KAORI ENGLISH COURSE

Day :4
Topic : Prepositions, WH Questions & Comparison Degrees
Time : 13.30 – 16.30 (Batch 2)
Tutor : Abd Majid, M.Ed

A. Prepositions
A preposition is a word or group of words used before a noun, pronoun or noun phrase to show
direction, time, place, location, spatial relationships, or to introduce an object. Some examples
of prepositions are words like in, at, on, of, and to.
Prepositions in English are highly idiomatic. Although there are some rules for usage, much
preposition usage is dictated by fixed expressions. In these cases, it is best to memorize the
phrase instead of the individual preposition.
1. Preposition of Time
To refer to one point in time, use the prepositions "in," "at," and "on."
➢ Use "in" with parts of the day (not specific times), months, years, and seasons.
• He reads in the evening.
• The weather is cold in December.
• She was born in 1996.
• We rake leaves in the fall.
➢ Use "at" with the time of day. Also use "at" with noon, night, and midnight.
• I go to work at 8:00.
• He eats lunch at noon.
• She often goes for a walk at night.
• They go to bed at midnight.
➢ Use "on" with days.
• I work on Saturdays.
• He does laundry on Wednesdays.
➢ To refer to extended time, use the prepositions "since," "for," "by," "during,"
"from…to," "from…until," "with," and "within."
• I have lived in Minneapolis since 2005. (I moved there in 2005 and still live there.)
• He will be in Toronto for 3 weeks. (He will spend 3 weeks in Toronto.)
• She will finish her homework by 6:00. (She will finish her homework sometime
between now and 6:00.)
• He works part time during the summer. (For the period of time throughout the
summer.)
• I will collect data from January to June. (Starting in January and ending in June.)
• They are in school from August until May. (Starting in August and ending in May.)
• She will graduate within 2 years. (Not longer than 2 years.)
2. Preposition of Place
➢ To refer to a place, use the prepositions "in" (the point itself), "at" (the general vicinity),
"on" (the surface), and "inside" (something contained).
• They will meet in the lunchroom.
• She was waiting at the corner.
• He left his phone on the bed.
• Place the pen inside the drawer.

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 ➢ To refer to an object higher than a point, use the prepositions "over" and "above." To
refer to an object lower than a point, use the prepositions "below," "beneath," "under,"
and "underneath."
• The bird flew over the house.
• The plates were on the shelf above the cups.
• Basements are dug below ground.
• There is hard wood beneath the carpet.
• The squirrel hid the nuts under a pile of leaves.
• The cat is hiding underneath the box.
➢ To refer to an object close to a point, use the prepositions "by," "near," "next to,"
"between," "among," and "opposite."
• The gas station is by the grocery store.
• The park is near her house.
• Park your bike next to the garage.
• There is a deer between the two trees.
• There is a purple flower among the weeds.
• The garage is opposite the house.
3. Preposition of Direction
To refer to a direction, use the prepositions "to," "in," "into," "on," and "onto."
• She drove to the store.
• Don’t ring the doorbell. Come right in(to) the house.
• Drive on(to) the grass and park the car there.
4. Preposition of Location
To refer to a location, use the prepositions "in" (an area or volume), "at" (a point), and "on"
(a surface).
• They live in the country. (an area)
• She will find him at the library. (a point)
• There is a lot of dirt on the window. (a surface)
5. Preposition of Spatial Relationship
To refer to a spatial relationship, use the prepositions "above," "across," "against," "ahead
of," "along," "among," "around," "behind," "below,"
"beneath," "beside," "between," "from," "in front of," "inside," "near," "off," "out of,"
"through," "toward," "under," and "within."
• The post office is across the street from the grocery store.
• We will stop at many attractions along the way.
• The kids are hiding behind the tree.
• His shirt is off.
• Walk toward the garage and then turn left.
• Place a check mark within the box.

Exercises:
Fill in the correct prepositions. (about – at – by - for – from – in – of – on – to – with)
1. She learned Russian at the age of 45.
2. The book was written by Mark Twain.
3. I’ll show you the picture of the palace.
4. We can only get to the camp on foot.
5. He reminds me of his old history teacher.
6. What are you talking about?
7. By the end of next year we will have made over £ 100,000.
8. She always gets up early in the morning and goes to bed late at night.
9. I went to work on Tuesday but I didn’t go on Friday.

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 10. You’ll have to wait. He’ll be with you in a minute.
11. Philip waited for her at the movie theatre.
12. He started learning English in 2005.
13. You have to pay for the tickets on the day you order them.
14. We are very proud of this company.
15. It’s very kind of you to help us.
16. The old man suffered from a heart attack.
17. Please write in pencil.
18. It’s about time you told him the truth.
19. The manager didn’t take part in the discussion.
20. He’s very good at telling jokes.

Notes:
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B. WH Questions
We use question words to ask certain types of questions. We often refer to these words as WH
words because they include the letters WH (for example Why, How, etc.).
Question Words Function Example Sentence
asking for information about something What is your name?
what What? I can't hear you.
asking for repetition or confirmation
You did what?
when asking about time When did he leave?
where asking in or at what place or position Where do they live?
who asking what or which person or people (subject) Who opened the door?
why asking for reason, asking what...for Why do you say that?
asking about manner How does this work?
how
asking about condition or quality How was your exam?

Exercises:
Fill in the question words What, Where, Why, When, How, Who to form the question.
1. __________ do you like best?
2. __________ does Manolo get up in the morning?
3. __________ don t́ you go by bus, Cristina?
4. __________ hobbies does Carlos like?
5. __________ do they go to every week?
6. __________ old are you Silvia?
7. __________ is Maria ś birthday?
8. __________ are my exercise books?
9. __________ are you doing at the moment, Harry?
10. __________ do the Petersons live?

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C. Comparisons Degrees
Adjectives and adverbs can be used to make comparisons. The comparative form is used to
compare two people, ideas, or things. The superlative form with the word "the" is used to
compare three or more. Comparatives and superlatives are often used in writing to hedge or
boost language.
In English grammar, there are three degrees of comparison and they are:
1. Positive Degree of Comparison
The positive degree of comparison is basically the original form of the adjective. This degree
does not allow you to make any comparison. It only gives the audience the information about
a particular quality possessed by a noun.
For example:
• Lisa is happy.
• This dress is pretty.
• He looks handsome.
• Meena is tired.
• The sun is bright.
2. Comparative Degree of Comparison
The comparative degree of comparison is used to compare between two nouns that have
the same quality or the particular quality of a noun at two different times. It shows which
one of the two has the greater or lesser degree of the particular quality being referred to.
For example:
• Tina looks sadder than Katie.
• This bed is more comfortable than the other bed.
• The sun is brighter than yesterday.
• Your hair is longer than hers.
• My brother is taller than me.
3. Superlative Degree of Comparison
The superlative degree of comparison is the highest degree of comparison. It is used to
compare the similar qualities shared by more than two nouns. It shows which of these nouns
being compared has the greatest or least degree of the mentioned quality or qualities.
For example:
• We climbed the highest mountain.
• The last group was the best of all.
• The Himalayas are the longest mountain ranges.
• Sanjana is the tallest girl in our gang.
• Adharsh is the most silent boy in class.

How Do You Use Degrees of Comparison? – Rules and Points to Remember

Like every other grammatical component in English, there are some rules and points you will have
to remember when using the degrees of comparison. Take a look at the following.
• The first thing that you should remember about degrees of comparison is that they are used
to compare adjectives and adverbs.
• The positive degree of comparison is the base form of the adjective or adverb and does not
allow any comparison.
• The comparative degree of comparison is used to compare two nouns that possess or do not
possess the same qualities. It is mostly indicated by the addition of ‘-er’ to the end of the
adjective.
• The comparative degree of comparison is always indicated by the addition of ‘than’ after the
comparative form of the adjective.

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 • The superlative degree of comparison is used to show which of the nouns possess the
greatest or least of the quality or qualities. It is indicated by the use of the article ‘the’
before the adjective and the addition of ‘-est’ to the end of the adjective.
• Make sure you retain the adjuncts that are there in the sentence when you are using the
comparative or superlative degree of comparison.

Take a look at the following examples of how degrees of comparison can be used.
Positive Degree of
Comparison
Santana is tall.
She is pretty.
Sam is intelligent.
The food here is as good as
the other restaurants in the
city.
He is smart.
This book is interesting.
Rinita has a big house.
The dresses in this boutique
are expensive.
The weather today is bad.
My friend, Bindhu, looks
happy.
Superlative Degree of
Comparative Degree of Comparison
Comparison
Santana is the tallest of all
Santana is taller than Brittany.
the girls.
She is prettier than her sister. She is the prettiest.
Sam is the most intelligent
Sam is more intelligent than Tina.
kid in class.
The food here is better than the The food here is the best of
other restaurants in the city. all the restaurants in the city.
He is smarter than Geetha. He is the smartest.
This book is more interesting than This book is the most
the other books I have read. interesting book I have read.
Rinita has a bigger house than Seena. Rinita has the biggest house.
The dresses in this boutique are more
The dresses in this boutique
expensive than the boutiques in the
are the most expensive.
city.
The weather today is worse than The weather today is the
yesterday. worst.
My friend, Bindhu, looks happier My friend, Bindhu, looks the
than my other friends. happiest.

Notes:
Before you look at examples, just keep in mind that the rule to add ‘-er’ and ‘-est’ to form
the comparative and superlative degree of comparison does not remain the same with
every adjective. The different types include,
• Type 1 – Doubling the final consonant of a monosyllabic adjective and adding ‘-er’ and
‘-est’.
Positive Comparative Superlative
Big Bigger Biggest
Thin Thinner Thinnest
Fat Fatter Fattest
Dim Dimmer Dimmest

• Type 2 – Adding ‘-er’ and ‘-est’ to monosyllabic adjectives in which the last consonant
is preceded by another consonant or two vowels.
Positive Comparative Superlative
Bright Brighter Brightest
Short Shorter Shortest

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 Weak Weaker Weakest
Long Longer Longest
Smart Smarter Smartest

• Type 3 – Adding ‘-r’ and ‘-st’ to adjectives ending in ‘e’.

Positive Comparative Superlative
Large Larger Largest
Close Closer Closest
Dense Denser Densest
Humble Humbler Humblest
Simple Simpler Simplest

• Type 4 – Adding -ier’ and ‘-iest’ to adjectives ending in ‘y’.

Positive Comparative Superlative
Funny Funnier Funniest
Happy Happier Happiest
Dry Drier Driest
Lazy Lazier Laziest
Easy Easier Easiest

• Type 5 – Adding ‘more’ and ‘most’ to polysyllabic adjectives.

Positive Comparative Superlative
Comfortable More comfortable Most comfortable
Beautiful More beautiful Most beautiful
Sensible More sensible Most sensible
Ignorant More ignorant Most ignorant
Attractive More attractive Most attractive

• Type 6 – Irregular adjectives

Positive Comparative Superlative
Good Better Best
Bad Worse Worst
Far Further/Farther Furthest/Farthest
Late Later(time)/Latter(position) Latest(time)/Last(position)
Much More Most
Little Less Least
Many More Most
Old Elder/Older EldestOldest

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Exercises:
Check out if you have used the right form of the adjective from the answers given below.
1. Thiya is smarter than most of her friends.
2. Nobody is as good as you.
3. Princy was the most elegant of all.
4. Haritha is taller than her brother.
5. The most recent movie was excellent.
6. Mount Everest is the highest peak.
7. F.R.I.E.N.D.S. is the most watched series.
8. Sam is happier than Tina.
9. Artie is a patient kid.
10. These maths problems are easy.

Complete the sentences with the comparative or superlative form of the adjectives in brackets.
1.- My sister is _____________ my brother. (intelligent)
2.- The blue whale is ____________ animal. (big)
3.- Iceland is ___________ Spain (cold)
4.- This is ___________ book I’ve ever read. (good)
5.- My neighbor is _________ person I know (lucky)
6.- Friday is the __________ day of the week. (busy)
7.- These trainers are much ____________ those. (cheap)
8.- Frank works __________ most people. (hard)
9.- I’m __________ at English than you. (good)
10.- Today has been _________ day of the year. (hot)
11.- This is __________ CD I’ve ever listened. (bad)
12.- English is __________ Japanese. (easy)
13.- Which mountain is ___________ in the world. (high)
14.- John is _________ his brother. (clever)
15.- English is _________ Latin. (useful)
16.- What is ___________ word in English? (common)
17.- The Nile is ___________ river in the world. (long)
18.- This is my __________ brother. Mary is their _________ daughter (old, old)
19.- That skyscraper is one of __________ buildings in the city. (tall)
20.- The first exercise was easy but this one is ________. (difficult)

Notes:
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D. References
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/grammar/prepositions
https://www.ef.co.id/englishfirst/adults/blog/akademik-english-dan-persiapan-tes-
inggris/macam-macam-preposition-dalam-bahasa-inggris/
https://www.english-grammar.at/worksheets/prepositions/prep1.pdf
https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/sites/default/files/attachments/files/PrepositionChart.pdf
https://byjus.com/english/degrees-of-comparison/
https://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/wh-question-words.htm