General English Study Notes: Usage of Prepositions
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Usage of Prepositions
(Pre + Position = preposition)
What is preposition?
A preposition is defined as a word which is placed before a noun or a pronoun or a noun equivalent to show some relationship between that and some other word present in the sentence. Prepositions are said to govern the object to which they are related.
Most prepositions are short words like at, in and on etc., Prepositional phrases are groups of words, such as out of and on top of and so on.
For Example:
- The award is given to
- Her objection is to what all you say.
- The cat jumped on top of the cupboard.
Below is a list of most commonly used prepositions:
| about | beneath | in | since |
| above | beside | into | through |
| across | besides | inside | throughout |
| after | between | like | to |
| against | beyond | near | toward |
| along | by | of | under |
| among | despite | off | underneath |
| around | down | on | until |
| at | during | out | up |
| before | except | outside | with |
| behind | for | over | within |
| below | from | past | without |
Some prepositions consist of more than one word. Here is a list of the most common multi-word prepositions:
| along with | in place of |
| because of | in spite of |
| due to | instead of |
| except for | on account of |
| in addition to | out of |
| in case of | up to |
| in front of | with the exception of |
PREPOSITIONS FOR TIME/ LOCATION / DIRECTION/ORIGIN or SOURCE /REMOVAL or SEPARATION:
1. Prepositions of Time: In, On, At, By, etc.,
Example:
- We’re going to the zoo on
- I visited my grandparents during the summer.
- You must finish the work by (Approximate time)
- I’ll do my homework before
- My School starts at ten o’clock.
- I was born in
2. Prepositions of Location/ Position: At, In, On, below etc.,
Example:
- Sam was sitting under a tree.
- A big truck is parked in front of their car.
- Johan and Sara were hiding inside the wardrobe.
- There’s a wooden floor underneath the carpet.
- One girl sits in the middle of the playground.
Prepositions of Direction: To, Into, Onto, etc.,
Example:
- The boys chased after each other.
- This road leads to the market.
- A boy went past them on a bike.
- We were travelling towards
Prepositions indicating Origin or Source: from
Example:
- I got the books from the library.
- They got their share from the Company.
Prepositions indicating Removal/ Separation:
Example:
- The screw came off the machine.
- The village was cut off from the rest of the world.
FREQUENTLY MISUSED PREPOSITIONS:
Prepositions may sometimes be confusing because of slang and the general informality of talk. Here are some frequently misused prepositions.
1. (beside, besides) – Beside means next to, whereas besides means in addition to.
Example:
- The comb is beside the brush.
- Besides learning chess, she is also interested in gardening.
2. (between, among) – Generally, between is used when two items are involved; with three or more, among is used.
Example:
- Mom told me to divide the chocolates between you and me.
- The fox was hiding among the trees.
Guidelines for use of Prepositions:
1) A preposition is placed at the end of a sentence in either of the following ways:
- When a relative pronoun is understood in the sentence.
Example: This is the girl you spoke to.
- When the relative pronoun in a sentence is ‘that’.
Example: Here is the pencil that you are looking for.
- If a preposition governs an interrogative pronoun or an interrogative adverb, it is placed at the end of sentence.
Example: What are you looking at?
- If a preposition governs a relative pronoun, then it is placed at the end of sentence.
Example: This is the teacher whom I spoke about.
- When the preposition is used with the infinitive that is placed at the end of sentence.
Example: Do you have a place to sit on?
2) Some words with prepositions can take the gerund as well as the infinitives.
Example: He is afraid of going out alone at night.
He is afraid to go out alone at night.
3) A preposition can be used at the beginning of an interrogative sentence.
Example: To whom are you referring?
In which country do you live?
4) Prepositions [from, since, for] are used with reference to time. More specifically, [from, since] indicate a point of time. And [for] indicates a period or length of time.
Example:
- I have not seen her since February.
- I have not seen her from February.
- I have not seen him for seven months.
5) The verbs which are placed immediately after prepositions are written usually in gerund form.
Example:
- Jai insisted on buying a computer.
- He left the hotel without paying the bill.
EXERCISE (Answer Keys are Given Below)
DIRECTION (1-30): Choose the correct answer for the following sentences.
1) We are moving __________ London next month.
a) in
b) by
c) to
d) for
e) None of these
2) She is angry _________ him.
a) at
b) with
c) by
d) on
e) None of these
3) Is there a reason ________this delay?
a) to
b) by
c) up
d) for
e) None of these
4) She’s not interested _______ sports.
a) in
b) through
c) to
d) along
e) None of these
5) The fireman rushed ______the building.
a) over
b) off
c) towards
d) through
e) None of these
6) Which of the switches did you turn_________?
a) at
b) up
c) on
d) with
e) None of these
7) She is recognized widely all ________ the world.
a) around
b) by
c) across
d) over
e) None of these
8) The river flows __________ the hills and plains.
a) above
b) out
c) across
d) except
e) None of these
9) They live _______ the same roof.
a) under
b) above
c) besides
d) from
e) None of these
10) I have not seen him ______ last Monday.
a) for
b) since
c) after
d) along
e) None of these
11) We go to office every day _________ Saturdays and Sundays.
a) for
b) since
c) over
d) except
e) None of these
12) I’d like a new computer _______ Diwali.
a) without
b) in
c) from
d) for
e) None of these
13) The exercise was written ________ me with a Hero pen.
a) on
b) above
c) by
d) over
e) None of these
14) I came the day _________ yesterday.
a) before
b) after
c) off
d) for
e) None of these
15) The driver jumped ________ the car.
a) by
b) after
c) around
d) off
e) None of these
16) _________ a month she returned.
a) Beyond
b) With
c) After
d) Over
e) None of these
17) He sat ____the fire and told me the tale.
a) upon
b) on
c) about
d) by
e) None of these
18) _________ my porch shall spring fragrant flowers.
a) Among
b) Around
c) From
d) After
e) None of these
19) We sailed _________the river.
a) over
b) across
c) off
d) for
e) None of these
20) Our plane halted _________ Delhi on the way to New York.
a) on
b) over
c) at
d) for
e) None of these
21) He slept ________ nine o’clock.
a) till
b) beside
c) on
d) in
e) None of these
22) I shall return ________ two hours.
a) to
b) for
c) with
d) within
e) None of these
23) I shall return _______ an hour.
a) at
b) over
c) in
d) for
e) None of these
24) ________ the dog she lay.
a) since
b) from
c) Beside
d) besides
e) None of these
25) ________ being fined, he was declared a traitor.
a) Besides
b) for
c) beside
d) among
e) None of these
26) Rajesh went there _________ his residence.
a) by
b) from
c) on
d) for
e) None of these
27) A dog ran out ________ behind the gate.
a) from
b) on
c) through
d) over
e) None of these
28) I don’t think you can finish the work _________ her help.
a) off
b) beside
c) through
d) without
e) None of these
29) We drove ________ the tunnel in Switzerland.
a) after
b) with
c) through
d) against
e) None of these
30) I am thinking ________ this problem.
a) with
b) about
c) on
d) till
e) None of these
ANSWER KEYS:
1. (c) 2. (b) 3. (d) 4. (a) 5. (c) 6. (c) 7. (d) 8. (c) 9. (a) 10. (b) 11. (d) 12. (d) 13. (c) 14. (a) 15. (d) 16. (c) 17. (d) 18. (b) 19. (b) 20. (c) 21. (a) 22. (d) 23. (c) 24. (c) 25. (a) 26. (b) 27. (a) 28. (d) 29. (c) 30. (b)
