Prepositions

Objectives

Ms. SI-AHMED
 Read the following sentences

• I took a photo of the boys.

• I took a photo of the class.
• I took a photo of the evening sky.

A preposition is a word that relates its object to some other words in the sentence.
Ms. SI-AHMED
  List of words we often use as preposition

• About • Before • Down • Of • To

• Above • Behind • During • Off • Toward
• Across • Below • For • On • Under
• After • Beneath • From • Onto • Underneath
• Against • Beside • In • Out • Until
• Along • Between • Inside • Outside • Up
• Among • Beyond • Into • Over • Upon
• Around • But • Like • Past • With
• At • by • near • Through • without
 Read the following sentences.

1. Ann put her books on the desk.

2. A leaf fell to the ground.

Ms. SI-AHMED
 Prepositional phrase

S V O Prep O of Prep

Ann put her books on the desk.

Prepositional phrase

S V Prep O of Prep

A leaf fell to the ground. S: Subject

V: Verb
O: Object
Prep: Preposition

Ms. SI-AHMED
  Preposition of time
Prep Rule Example

IN A- In + the past, the present, the future A- Please be on time in the future
B- In + the morning, the afternoon, the evening B- I usually watch TV in the evening

A Month C- I was born in (October), (1985), (twentieth

C- In + A year century) (summer)
Century
A season
on On + a date I was born on October 31, 1985
On + a weekday I went to a movie on Thursday
On + a weekday morning(s), afternoon(s), I have class on Thursday morning
evening(s)
AT At + noon, night, midnight We sleep at night
At + “clock time” I fell asleep at 9:30
At + present, the moment, the present time He’s busy at present
Ms. SI-AHMED
Generally Refers
to longer period In

Generally refers to a
particular day On
From too
general to
Generally refers to exact
At
(clock) time too specific.

Ms. SI-AHMED
 Exercise

1. We don’t know what will happen ………. the future.

2. I am a student ___ the present time.
3. I usually take a walk ___ the morning before I go to work.
4. I got home____ midnight.
5. I moved to this city ____ September.

Ms. SI-AHMED
6. I moved here ____ September 2001. (September 3)

7. I moved here _____ September 3, 2001.

8. I go to work ______ six o’clock _______ the morning____ Tuesday.

Ms. SI-AHMED
 Answers

1. In
2. at
3. In
4. at
5. In
6. In
7. On
8. at, in
  Between and among

• We use between when we speak of two persons or things.

• We use among when we speak of three or more.

EX
• Choose between these two programs.
• The next games is between the Jefferson High team and us.
• We will divide the job among Nancy, you and me.
Ms. SI-AHMED
  Preposition of place

The cat is inside the closet.

to
I’m in a telephone box. Inside (In)
To a destination.
From
My car is parked outside the outside From a starting point.
house.
Inside emphasize physical enclosure

By • He parked the care in

Put the lamp by the armchair. In front of
Beside front of the house.
I want it beside the settee.
Next to • The cat was hiding Behind
Sit next to john.
behind the door. Ms. SI-AHMED
 The children ran up and
Up Down Across
down the stairs.
Along
above
Over Drive along the road.
Walk across the road.
Under below
Through

The picture is on the wall. On He went through

the doorway.
Take your tools off the table.
Off

At the end of the street. Towards

AT
Meet me at the airport/ at the station. Drive towards paris

it’s wider at the bottom than at the He was driving away from the coast.
Away From
top.
At is not used with names of cities or countries.
At refers to a static position. These show Direction Only. Ms. SI-AHMED
Continent (Africa),
Countries (France),
cities (Paris),
In
enclosed space (a
Car)

Streets (Columbus),
avenues (seventh avenue), On
means of transports (bus),
communication (Radio)
From Bigger to smallest

At
Addresses (456 state Street)
Specific location (Station)
 Exercise

1.Astronauts walked ___ the moon in 1969.

2.Sarah looked ___ the picture.
3.Sarah saw a picture ___ a wall.
4.Emily waited for her friend ___ the restaurant.
5.Yesterday afternoon I went ___ the airport to meet Pierre who
was coming ___ Paris.

Ms. SI-AHMED
 Answers

1. on
2. at
3. on
4. at
5. To, from
Prepositional Phrase

Prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a

preposition and ends with its object. Words that modify the
Object is part of the sentence.
Prepositional phrase

1. Mary Kay’s house Is on the corner.

2. We rode in an old, broken-down bus. Compound Subject

Prepositional phrase
Ms. SI-AHMED
  Preposition or Adverb

• Several words that are used as prepositions are also used as adverbs
e.g.
1. Please stand by. 2. We’ve met before today.
• Please stand by the window • We’ve met before.

If you are not sure whether a word is as adverb or a preposition, look at how it is
used. If it is at the of a sentence is probably an adverb. If it is followed with other
words is probably a preposition.
Ms. SI-AHMED
1. We looked up.
We looked up the chimney.

2. The children ran around.

The children ran around the track.

3. Don’t come near.

don’t come near me.

Ms. SI-AHMED
 Word order: Place and time

S V Place Time

Ann moved to Paris in 1998.

S V O P T

We bought a house in Miami in 1995.

In a typical English « place » comes before « Time ».

Ms. SI-AHMED
 Time S V Place

In 1998, Ann move to Paris.

Time S V Place

In February, we went to Bejaya.

Expressions of time can also come at the beginning of a

sentence. A time phrase at the beginning of a sentence is often
followed by a comma (,).

 Create a sentence from the given words. Add propositions as necessary.

• Paris/we/ July/ went

We went to Paris in February. / in February, we went to Paris.
Ms. SI-AHMED