Dear Readers,
It is very important to have an
understanding of the "Usage of Prepositions" in
English Grammar. So, we hope that you will like our post. The notes
are helpful for all the upcoming SSC Exams viz. SSC Exams &
other competitive Exams.
Prepositions
Prepositions "On," "At," and "In" A preposition is a word that links a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to some other part of the sentence. Prepositions can be tricky for English learners. There is no definite rule or formula for choosing apreposition.
Uses of Prepositions
Prepositions define direction, time,
location, and spatial relationships.
- Direction:
At the end of the hall, turn to the left.
- Time: We’ve
been working since early this morning.
- Location:
We saw a movie at the theater.
- Space: The dog under the table.
Common Prepositions
about, above, across, after, against, along,
among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond,
but, by, despite, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like,
near, of, off, on, onto, out, outside, over, past, since, through, throughout,
till, to, toward, under, underneath, until, up, upon, with, within, without
Prepositions – Time
On - days of the week
Ex: on Monday
In - months / seasons, time
of day, year, after a certain period of time (when?)
Ex:
- in August /
in winter
- in the
morning
- in 2006
- in an hour
At - for night, for
weekend, a certain point of time (when?)
Ex:
- at night
- at the
weekend
- at half
past nine
Since -
from a certain point of time (past till now)
Ex: since 1980
For - over a certain period of
time (past till now)
Ex: for 2 years
Ago - a certain time in
the past
Ex: 2 years ago
Before - earlier than a
certain point of time
Ex: before 2004
To - telling the time
Ex: ten to six (5:50)
Past - telling the time
Ex: ten past six (6:10)
to / till / until -
marking the beginning and end of a period of time
Ex: from Monday to/till
Friday
till / until -
in the sense of how long something is going to last
Ex: He is on
holiday until Friday.
By - in the sense of at
the latest, up to a certain time
Ex:
- I will be
back by 6 o’clock.
- By 11
o'clock, I had read five pages
Prepositions – Place (Position and Direction)
In - room, building, street,
town, country, book, paper etc., car, taxi, picture, world
Ex:
- in the
kitchen, in London
- in the book
- in the car,
in a taxi
- in the
picture, in the world
At - meaning next to,
by an object, for table, for events, place where you are to do something
typical (watch a film, study, work)
Ex:
- at the
door, at the station
- at the
table
- at a
concert, at the party
- at the
cinema, at school, at work
On – attached, for a
place with a river, being on a surface, for a certain side (left, right), for a
floor in a house, for public transport, for television, radio
Ex:
- the picture
on the wall
- London lies
on the Thames.
- on the
table
- on the left
- on the
first floor
- on the bus,
on a plane
- on TV, on
the radio
by, next to, beside -
left or right of somebody or something
Ex: Jane is standing by
/ next to / beside the car.
Under - on the ground, lower
than (or covered by) something else
Ex: the bag is under the
table
Below -
lower than something else but above ground
Ex: the fish are below
the surface
Over - covered by something
else, meaning more than, getting to the other side (also across) overcoming an
obstacle
Ex:
- put a
jacket over your shirt
- over 16
years of age
- walk over
the bridge
- climb over
the wall
above - higher than
something else, but not directly over it
Ex: a path above the lake
Across - getting to the other
side (also over), getting to the other side
Ex:
- walk across
the bridge
- swim across
the lake
Through - something
with limits on top, bottom and the sides
Ex: drive through the
tunnel
To - movement to person
or building, movement to a place or country, for bed
Ex:
- go to the
cinema
- go to
London / Ireland
- go to bed
Into - enter a room / a
building
Ex: go into the kitchen / the
house
Towards -
movement in the direction of something (but not directly to it)
Ex: go 5 steps towards
the house
Onto - movement to the top
of something
Ex: jump onto the table
From - in the sense of
where from
Ex: a flower from the
garden
Other important Prepositions
From - who gave it
Ex: a present from Jane
Of - who/what does it
belong to, what does it show
Ex:
- a page of
the book
- the picture
of a palace
by - who made it
Ex: a book by Mark Twain
On - walking or riding on
horseback, entering a public transport vehicle
Ex:
- on foot, on
horseback
- get on the
bus
in - entering a car
/ Taxi
Ex: get in the car
Off- leaving a public
transport vehicle
Ex: get off the
train
out of - leaving a car
/ Taxi
Ex: get out of the
taxi
By - rise or fall of
something , travelling (other than walking or horseriding)
Ex:
- prices have
risen by 10 percent
- by car, by
bus
at - for age
Ex: she learned
Russian at 45
About - for topics, meaning
what about
Ex: we were
talking about you
