Prepositions and how to use them (pdf file is below to download)

Prepositions and how to use them 

The word preposition has two parts such as, pre that means before and position that means place. So, preposition is a word  like off, on, in, onto, at,  into, up and down followed by noun (noon), noun phrase (the window) or pronoun (you) , which show place, time, and direction etc.

For example,

The trees are in the park.

Alex put the ball onto the table.

The moon shines at night.

Here, in the above mentioned two sentences in, onto and at are prepositions.
According to the Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary, “Preposition is a  word or group of words, such as in, from, to, out of and on behalf of, used before a noun or pronoun to show place, position, time or method”.

Types of Preposition: There are five types of preposition which are listed  and discussed with examples below.

 1.Preposition of Time
2. Preposition of Place
3. Preposition of Movement
4. Preposition of Instrument or Device
5. Preposition of Agent or Thing  
1. Preposition of Time: 
The preposition of time indicates what happened in the past, what happens in the present and what will happen in the future. The preposition of time includes in, on, at, before and after etc.

For example,

He was born in 1995.

He was born on March 7^th, 1995.

I have breakfast before/after my brother.

Preposition in: We use the preposition in  for years, months, seasons, centuries, particular time of a day, month, a year, and for longer periods of time.

For example,

I first met him in 2019 (year).

It is always cold in December (month).

I have breakfast on the balcony in summer (season).

I have breakfast in the morning (particular time of a day).

Easter holiday is in the 2^nd week of April ( particular time of a month).

Angela Markel is probably the most highly educated Chancellor in this century (century).

He travelled to London in the holidays (longer periods of time).

Preposition on: The preposition on is used to indicate a day , particular days, and dates.

For example,

He goes to church on Sunday (a day).

He bought a present on my birthday (a particular day).

He was born on February 25 , 1990. (a date).

Preposition at: We use preposition at for time of a clock, short and precise time.

For example,

I normally wake up at 6:30 a. m. (time of a clock).

It gets cold at night (precise time).

2. Preposition of Place: The preposition of place refers to these prepositions ( e.g. in, on, at) that can be used to denote a place in the sentence.

For example,

He is in the car.

He put the book on the table.

We will meet at the entrance of the library.

Preposition in: We use preposition in for indicating something is inside or within confined boundary, and this can be anything like a country.

For example,

He has got a pain in his back (inside).

We play in the garden (boundary).

I live in Germany (country)

Preposition on: We use the preposition on for referring to something with a surface or next to something.

For example,

There is a small ball on the table.

The images are on the second page.

There is a beautiful picture on the wall.

Preposition at: The preposition at is used to denote a specific place or a point.

For example,

What did you study at school/college (place)?

I met him at the airport (point).

There is no one at the information desk  (location as a point).

3. Preposition of Movement: The preposition of movement (e.g. to, into, towards) shows the direction towards a specific destination.

For example,

I will go to bed when I get tired.

I am going to Liverpool next week.

He has gone on vacation to Germany.

He came into the room/house.

He put the ball onto the table.

He put the ball into the box.

He moved toward/towards the door.

He went up the stairs

He went down the stairs.

4. Preposition of Instrument or Device (by, with): These types of prepositions are used to join nouns to other words in a sentence.

For example,

I went by a train to Berlin.

He hit his thumb with the hammer.

5. Preposition of Agent or Thing (e.g. by, with, for, about):  The preposition of Agent expresses the casual relationship between a noun and other part of the sentence.

For example,

A nice book was written by Prof. Mair.

He is always here for her.

This article is about politics.

He graduated with an honour’s degree.

 For a pdf click here →Download 
Prepositions and how to use them. pdf

References

Klett Lerntraining. (2016). Pons Schulwissen Englisch Xxl Der komplette Lernstoff zum Nachschlagen 5.-10. Klasse. Stuttgart.

Murphy, R., & Hashemi, L. (2019). English grammar in use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

preposition. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/preposition?q=preposition+

Prepositions. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/sundaresh07/prepositions.

Prepositions - English Grammar Today. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/prepositions?q=Prepositions

Swan, M. (2016). Practical English usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Vorderman, C. (2013). Help your kids with English: a unique step-by-step visual guide. London: Dorling Kindersley.