PREPOSITIONS

Everything about Life is Relational

• From the moment of birth to final breath,
relationships comprise our lives. A child is born into
the world. He/she is born to parents. If the child has
siblings he/she grows along with them. When a
person leaves the world he goes to the grave. Apart
from relationships, we also know that everything in
the world exists in relation to something else: For
instance the fruit is on the tree. The tree is rooted in
the ground. The branches of a tree are above the
ground and they seem to branch into the sky. You
might have learnt about the food chain in your biology
class
• FROM
• TO
• INTO
• TO
• ALONG
• TO
• ON
• IN
• ABOVE
• INTO
• The sun shines ------ the earth. The moisture rises -------- from the earth
------- the atmosphere, where clouds are formed and the rain which
from the clouds falls -------the earth, nourishing the grass and herbs.
Herbivores feed------- grass and plants, while carnivores -----the forest
feed----- these herbivores and other creatures.
• ON
• UP
• INTO
• ON
• ON
• IN
• ON
• A preposition is a word that indicates the relationship between a
noun and the other words of a sentence. They explain relationships of
sequence, space, and logic between the object of the sentence and
the rest of the sentence. They help us understand order, time
connections, and positions.
Prepositions Explanations Example

On Days Many shops don't open

on Sundays

In months / seasons / year I visited Italy in July, in spring,

morning / evening / in 1994 In the evenings, I like
afternoon period of time to relax. This is the first
cigarette I've had in three
years.

At Night weekend (British It gets cold at night. What did

English) used to show an you do at the weekend?
exact or a particular time: There's a meeting at 2.30 this
afternoon / at lunch time
For used to show an amount I'm just going to bed for
of time. an hour or so

Ago back in the past; back in The dinosaurs died out 65

time from the present million years ago

Since from a particular time in England have not won

the past until a later the World Cup in football
time, or until now since 1966

Before at or during a time earlier She's always up before

than dawn.

TO used when saying the It's twenty to six.

time, to mean before the
stated hour
PAST telling the time Five past ten

TO until a particular time, It's only two weeks to

marking end of a period Christmas
of time
TILL/UNTIL up to (the time that) We waited till / until half
past six for you

FROM used to show the time The museum is open from

when something starts 9.30 to 6.00 Tuesday to
Sunday.
BY not later than; at or She had promised to be
before back by five o'clock
Fill in the blanks with “in/on/at”.

• 1. When you are_______ the road, obey traffic rules.

• 2. Stop _______ traffic junctions, when the signal turns red.
• 3. Do not touch any un-attended baggage _______ the rail or bus
• stations.
• 4. He is _______ Kerala at the moment.
• 5. Why don’t you sit _______ the floor?
• 6. We met her _______ the IIT in New Delhi.
We use from to indicate the beginning and to /till/until to indicate the
end of an action.

• Children started playing cricket from 3 p.m.

• Children played cricket from 3 p.m to 6 p.m.
• The crowd cheered until the end of the game.
• Goodbye till we meet again.
• We use by to mean not later than the time mentioned.
• Can you return the book by Monday
• We use by to mean near, at the side of or beside somebody or something.
• She sat by the phone and waited for the call.
• He stood by the door.
Complete the sentences using above, below, opposite, under, over or
between.

• 1) The baby elephant is _______ the two big elephants.

• 2) There is a painting _______ the T.V.
• 3) The aircraft is flying _______ the clouds.
• 4) The man is standing _______ the aircraft.
• 5) We made the shelves in the space _______ the
window.
• 6) The two men are pulling in the _______ direction.
Choose the correct prepositions.

• 1) We are late. So you think we should go in /by a taxi?

• 2) She is living by/with an old classmate of hers.
• 3) Are you looking for a jar by/with a handle?
• 4) The dog sat at/by the fireplace.
• 5) The water level in the dam rose at/by 2 cms every
hour.
• 6) Do you know anything of/about their plan?
Complete the sentences using until or by.

• 1 )Can you mail the report to me _______ Monday morning?

• 2) Let us wait _______ Dad comes back home.
• 3) Would you like to wait in this cabin _______ the manager is in?
• 4) I don’t think I can reach you _______ 8 p.m.
• What two things can you never eat for breakfast?
• Lunch and dinner.
•  What goes up but never ever comes down?
• Your age.
• How can a girl go 25 days without sleep?
• She sleeps at night.
•  How do you make the number one disappear?
• Add the letter G and it’s “gone”!
•  How many months have 28 days?
• All 12!
• Which weighs more, a kilo of feathers or a kilo of bricks?
• Neither. They both weigh exactly one kilo.
• What is black when it’s clean and white when it’s dirty?
• A chalkboard