PREPOSITIONS

Prepared by:Mrs. Edlyn L. Joven

English Teacher

Our Goal:INCREASE THE NAT

PERCENTAGE!

Lesson Objectives:To define preposition and prepositional

phraseTo identify the types and kinds of

prepositionsTo determine the uses and examples of

each prepositionTo use preposition/prepositional phrase in

a sentence correctly

Materials needed for this session:PenPaper- ½ lengthwise

Introduction A Preposition is an essential part in the English language and there are different kinds of prepositions.

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.

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.

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.

Here are some examples:

Subject + Verb Preposition NounThe 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.

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. -

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

Prepositions for Time. (in, on, at)Prepositions used for time of different natures are in, on at etc.

Preposition Time NatureIn 1. Month or Year. 

e.g. in January, in 19852. Particular time of day or month or yeare.g. in morning, in evening, in first week of January, in summer, in winter3. Century or specific time in past etce.g. in 21st century, in stone age, in past, in future, in present

On 1. Day e.g. on Monday2. Datee.g. on 5th of March, March 53. Particular daye.g. on Independence Day, on my birthday,

At 1. Time of clocke.g. at 5 O’clock, at 7:30 PM2. Short and precise time e.g. at noon, at sunset, at lunch time, at bed time, at the moment, at the same time

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.    

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.M5. The president will deliver speech to public  (in, on, at)  Independence Day.

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.M5. The president will deliver speech to public on Independence Day.

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.

Preposition Place NatureIn  Place having some boundary

(physical or virtual boundary) Examples.In hallIn schoolIn a buildingIn a boxIn a carIn libraryIn gardenIn AmericaIn roomIn cupboard

On  Surface of something. Examples.On a tableOn blackboard On a pageOn the wallOn the roofOn a map

At  Specific Place.Examples.At the entranceAt the bottom of glassAt front of the chairAt bus stopAt the edge of roof

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.

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.

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

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.

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.         

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.

Exercise 3. Choose the correct preposition to complete the sentence. Write your answer in your notebook.

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

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

These are the answers.

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.

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.

Prepositional Phrase

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.

Examples of Prepositional Phrases

to the storeHe went to the store.

after dinnerAfter dinner, I will go out.

when it rainsWhen it rains, it pours.

around the cornerAround the corner is my house.

at 10 tonightAt 10 tonight, we will see fireworks.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 

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.

Example:

Angelique came to visit from France. Answer:

PREPOSITION

PREPOSITONAL PHRASE

from From France

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.

These are the answers.

PREPOSITION PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE

1. next to Next to the tall trees2. through Though the school

halls3. on On his nose4. around Around the

neighbourhood5. in In the hospital

Kinds of Prepositions

Prepositions are of five different kinds:1.    Simple prepositions2.    Compound prepositions3.    Double prepositions4.    Participle prepositions5.    Phrase prepositions

Simple PrepositionsSimple 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.

Compound prepositionsCompound 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.

Double prepositionsDouble 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.

Participle prepositionsParticiple 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.

Phrase prepositionsPhrase 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.

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.

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.

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 twothings 

  Mary sat between Tom and Jane. 

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 ororiginates

  The wind is blowing from the north. 

in   at a point within an area

  The pen is in the drawer. 

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.

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.

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. 

throughout   in every part of  The virus spread throughout thecountry.

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.

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.