3. Lesson Objectives:
To define preposition and prepositional phrase
To identify the types and kinds of prepositions
To determine the uses and examples of each
preposition
To use preposition/prepositional phrase in a
sentence correctly
6. Preposition is a subject that many of the
learners of English language struggle
with. This is because, the rules regarding
prepositions have a number of
exceptions and thus making it hard for
many of us to use the appropriate
preposition at the correct place. This
difficulty, however, does not lessen the
value prepositions have.
7. Without prepositions we cannot finish
a good piece of writing or make a
comprehensive and beautiful speech.
So, it becomes very necessary to
understand the types and kinds of
prepositions in order to use them
appropriately.
8.
9. What is a preposition?
Prepositions are those words which are
used to connect nouns, pronouns and
phrases in any sentence. Usually
preposition indicates the relationship
between nouns that how they are
connected to each other. It shows that
whether words are connected through
time, space and place.
17. Subject + Verb Preposition Noun
The cat was sleeping on table.
He lives in Paris.
She looked at The
stranger.
He will come in January.
Wedding ceremony will be held on 20th
December.
I was waiting for you
Someone is knocking at the door.
She came by bus.
18. Here are other examples:
I found the pen on the table.
Here the preposition is “on” because it is
showing a relationship between pen and the table.
Meghan went to sleep late.
Here the preposition is “to” because it shows a
state in which Meghan is going into.
I am watching cricket match in the bedroom.
Here the preposition is “in” because it shows my
place where I am sitting. -
19. Types of Preposition
1. Preposition for Time
2. Preposition for Place
3. Preposition for Direction
4. Preposition for Agent
5. Preposition for Instrument
6. Prepositional Phrase
21. Preposition Time Nature
In 1. Month or Year.
e.g. in January, in 1985
2. Particular time of day or
month or year
e.g. in morning, in evening, in first
week of January, in summer, in
winter
3. Century or specific time in
past etc
e.g. in 21st century, in stone age, in
past, in future, in present
22. On 1. Day
e.g. on Monday
2. Date
e.g. on 5th of March,
March 5
3. Particular day
e.g. on Independence
Day, on my birthday,
23. At 1. Time of clock
e.g. at 5 O’clock, at 7:30 PM
2. Short and precise time
e.g. at noon, at sunset, at
lunch time, at bed time, at
the moment, at the same
time
24. Examples:
He was born in 1945.
She will go to New York on 25th of March.
The concert will begin at 7 O’clock.
He gets up early in the morning.
25. Exercise 1. Choose the correct preposition to complete
the sentence. Write your answer in your notebook.
1. We enjoyed a lot (in, on, at) the summer.
2. She received a lot gifts (in, on, at) her
birthday.
3. Where were you (in, on, at) the lunchtime?
4. I will call you (in, on, at) 12 A.M
5. The president will deliver speech to public (in,
on, at) Independence Day.
26. These are the answers.
1. We enjoyed a lot in the summer.
2. She received a lot gifts on her
birthday.
3. Where were you at the lunchtime?
4. I will call you at 12 A.M
5. The president will deliver speech to
public on Independence Day.
27. Preposition for Place.
(in, on, at)
Prepositions “in, on or at” are usually
used for different places.
“In” is usually used for place which
have some boundary (boundary may
physical or virtual).
“On” is used for surface
“At” is used for specific place.
28. Preposition Place Nature
In Place having some boundary
(physical or virtual boundary)
Examples.
In hall
In school
In a building
In a box
In a car
In library
In garden
In America
In room
In cupboard
29. On Surface of something.
Examples.
On a table
On blackboard
On a page
On the wall
On the roof
On a map
31. Examples:
She lives in New York.
The wedding ceremony will be held in the hall.
The teacher wrote a sentence on blackboard.
His house is at the end of street.
32. Exercise 2. Choose the correct preposition to complete
the sentence. Write your answer in your notebook.
1. Students study (in, on, at) library.
2. There are some books (in, on, at) the
table.
3. He was flying kite (in, on, at) the roof.
4. There was a huge gathering (in, on, at)
bus stop.
5. Her parents were waiting for her (in, on,
at) the entrance of school.
33. These are the answers.
1. Students study in library.
2. There are some books on the table.
3. He was flying kite on the roof.
4. There was a huge gathering at bus stop.
5. Her parents were waiting for her at the
entrance of school
34. Preposition for Direction.
(to, toward, through, into)
Prepositions like to, towards, through, into are
used to describe the direction. Following examples
will help in better understanding.
Examples.
She went to the library.
He jumped into the river.
He ran away when he felt that someone was
coming toward him.
35. Preposition for Agent. (by)
Preposition for agent is used for a thing which is cause
of another thing in the sentence. Such prepositions
are by, with etc.
Examples.
This book is written by Shakespeare.
The work was completed by him.
36. Preposition for device,
instrument or machine.
Different preposition are used by different
devices, instruments or machines. e.g. by,
with, on etc.
Examples.
She comes by bus daily.
He opened the lock with key.
37. Exercise 3. Choose the correct
preposition to complete the sentence.
Write your answer in your notebook.
38. 1. The waitress noticed that there was no more
Diet Pepsi _____ Marty's glass.
2. Lee and Sarah took the bus that was heading
_______ the university.
3. Mary Sue jumped _____the stage and danced.
4. Pat drove Mike _____the airport.
5. Glenn almost fell _______the river.
in to toward onto into
by with without
39. 6. The room was decorated ______ her.
7. The tub is filled ______ water.
8. This poem was written ______Walt Whitman.
9. That man opened the door ______the key.
10. You can’t play soccer ________a ball.
in to toward onto into
by with without
41. 1. The waitress noticed that there was no
more Diet Pepsi in Marty's glass.
2. Lee and Sarah took the bus that was
heading toward the university.
3. Mary Sue jumped onto the stage and
danced.
4. Pat drove Mike to the airport.
5. Glenn almost fell into the river.
42. 6. The room was decorated by her.
7. The tub is filled with water.
8. This poem was written by Walt
Whitman.
9. That man opened the door with the
key.
10. You can’t play soccer without a ball.
44. Every prepositional phrase is a
series of words made up of a
preposition and its object. The
object may be a noun, pronoun,
gerund or clause. A prepositional
phrase functions as an adjective
or adverb.
46. to the store
He went to the store.
after dinner
After dinner, I will go out.
when it rains
When it rains, it pours.
around the corner
Around the corner is my house.
at 10 tonight
At 10 tonight, we will see fireworks.
47. The boy walked the dog down the busy street.
The prepositional phrase down the busy street tells
where they walked.
The word down is the preposition.
The word the is an article.
The word busy is an adjective describing the street.
The word street is the object of the preposition.
48. Commonly Used Prepositional Phrases
According to the weather forecast
Across many deserts
After many tries
Amid the confusion
Around the world
Before we start the meeting
Between a rock and a hard place
By the light of the moon
Like a beautiful swan
Near the ocean
Of my boss
Off the top
Out the door
Through the looking glass
Throughout the thick forest
To the amusement park
49. Prepositional Phrases that Function as an
Adjective
The book with the tattered cover has been read many
times.
All the passengers aboard the runaway train were
frightened.
The present inside the big box is mine.
Our boss put out a memo regarding the new rule.
The clues within the first few chapters will lead to
the murderer.
50. Prepositional Phrases that Function
as Adverbs
Racing toward the finish line, Sarah realized
she just might win.
My shopping list needs to be put into my
purse.
Without a GPS, we will lose our way.
Until today, I had never heard that.
The balloon drifted up the stairs.
51. Prepositional Phrases in Quotes
“Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.” - Albert
Einstein
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new
things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us
down new paths.” - Walt Disney
“There has to be evil so that good can prove its purity above it.”
- Buddha
“I've had tendonitis since college.” - Michael Jordan
“Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after
tomorrow.” - Mark Twain
52. Exercise 4. Draw two columns.
Write the preposition used in
each sentence in the first
column then write the
prepositional phrase in the
second column.
54. 1) The strange man parked his car next to the tall
trees.
2) The confused foreign exchange student walked
through the school halls.
3) My cousin Jesse wore a bandage on his nose to
cover the wound.
4) Our crazy dog escaped and wandered all around
the neighbourhood.
5) Your little brother had surgery and must stay in the
hospital.
56. PREPOSITION PREPOSITIONAL
PHRASE
1. next to Next to the tall trees
2. through Though the school halls
3. on On his nose
4. around Around the
neighbourhood
5. in In the hospital
58. Prepositions are of five different kinds:
1. Simple prepositions
2. Compound prepositions
3. Double prepositions
4. Participle prepositions
5. Phrase prepositions
59. Simple Prepositions
Simple prepositions are words like in, on, at,
about, over, under, off, of, for, to etc.
She sat on the sofa.
He is going to the market.
He fell off the ladder.
There is some water in the bottle.
She is about seven.
They sat around the table.
The cat was hiding under the bed.
60. Compound prepositions
Compound prepositions are words
like without, within, inside, outside, into,
beneath, below, behind, between etc.
He fell into the river.
She sat between her kids.
He sat beside her.
There is nothing inside the jar.
The teacher stood behind the desk.
The boy ran across the road.
61. Double prepositions
Double prepositions are words
like outside of, out of, from behind,
from beneath etc.
Suddenly he emerged from behind the
curtain.
He walked out of the compound.
62. Participle prepositions
Participle prepositions are words
like concerning, notwithstanding, pending,
considering etc.
There was little chance of success,
notwithstanding they decided to go ahead.
You did the job well, considering your age
and inexperience.
63. Phrase prepositions
Phrase prepositions are phrases like because of,
by means of, with regard to, on behalf of,
instead of, on account of, in opposition to, for
the sake of etc.
I am standing here on behalf of my friends and
colleagues.
The match was cancelled because of the rain.
He succeeded by means of perseverance.
64. Preposition Meaning Examples
above
higher than, or
over
The sun is above the clouds.
across
from one side to
the other
It's dangerous to run across
the road.
after
- following
something
- later than
- The boy ran after the ball.
- I'll phone you after lunch.
against
- in opposition to
- in contact with
- Stealing is against the law.
- The sofa is against the wall.
65. along
from one end
to the other
They are walking along
the street.
among surrounded by
Peter was among the
spectators.
around
- in a circle
- near,
approximately
- He walked around the
table.
- It costs around 50 euros.
before
- earlier than
- in front of
- The day before
yesterday.
- He bowed before the
king.
66. behind at the back of
Passengers sit behind
the driver.
below lower than
His shorts are below
his knees.
beneath under
The pen was beneath
the books.
beside next to
The bank is beside the
cinema.
between
in the space
separating two
things
Mary sat between Tom
and Jane.
67. by near, at the side of
The restaurant is by
the river.
close to near
The school is near
the church.
down from higher to lower
She pulled down the
blind.
from
where something
starts or
originates
The wind is blowing
from the north.
in
at a point within an
area
The pen is in the
drawer.
68. in front of directly before
The child ran out in
front of the bus.
inside on the inner part of
The bird is inside the
cage.
into
enter a closed
space
He went into the
shop.
near close to
The school is near the
church.
next to beside
The bank is next to
the cinema.
69. off
down or away
from
He fell off the horse.
on
in a position
touching a surface
The plate is on the
table.
onto
move to a position
on a surface
The cat jumped onto
the roof of the car.
opposite
facing, on the
other side
Eva sat opposite Tom at
the table.
out of
- move from a
closed space
- without
- He got out of the taxi.
- She's out of work.
70. outside
opposite of inside,
on the outer side
The garden is outside the
house.
over
- above/across
- on the surface of
- The plane flew over the
Atlantic.
- She put a sheet over the
furniture.
past beyond
She drove past the
supermarket.
round
in a circular
movement
The earth moves round the
sun.
through
from one side to the
other
The Seine flows through Paris.
71. throughout in every part of
The virus spread throughout
the
country.
to
in the direct of /
towards
On the way to the station.
towards in the direction of
The child ran towards her
father.
under beneath, below
Water flows under the
bridge.
underneath beneath
There was dust underneath
the rug.
up
towards or in a higher
position
She walked up the stairs.
72. Summary:
A preposition placed before a noun or pronoun connects it
to another noun, adjective or verb. The types of
prepositions are Preposition for Time, Preposition for Place,
Preposition for Direction, Preposition for Agent, Preposition
for Instrument and Prepositional Phrase. The kinds of
prepositions are Simple Prepositions, Compound
Prepositions, Double Prepositions, Participle Prepositions
and Phrase Prepositions. A prepositional phrase is a group
of words that lacks either a verb or a subject, and that
functions as a unified part of speech. It normally consists of
a preposition and a noun or a preposition and a pronoun.
