Course Title: English-III (BSN3-INS) (KMU)

Topic: Prepositions
Prepared & Delivered by: Faisal Habib Afridi
____________________________________________________________________________

What is a Preposition?

 Preposition shows the position

 Preposition creates meaning
 Preposition shows the relation between the known and the unknown
 Preposition shows the direction
 Preposition shows time

Prepositions are keywords that indicate the start of a prepositional phrase. A

prepositional phrase begins with the first preposition in the sentence and ends with
the object or noun of the phrase. For example, “She sat on the red carpet while
reading.” The italicized portion is a prepositional phrase. Generally, prepositional phrases
act as adverbs or adjectives in that they modify either verbs, adverbs, or adjectives. This
section will demonstrate how to use prepositions for time, place, and objects in English.

One point in time

“On,” “at”, and “in” are used to describe a moment in time.

On is used with days:

 I will see you on Monday.

 The week begins on Sunday.
 The prime minister will appear on television tonight.

At is used with noon, night, midnight, and with the time of day:

 My plane leaves at noon.

 The movie starts at 6 p.m.

In is used with other parts of the day, with months, with years, and with seasons:

 He likes to read in the afternoon.

 The days are long in August.
 The book was published in 1999.
 The flowers will bloom in spring
Extended time

To express extended time, English uses the following prepositions: since, for, by,
from—to, from-until, during, (with)in

 She has been gone since yesterday. (She left yesterday and has not returned.)
 The house has been empty for several years. (It has been lying vacant for many
years.)
 The movie showed from August to October. (Beginning in August and ending in
October.)
 The decorations were up from spring until fall. (Beginning in spring and ending
in fall.)
 I watch TV during the evening. (For some period of time in the evening.)
 We must finish the project within a year. (No longer than a year.)

Place
To express notions of place, English uses the following prepositions:
In: to talk about an object being contained.
Inside: to refer more specifically to where the object is contained.
On: to talk about the surface.
At: to talk about a general vicinity.

 There is a wasp in the house. (The wasp is contained in the house.)

 Go look inside the refrigerator. (Inside is used as a specific place, the inside of
the refrigerator.)
 I left your keys on the table. (The keys are on the surface of the table).
 The train has arrived at the station. (The station is a specific location the train is
arrived at)

Higher than a point

To express notions of an object being higher than a point, English uses the following
prepositions: over, above.
Over: to talk about an object that has moved higher and wider than another object.
Above: to talk about an object that has moved higher than another object.

 He threw the ball over the roof. (The ball is somewhere past the height and width
of the roof.)
 Hang that picture above the couch. (The picture should be higher in relation to
the couch.)
Lower than a point
To express notions of an object being lower than a point, English uses the following
prepositions: under, underneath, beneath, below.
Under: to describe an object that is below a general point
Underneath: to describe something that is below a more specific point
Beneath: to describe an object that is directly below another object
Below: to describe an object that is lower or less than another object or point

 The rabbit burrowed under the ground. (The rabbit is somewhere underground.)
 The child hid underneath the blanket. (The child hid in a more specific place, a blanket.)
 We relaxed in the shade beneath the branches. (The shade lies specifically right below
the branches.)
 The valley is below sea-level. (The valley is somewhere lower than sea-level)

Close to a point
To describe an object as being close to a point, English uses the following
prepositions: near, by, next to, between, among, opposite.

 She lives near the school. (She lives in close proximity to the school.)
 There is an ice cream shop by the store. (The ice cream shop is very close to the store.)
 An oak tree grows next to my house. (An oak tree grows beside the house, likely in the
yard.)
 The house is between Elm Street and Maple Street. (Elm and Maple Street sandwich
the house).
 I found my pen lying among the books. (The pen could be anywhere around the area
that the books occupy.)
 The bathroom is opposite that room. (Similar to “next to,” opposite means that the
bathroom faces the room, rather than adjoins.)

To introduce objects of verbs

An object of a verb adds specificity to the verb. In terms of prepositional objects, the
object is introduced by a preposition. For example, in the sentence, “They
fought about the old chair,” which object did they fight over? The chair. When
introducing objects of verbs, there are some prepositions that directly follow specific
verbs. Below are some examples:
“AT” IS USED WITH THE FOLLOWING VERBS: GLANCE, LAUGH, LOOK, REJOICE, SMILE,
STARE

 She glanced at her reflection.

(exception with mirror: She glanced in the mirror.)
 You didn't laugh at his joke.
 I'm looking at the computer monitor.
 We rejoiced at his safe rescue.
 That pretty girl smiled at you.
 Stop staring at me.
“OF” IS USED WITH THE FOLLOWING VERBS: APPROVE, CONSIST, SMELL, ENVIOUS

 I don't approve of his speech.

 My contribution to the article consists of many pages.
 He came home smelling of alcohol.
 I am envious of them.

“OF” (OR “ABOUT”) IS USED WITH THE FOLLOWING VERBS: DREAM, THINK

 I dream of finishing college in four years.

 Can you think of a number between one and ten?
 I am thinking about this problem.

“FOR” IS USED WITH THE FOLLOWING VERBS: CALL, APPLY, HOPE, LOOK, WAIT,
WATCH, WISH

 Did someone call for a taxi?

 He hopes for a raise in salary next year.
 I'm looking for my keys.
 We'll wait for her here.
 You go buy the tickets, and I'll watch for the train.
 If you wish for an "A" in this class, you must work hard.
 She has not applied for this post.

Some examples of the different prepositions used in different

sentences: (IMPORTANT)
1. The plane was not allowed to take off because of bad weather conditions.

2. He is diagnosed with cancer.

3. We are accountable to God for our actions.
4. She is angry with you.
5. Javeria is traveling towards the school.
6. Saba is afraid of spiders.

7. I am worried about the examination.

8. He looks upset, I think he took the criticism to heart.
9. She suffers from heart disease.
10. Smoking is injurious to health.
11. The teacher seemed to be irritated with me.
12. He has copied this letter word by word.
Prepositions of Spatial Relationship

Above
Write your name above the line.

Across
Draw a line across the page.

Against
She leans against the tree.

Ahead of
The girl is ahead of the boy.
Along
There is lace along the edge of the cloth.

Among
He is among the trees.

Around
Draw a circle around the answer.

Behind
The boy is behind the girl.

Below
Write your name below the line.
Beneath
He sat beneath the tree.

Beside
The girl is standing beside the boy.

Between
She is between two trees.

From
He came from the house.
In front of
The girl is in front of the boy.

Inside
He is inside the house.

Near
There is a tree near the house.

Off
His hat is off.
Out of
He came out of the house.

Through
She went through the door.

Toward
She is walking toward the house

Under
He is hiding under the table
Within
Please mark only within the circle.