The Prepositions

Introduction: Prepositions are the words that indicate location. Usually, prepositions show this location in the physical world. Examples:

The puppy is on the floor.

The puppy is in the trash can.

The puppy is beside the phone.

On, in, and beside are all prepositions. They are showing where the puppy is. Prepositions can also show location in time. Examples: At midnight, Jill craved mashed potatoes with grape jelly. In the spring, I always vow to plant tomatoes but end up buying them at the supermarket. During the marathon, Iggy's legs complained with sharp pains shooting up his thighs. At midnight, in the spring, and during the marathon all show location in time. Because there are so many possible locations, there are quite a few prepositions. Below is the complete list.

about above

concerning despite

onto on top of

according to across after against along along with among apart from around as as for at because of before behind below beneath beside between beyond but* by by means of

down during except except for excepting for from in in addition to in back of in case of in front of in place of inside in spite of instead of into like near next of off on

out out of outside over past regarding round since through throughout till to toward under underneath unlike until up upon up to with within without

But is very seldom a preposition. When it is used as a preposition, but means the same as exceptEveryone ate frog legs but Jamie. But usually functions as acoordinating conjunction. Understand how to form a prepositional phrase.

Prepositions generally introduce prepositional phrases. Prepositional phrases look like this: + OPTIONAL +NOUN, ,

PREPOSITION

MODIFIERS

PRONOUN

OR GERUND

Here are some examples: At school At = preposition; school = noun.

According to us According to = preposition; us = pronoun. By chewing By = preposition; chewing = gerund. Under the stove Under = preposition; the = modifier; stove = noun. In the crumb-filled, rumpled sheets In = preposition; the, crumb-filled, rumpled = modifiers; sheets = noun. Realize that some prepositions also function as subordinate conjunctions. Some prepositions also function as subordinate conjunctions. These prepositions are after, as, before,since, and until. A subordinate conjunction will have both a subject and a verb following it, forming a subordinate clause. Examples: After Sam and Esmerelda kissed goodnight After = subordinate conjunction; Sam, Esmerelda= subjects; kissed = verb. As Jerome buckled on the parachute As = subordinate conjunction; Jerome = subject;buckled = verb. Before I eat these frog legs Before = subordinate conjunction; I = subject; eat = verb. Since we have enjoyed the squid eyeball stew Since = subordinate conjunction; we = subject;have enjoyed = verb. Until your hiccups stop Until = subordinate conjunction; hiccups = subject; stop = verb. If you find a noun [with or without modifiers] following one of these five prepositions, then all you have is a prepositional phrase. Look at these examples:

After the killer calculus test After = preposition; the, killer, calculus = modifiers; test = noun. As a good parent As = preposition; a, good = modifiers; parent = noun. Before dinner Before = preposition; dinner = noun. Since the breakup Since = preposition; the = modifier; breakup = noun. Until midnight Until = preposition; midnight = noun. Rules: There is one very simple rule about prepositions. And, unlike most rules, this rule has no exceptions. Rule A preposition is followed by a "noun". It is never followed by a verb. By "noun" we include:

noun (dog, money, love) proper noun (name) (Bangkok, Mary) pronoun (you, him, us) noun group (my first job) gerund (swimming)

A preposition cannot be followed by a verb. If we want to follow a preposition by a verb, we must use the "-ing" form which is really a gerund or verb in noun form. In the following sentences, why is "to" followed by a verb? That should be impossible, according to the above rule:

I would like to go now. She used to smoke.

Here are some examples:

Subject + verb The food is She lives Tara is looking The letter is Pascal is used She isn't used I ate

preposition on in for under to to before

"noun" the table. Japan. you. your blue book. English people. working. coming.

Prepositions - are short words (on, in, to) that usually stand in front of nouns (sometimes also in front of gerund verbs). Even advanced learners of English find prepositions difficult, as a 1:1 translation is usually not possible. One preposition in your native language might have several translations depending on the situation. There are hardly any rules as to when to use which preposition. The only way to learn prepositions is looking them up in a dictionary, reading a lot in English (literature) and learning useful phrases off by heart (study tips). The following table contains rules for some of the most frequently used prepositions in English: Prepositions Time English

Usage

Example

on in

days of the week months / seasons time of day year after a certain period of time (when?)

on Monday

in August / in winter in the morning in 2006 in an hour

at

for night for weekend a certain point of time (when?)

at night at the weekend at half past nine

English

Usage

Example

since

from a certain point of time (past till now)

since 1980 for 2 years 2 years ago before 2004 ten to six (5:50) ten past six (6:10) from Monday to/till Friday

for ago before

over a certain period of time (past till now)

a certain time in the past

earlier than a certain point of time

to past to / till / until till / until

telling the time telling the time

marking the beginning and end of a period of time in the sense of how long something is going to last

He is on holiday until Friday.

by

in the sense of at the latest up to a certain time

I will be back by 6 oclock. By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.

Prepositions Place (Position and Direction) English

Usage

Example

in

room, building, street, town, country book, paper etc. car, taxi picture, world

in the kitchen, in London in the book in the car, in a taxi in the picture, in the world at the door, at the station at the table at a concert, at the party

at

meaning next to, by an object for table for events place where you are to do something typical (watch a film, study, work)

English

Usage

Example at the cinema, at school, at work

on

attached for a place with a river being on a surface for a certain side (left, right) for a floor in a house for public transport for television, radio

the picture on the wall London lies on the Thames. on the table on the left on the first floor on the bus, on a plane on TV, on the radio

by, next to, beside

left or right of somebody or something

Jane is standing by / next to / beside the car. the bag is under the table the fish are below the surface put a jacket over your shirt over 16 years of age walk over the bridge climb over the wall a path above the lake

under below over

on the ground, lower than (or covered by) something else lower than something else but above ground

covered by something else meaning more than getting to the other side (also across) overcoming an obstacle

above across

higher than something else, but not directly over it getting to the other side (also over) getting to the other side

walk across the bridge swim across the lake drive through the tunnel

through

something with limits on top, bottom and the sides

to

movement to person or building movement to a place or country for bed

go to the cinema go to London / Ireland go to bed go into the kitchen /

into

enter a room / a building

English

Usage

Example the house

towards

movement in the direction of something (but not directly to it) movement to the top of something

go 5 steps towards the house

onto from

jump onto the table a flower from the garden

in the sense of where from

Other important Prepositions English

Usage

Example

fro m of by on

who gave it

a present from Jane a page of the book the picture of a palace a book by Mark Twain on foot, on horseback get on the bus

who/what does it belong to what does it show

who made it

walking or riding on horseback entering a public transport vehicle

in off out of by

entering a car / Taxi

get in the car get off the train get out of the taxi

leaving a public transport vehicle

leaving a car / Taxi

rise or fall of something travelling (other than walking or horseriding)

prices have risen by 10 percent by car, by bus she learned Russian at 45 we were talking about you

at abo ut

for age

for topics, meaning what about

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. 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. Prepositions with Nouns, Adjectives, and Verbs. Prepositions are sometimes so firmly wedded to other words that they have practically become one word. (In fact, in other languages, such as German, they would have become one word.) This occurs in three categories: nouns, adjectives, and verbs.

NOUNS and PREPOSITIONS approval of awareness of belief in concern for confusion about desire for fondness for grasp of hatred of hope for interest in love of need for participation in reason for respect for success in understanding of

ADJECTIVES and PREPOSITIONS afraid of angry at aware of capable of careless about familiar with fond of happy about interested in jealous of made of married to proud of similar to sorry for sure of tired of worried about

VERBS and PREPOSITIONS apologize for ask about ask for belong to bring up care for find out give up grow up look for look forward to look up make up pay for prepare for study for talk about think about trust in work for worry about

A combination of verb and preposition is called a phrasal verb. The word that is joined to the verb is then called a particle. Please refer to the brief section we have prepared on phrasal verbs for an explanation.

Idiomatic Expressions with Prepositions

agree to a proposal, with a person, on a price, in principle argue about a matter, with a person, for or against a proposition compare to to show likenesses, with to show differences (sometimes similarities) correspond to a thing, with a person differ from an unlike thing, with a person live at an address, in a house or city, on a street, with other people

Unnecessary Prepositions In everyday speech, we fall into some bad habits, using prepositions where they are not necessary. It would be a good idea to eliminate these words altogether, but we must be especially careful not to use them in formal, academic prose.

She met up with the new coach in the hallway. The book fell off of the desk. He threw the book out of the window. She wouldn't let the cat inside of the house. [or use "in"] Where did they go to? Put the lamp in back of the couch. [use "behind" instead] Where is your college at?

Prepositions in Parallel Form When two words or phrases are used in parallel and require the same preposition to be idiomatically correct, the preposition does not have to be used twice. You can wear that outfit in summer and in winter. The female was both attracted by and distracted by the male's dance. However, when the idiomatic use of phrases calls for different prepositions, we must be careful not to omit one of them. The children were interested in and disgusted by the movie. It was clear that this player could both contribute to and learn from every game he played. He was fascinated by and enamored of this beguiling woman. Prepositions at, in, on Preposition in Examples We sit in the room. I see a house in the picture. There are trouts in the river. He lives in Paris. I found the picture in the paper. He sits in the corner of the room.

He sits in the back of the car. We arrive in Madrid. He gets in the car. She likes walking in the rain. My cousin lives in the country. There are kites in the sky. He plays in the street. (BE) She lives in a hotel. The boys stand in a line. There is a big tree in the middle of the garden. He is in town. I have to stay in bed. You mustn't park your car in front of the school. The robber is in prison now. She sits at the desk. Open your books at page 10. The bus stops at Graz. I stay at my grandmother's. I stand at the door. Look at the top of the page. at The car stands at the end of the street. Can we meet at the corner of the street? I met John at a party. Pat wasn't at home yesterday. I study economics at university. The childen are at gandmother's. He's looking at the park. He always arrives late at school. The map lies on the desk. The picture is on page 10. on The photo hangs on the wall. He lives on a farm. Dresden lies on the river Elbe. Men's clothes are on the second floor.

He lives on Heligoland. The shop is on the left. My friend is on the way to Moscow. Write this information on the front of the letter. When she was a little girl people saw unrealistic cowboy films on television. Prepositions of place and direction Preposition above across after against along among around behind below beside between by close to down from in front of inside into near next to off onto Use higher than sth. from one side to the other side one follows the other directed towards sth. in a line; from one point to another in a group in a circular way at the back of lower than sth. next to sth./sb. is on each side near near from high to low the place where it starts the part that is in the direction it faces opposite of outside entering sth. close to beside away from sth. moving to a place Examples The picture hangs above my bed. You mustn't go across this road here. There isn't a bridge across the river. The cat ran after the dog. After you. The bird flew against the window. They're walking along the beach. I like being among people. We're sitting around the campfire. Our house is behind the supermarket. Death Valley is 86 metres below sea level. Our house is beside the supermarket. Our house is between the supermarket and the school. He lives in the house by the river. Our house is close to the supermarket. He came down the hill. Do you come from Tokyo? Our house is in front of the supermarket. You shouldn't stay inside the castle. You shouldn't go into the castle. Our house is near the supermarket. Our house is next to the supermarket. The cat jumped off the roof. The cat jumped onto the roof.

opposite out of outside over past round through

on the other side leaving sth. opposite of inside above sth./sb. going near sth./sb. in a circle going from one point to the other point towards sth./sb. in the direction of sth. below sth. from low to high

Our house is opposite the supermarket. The cat jumped out of the window. Can you wait outside? The cat jumped over the wall. Go past the post office. We're sitting round the campfire. You shouldn't walk through the forest. I like going to Australia.

to towards under up

Can you come to me? I've never been to Africa. We ran towards the castle. The cat is under the table. He went up the hill. This is a lamp

This is a chair

Where is the lamp?

beside / next to The lamp is beside the chair. or The lamp is next to the chair.

Where is the chair?

in front of

The chair is in front of the lamp.

Where is the lamp?

behind

The lamp is behind the chair.

Where is the chair?

under / beneath / underneath The chair is under the lamp. or The chair is beneath the lamp. or The chair is underneath the lamp.

Where is the lamp?

on / on top of The lamp is on the chair. or The lamp is on top of the chair.

Naturally Speaking - English Dialogue

Meet Frank and Nicole. Frank is always forgetting things. He is forgetful.

"Nicole. Have you seen my keys? I thought I'd put them on top of my briefcase."

"No. You left them behind the basket."

"The basket above the coat rack?"

"No. The one under the table."

"The table in the bedroom, beside the bed?"

"No! The dining room table, in front of the window."

Why did I put them there?

Good question!

Preposition of movement:
Prepositions can be used to show movement. For example: to, through, across We use to to show movement with the aim of a specific destination. For example:I moved to Germany in 1998. He's gone to the shops.

We use through to show movement from one side of an enclosed space to the other. For example: The train went through the tunnel. We use across to show movement from one side of a surface or line to another. For example: She swam across the river. More prepositions of movement She ran to through across along down over off round into the door. the tunnel. (from one side of an enclosed space to the other) the road. (from one side of an open space to the other) the road. (the length of the road) the road. (the length of the road) the bridge. (from one side of an open space to the other) the stage. the track. the room.

At and in can also be used as prepositions of movement, but it's used to show the purpose of the movement. For example: Throw the paper in the bin. Let's have dinner at my place. When used after some verbs, the preposition at also shows the target of an action: The bowler was sent off for throwing the ball at the umpire, instead of to the batsman. Picture It Clip Art Preposition Example

to

"He carried the rubbish to the bin." "The train camethrough the tunnel."

through

across

"He swam across the channel."

along

"He walked along the road."

down

"He skied down the mountain."

over

"They walked overthe bridge."

off

"The man ran off the cliff."

round

"The arrow is movinground the ball."

into

"The man poured the sand into the timer.

Things and people move, so you need to know some more prepositions to show the movement or direction. Some of these might look familiar, some might be new, but they all show movement or direction:-

across | along down in / into off | onto | over past round through | to | towards !Note - Americans tend to say "around" instead of "round"

The ball is rolling down the hill.

Sam is chasing Spooky round the bowl.

Oh no! The paint is falling off the table and onto the floor.

The rabbit is popping out of the hat. Naturally Speaking - English Dialogue Do you remember Nicole and Frank? Nicole is telling Frank about their two naughty pets; Sam the dog and Spooky the cat.

You will not believe what a crazy day I had, Frank! said Nicole.

Why? What happened? asked Frank.

Well, I was sat on a chair in the lounge and Sam suddenly chased Spooky towards me, and roundthe chair."

"Then they ran through the door, past me andinto the dining room.

Spooky was so frightened she jumped on the table in the dining room, ran across it and knocked the vase that was on the table over, it fell off the table,onto the floor and broke into little pieces!"

"Then Spooky jumped in the box that was under the table.

Sam ran under the box. I started shouting at him, but then Spooky jumped out of the box, and they both ran to the back door, and into the garden. Finally Sam chased Spooky along the garden path and up the tree.

"I had to call the firebrigade, to get her down!" "Hmm," said Frank. "Maybe Sam needs to go to training classes."