock.
The book is about a voyage.
Against: an object is parallel to another object
and touching. Or, one object is in
contradiction to another.
Ex. Put the chair against the table.
I am against all the political fanatics.
6. Along: one object is in motion with another
or moving in same direction with another
non-moving object.
Ex. He went along with her to the museum.
He walked along the road.
Among: Out of many, a few or one.
Ex. They are among the few survivals.
Divide the mangoes among the boys.
7. Around: Approximation of location or time.
Ex. He is around here some where.
I will be there around 5 o’clock.
At: Exact location; immediacy.
Ex. She is at her room.
At once, let’s jump all together.
8. Between: An object is in the middle of two
objects.
Ex. The books are between the file cabinet and
the desk.
By: an object is located near another object or
will pass near the object.
Ex. The ball went by the batsman.
The tea stall is by the road.
9. During: one activity being performed at the
same time when another activity is going
on.
Ex. During the cricket match, players were
shouting at each other.
For: an object is intended for another
object.
Ex. The gift is for my brother.
I will learn this lesson for my teacher.
10. From: Expressing distance between two
objects.
Ex. She is from Canada.
A tsunami came from the deep of the
ocean.
In: an object is inside or surrounded by another
object.
Ex. I am in class right now.
In the evening, I usually read.
11. Into: object is in motion and heading towards
the inside of another object.
Ex. Let’s go into the store and see what is
there.
keep my book into my bag.
Of: one object is part of the whole of another
object.
Ex. We enjoyed the whole view of the
mountain.
I can see you from the window of my room.
12. On: over the surface of something.
Ex. I am on the roof.
Since: cause of inability of something;
starting of time.
Ex. I couldn’t come since I was ill.
He has been teaching since 2006.
13. Through: activity of an action which is in
motion.
Ex. They both went through the town.
Throughout: used for continuous activity.
Ex. He used to speak the truth throughout his
life.
14. With: one object is somehow related to other.
Ex: We like milk with tea.
Within: When an object is present with some
type of limitation.
Ex. He wants me to be back within 5 minutes
You should be within 5 km from here.
15. Without: about a missing object; it’s direct
opposite of with.
Ex. Without a ball we cannot play cricket.
16. Prepositions of Time: at, on, and in
• We use at to designate specific times.
The train is due at 12:15 p.m.
• We use on to designate days and dates.
My brother is coming on Monday.
We're having a party on the Fourth of July.
17. • We use in for nonspecific times during a
day, a month, a season, or a year.
She likes to jog in the morning.
It's too cold in winter to run outside.
He started the job in 1971.
He's going to quit in August.
18. Prepositions of Place: at, on, and in
• We use at for specific addresses.
Grammar English lives at 55 Boretz Road in
Durham.
• We use on to designate names of streets,
avenues, etc.
Her house is on Boretz Road.
19. • And we use in for the names of land-areas
(towns, counties, states, countries, and
continents).
She lives in Durham.
Durham is in Windham County.
Windham County is in Connecticut.
20. Prepositions of Movement: to and No
Preposition
• We use to in order to express movement
toward a place.
They were driving to work together.
She's going to the dentist's office this morning.
21. • Toward and towards are also helpful
prepositions to express movement. These are
simply variant spellings of the same word; use
whichever sounds better to you.
We're moving toward the light.
This is a big step towards the project's
completion.
22. With the words home, downtown, uptown,
inside, outside, downstairs, upstairs , we
use no preposition.
Grandma went upstairs
Grandpa went home.
They both went outside.
23. Prepositions of Time: for and since
• We use for when we measure time
(seconds, minutes, hours, days, months,
years).
He held his breath for seven minutes.
She's lived there for seven years.
The British and Irish have been quarreling
for seven centuries.
24. • We use since with a specific date or time.
He's worked here since 1970.
She's been sitting in the waiting room
since two-thirty.
25. Prepositions with Nouns, Adjectives, and Verbs.
• Prepositions are sometimes so firmly wedded to
other words that they have practically become one
word. This occurs in three categories: nouns,
adjectives, and verbs.
•
26. • NOUNS and PREPOSITIONS
approval of fondness for
need for awareness of
grasp of hope for
belief in participation in
love of reason for
hatred of desire for
concern for respect for
confusion about interest in
success in understanding of
27. • ADJECTIVES and PREPOSITIONS
afraid of fond of
proud of angry at
happy about similar to
aware of interested in sorry
for capable of
jealous of sure of
careless about made of
tired of familiar with married to
worried about
28. • VERBS and PREPOSITIONS
apologize for give up prepare
for ask about grow up
study for
ask for look for
talk about belong to
look forward to think about
bring up look up trust in
care for
make up work for
find out pay for worry
about
