DOMAINE OF LIFE 1: FAMILY AND SOCIAL LIFE

SITUATION: Using language to talk about locations.

CATEGORIES OF ACTIONS: Reading and Writing
ACTIONS: Identify prepositions and prepositional phrases and complete sentences with appropriate prepositions or
prepositional phrases.
EXPECTED OUTCOME: By the end of this lesson, learners will be able to identify prepositions and prepositional
phrases and complete sentences with them.
PREPOSITIONS
1. Definition and example
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.
Example: Alima was born in Batouri.
There are five main types of preposition: prepositions for place; prepositions for direction (movement); prepositions
for time; prepositions for method (instrument/manner); and prepositional verb.
2. Structures and examples
2.1.Prepositions for place
- ‘in’ is mostly used for place having some sort of (physical or virtual) boundary or enclosed space. It is used
with towns, cities, villages, countries, rooms, etc. e.g.: I live in Bonis.
- ‘on’ is usually used for the surface of something. E.g.: The pen is on the table.
- ‘at’/ ‘above’ (when the two objects are not touching) is used for a point or a specific and precise place. E.g.:
I met my former fiend at the entrance of the school.
- ‘in front of’ is used when the object is facing you. E.g.: The board is in front of students.
- Before;after;behind;beside/next to;between;under;near/close to;out/outside;etc.
2.2.Prepositions for direction
These prepositions show the direction or movement of something or someone.
- ‘across’: going from one side of an area, surface, or line to the other side. E.g.: I drew a line across the
paper.
- ‘through’: moving from an enclosed space to the other side. E.g.: The pen went out through the window.
- ‘along’: to follow a line. E.g.: We walked along the road.
- ‘around’: to go in a circular direction around some obstacle. E.g.: We walked around the lake.
- Into/out of; onto; up/down; over/under; towards; etc.
2.3.Prepositions for time
There are three prepositions in English that are used with time: in, at, on.
- ‘in’ for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS. E.g. We celebrated ‘Moinam’ festival in
2021. N.B. In the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening.
- ‘at’ for a PRECISE TIME. E.g.: Ngondo traditional dance started at 3p.m. N.B. at night.
- ‘on’ for DAYS and specific DATES. E.g.: Learners are free on Sunday.
2.4.Prepositions of manner
Prepositions of Manner is all about how a certain thing happened or is done. These include words like on, by, with,
like, as, as if, in, etc.
The most commonly used Prepositions of Manner are “by” and “with”.
By is used as –By + noun OR By + -ing + noun. E.g.: Some were dancing by shaking hips.
With is used as – with + noun. E.g. He talked to me with happiness.
2.5.Prepositional verbs: verbs always followed by prepositions.
 Some common verbs
Agree with, listen to, wait for, apologise for, suffer from, believe in, involve in, succeed in, depend on, rely on, base
on, refer to, talk to, deal with, apply for, vote for, pay for, etc.
Consolidation: Exercises 2 and 3 page 59, Interactions In English: Student’s book, Tle.
Source: adapted from Free English Grammar E-Book Level 2