BANK EXAM ONLINE COACHING

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ENGLISH GRAMMAR

PREPOSITIONS

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PREPOSITION

A preposition is a word placed before a noun (or a pronoun) to show in what relation the person or thing denoted by it stands in regard to something else.

For example:  about above across after against

along behind below beneath beside

besides between down during except

for from in off on

onto opposite out outside till

to toward under underneath until

with within without

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KINDS OF PREPOSITION Simple Prepositions: They are the simple words used as prepositions. For example: at, by, for, from, in, of off, on, out, over, through, till, to, under, up, with. Compound Prepositions : They are generally formed by prefixing a preposition (usually a = on or be = by) to a noun, an adjective or an adverb.

For example: about, above, across, along, amidst, among, around, before, behind, below, beneath. beside, between, beyond, inside, outside, underneath, within, without.

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Phrase Prepositions : When a group of words is used with the force of a single preposition, it is known as a phrase preposition.

For example: He succeeded in spite of obstacles. Participial Prepositions : When the present participle of a verb acts as a preposition, it is known as a participial preposition.

For example: There have not been too many communal riots in recent times barring those in the aftermath of Dec 6.

SOME RULES

Rule : In is used with names of countries and large towns; at is more often used when speaking of small towns and villages.Incorrect : He lives at Germany.Correct : He lives in Germany. Rule : In and at are used in speaking of things at rest; to and into are used in speaking of things in motion. Incorrect : This week the song jumped at the top of the charts.

Correct : This week the song jumped to the top of the charts.

Rule : Till is used of time and to is used of place.Incorrect : The office will remain open to six in the evening. Correct : The office will remain open till six in the evening.

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Rule : With often denotes the instrument and by the agent. Incorrect : The ball was hit by the bat.Correct : The ball was hit with the bat. Rule : Both since and from are used before a noun denoting some point of time. However, while since is preceded by a verb in the perfect tense, from is used with the non perfect tense.Incorrect : India has been playing Test cricket from 1932.Correct : India has been playing Test cricket since 1932. Rule: While since or from is used with a point of time, for is used with a period of time. Incorrect : The parcel has been lying here since 10 days.Correct : The parcel has been lying here for 10 days.

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Rule : Beside means by the side of while besides means in addition to.

Incorrect : He sat besides the chair. Correct : He sat beside the chair Rule : Between is used _for only two things or persons while among is used for more than-two. Incorrect: You have to choose among tea and coffee.Correct . You have to choose between tea and coffee. Rule : Above and below merely denote position while over and under also carry a sense of covering or movement. Incorrect : The bird flew above the lake.Correct : The bird flew over the lake.

Rule : During is used when we are talking about the time within which something happens. For is used when we are talking about how long something lasts.

Incorrect : There were few incidents of irregularity for the Emergency years.Correct : There were few incidents of irregularity during the Emergency years. Rule : Compare is followed by to when it shows that two things are alike. It is followed by with when we look at the ways in which two things are like and unlike each other.

Incorrect : Sanath Jayasuriya's batting may be compared with the sales of a useful book: they score fast right from the beginning.Correct : Sanath Jayasuriya's batting may be compared to the sales of a useful book: they score fast right from the beginning.

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Rule : When we simply speak of a thing having got better, we talk of an improvement in it. When we compare two things, the second of which is better than the first, we talk of an improvement on the first thing.

Incorrect : There has been an improvement on the weather.Correct : There has been an improvement in the weather. Rule : In means at the end of while within means before the end of the said time duration.

Incorrect : We left at 5 o'clock expecting to come back in an hour and watch the 6 o'clock movie. Correct : We left at 5 o'clock expecting to come back within an hour and watch the 6 o'clock movie.

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