Power of Prepositions

Really useful words which give important information.

What is a Preposition?
 A preposition is a word which shows the relationship
between one thing and another.
 It links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in the
sentence.
 The word or phrase that the preposition introduces is
called the object of the sentence.
What can prepositions tell you?
 It may tell you where a thing is in relation to something
else.
Ex: The red apple was on the book.

 Itmay tell you when something is in relation to another

event.
Ex: She refused to leave the house until the postman had
come.
What else can prepositions tell you?
A preposition may tell you the position of
something in relation to something else.
Ex: The brown dog slept beside the white rabbit.
It may also tell you the direction something is
travelling in relation to something else.
Ex: The horseman was riding along the windy
shoreline.
Here are some prepositions.
before behind from beneath

across below down throughout with

past among near above during under

outside toward upon over after through

You can sometimes begin a sentence with a
preposition.
 Without fear, the brave child climbed the tall mountain.
 Under the four poster bed, the lazy cat was having a
snooze.
 Inside the old house there were all sorts of strange looking
people.
 Along the hall crawled the large, spindly spider.
Choosing Prepositions.
 Make sure you choose a preposition which is appropriate.
 Check that it makes sense in your sentence.
 Try to think of alternatives that may be more interesting,
but still mean the same.
How to use a preposition

 Let’s take a look at some examples and how they can be

used!
 “He put the tiles on the wrong wall.”
 “She is going to college in September.”
 “I’ll meet you at 5.30.”
 Prepositions are always used to indicate the relationship of
a noun or phrase to something else. When using a
preposition, you must always have the subject and verb
before it, and follow it with a noun. You should never
follow it with a verb!
Prepositions of position

 You can use prepositions to show where an object is

positioned, in relation to something else, such as whether
it is placed on the surface of something, inside something,
or in another position.
 Some common prepositions of position are:
 On: “She placed the lid on the cooker.”
 Above: “The plane flew over the houses.”
 “In front of: “The books should go in front of the other
items.”
Prepositions of time

 Different prepositions can be used to indicate time in specific ways:

 At: this can be used to indicate a specific time, for example:
 “We are arriving at 22.50.”
 In: this is used to express events taking place during lengthy periods
of time, such as a month or year, for example:
 “They first moved to the country in 1978.”
 “We are going on holiday in March.”
 On: Like “in” this is used for specific points in time – in this case,
you use this preposition to indicate particular dates or days. For
example:
 “He’s moving in on Saturday.”
 “I will need it back on the 17th.”
Most popular prepositions
 up
 down
 near
 far
 by
 at
 around
 close
 always
Don't Confuse "In" and "Into"

 When you want to express motion toward something, use

"into" rather than "in." Reserve "in" for moments when
you want to indicate a location. Here are some examples:
 I swam in the lake. (Indicating location)
 I walked into the pub. (Expressing motion)
 Look in the cupboard. (Indicating location)
 She drove into the city. (Expressing motion)
Try Not to Interchange "Than" and "From"

 We'll close with more of a suggestion than a hard and fast

rule. It deals with the word "different." Try to avoid this:
 You look different than your mother.
 Instead, opt for:
 You look different from your mother.
On:
 Used to express a surface of something
 I put an egg on the kitchen table.
 Used to specify days and dates
 I was born on the 14th day of June in 1988.
 Used to indicate a device or machine, such as a phone or computer
 He is on the phone right now.
 Used to indicate a part of the body
 The stick hit me on my shoulder.
 Used to indicate the state of something
 Everything in this store is on sale.
At:

 Used to point out specific time

 I will meet you at 12 p.m.
 Used to indicate a place
 There were hundreds of people at the park.
 Used to indicate an email address
 Please email me at abc@defg.com.
 Used to indicate an activity
 I am good at drawing a portrait.
IN:
 Used for unspecific times during a day, month, season, year
 The new semester will start in March.
 Used to indicate a location or place
 I am currently staying in a hotel.
 Used to indicate a shape, color, or size
 The students stood in a circle.
 Used to express while doing something
 A catch phrase needs to be impressive in marketing a product.
 Used to indicate a belief, opinion, interest, or feeling
 I believe in the next life.
Of:
 Of (to indicate relating to, belonging to)
 I always dreamed of being famous.
 Of (to indicate reference)
 This is a picture of my last birthday.
 Of (to specify the number or an amount)
 A good number of people understand Hindi.
From:
 From is used to talk about origins, sources, and starting points
 We just got home from work.
 We also use from… to/till/until to describe starting and ending times
 I lived in Brazil from 2009 to 2016.
 From can be used to talk about distance
 We live ten miles from the beach.
 From is sometimes used to express a reason
 I’m sore from the workout I did yesterday.
 From is also used after specific adjectives and verbs
 College is very different from high school.
 He discouraged me from quitting my job.
To:
'To' is one of the most common prepositions in English. The preposition 'to'
also a part of the infinitive form of the verb. For example, these are all
infinitives:
 To do
 To play
 To sing
 The preposition 'to' is also used as a preposition of movement or direction.
'To' is sometimes confused with 'at' or 'in'. Both 'at' and 'in' show the place,
but 'to' shows movement to this place. 
 I live in Boston. Let's meet Tim at the town center for lunch. BUT I drove to Boston.
 Use the preposition 'to' when indicating that there is movement from one
place to another. In other words, the preposition 'to' with verbs such as drive,
walk, go, hike, fly, sail, etc.
 We're flying to San Francisco on Thursday for a meeting.
 The preposition 'to' can also be used to refer to time in the
same sense as the time expressions 'till' or 'until'.
 Meridith worked to (OR until, till) five and then left.
 We're going to wait another three weeks to the end of the month
 When a starting time and a finishing time is mentioned,
use the preposition 'from' to express the beginning and 'to'
for the end.
 We usually work from eight in the morning to five o'clock.
 She played the piano from ten to twelve.
With:
 Used to indicate being together or being involved
 I ordered a sandwich with a drink.
 Used to indicate "having »
 Were you the one talking with an accent?
 Used to indicate "using«
 I wrote a letter with the pen you gave me.
 Used to indicate feeling
 He came to the front stage with confidence.
 Used to indicate agreement or understanding
 She agrees with me.
FOR:
 For (to indicate the reason or because of)
 I am really happy for you.
 For (to indicate the duration or time)
 I attended the session for one year only.
 For (specify the use of something)
 She is preparing for her final exam.
SINCE:
 Since is used to refer to a specific point in time.
 It has been raining since 8 a.m.
BY:
 Used to indicate proximity
 The post office is by the bank.
 Used to indicate the person that does something in a
passive voice sentence
 The flowers were delivered by a postman.
 Used to indicate an action with a particular purpose
 You can pass the exam by preparing for it.
 Used to indicate a mean or method
 You can pass the exam by preparing for it.
INTO:
 ​a position in or inside
 something Come into the house.
 She dived into the water.
 He threw the letter into the fire.(figurative) 
She turned and walked off into the night.​ 
 the direction of something
 Speak clearly into the microphone.
 Driving into the sun, we had to shade our eyes.
OUT OF:
 We use out of to say that something is all gone:
 The printer is out of ink. We need to get some soon.
 [at a restaurant]
 I’m afraid, we’re out of soup.
WITHOUT:
 The preposition without means ‘not having something’ or
‘lacking something’:
 I can’t drink tea without milk.
 I found myself in a strange country, without money and with no one to
turn to.
 When without is followed by a singular countable noun, we
use a/an:
 Don’t go out without a hat. It’s very cold.
 Without + -ing form can also mean ‘if someone does not do
something’:
 I couldn’t get the picture out of the frame without breaking the
glass. (if I did not break the glass)