Chapter 5: Prepositions – Learn English Grammar

5.1 What Are Prepositions?

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in a sentence. It indicates time, place, direction, manner, cause, or possession.

Examples:

  • The book is on the table. (on shows the relationship between “book” and “table”)
  • We met after lunch. (after shows a time relationship between “met” and “lunch”)
  • She walked towards the park. (towards shows the direction of movement)
prepositions - learn grammar

5.2 Types of Prepositions

1. Prepositions of Place (Where?)

These prepositions indicate position or location.

PrepositionMeaningExample
InInside a spaceShe is in the room.
OnOn the surfaceThe phone is on the table.
AtA specific pointWe met at the bus stop.
UnderBeneathThe cat is under the chair.
OverAbove without touchingThe plane flew over the city.
BetweenIn the middle of two thingsThe park is between the school and the mall.
BehindAt the backHe is behind the door.
Next toBesideShe sat next to me.

Examples in sentences:

  • The books are on the shelf.
  • The dog is sleeping under the bed.
  • My school is near the hospital.

2. Prepositions of Time (When?)

These prepositions indicate time relationships.

PrepositionMeaningExample
InMonths, years, centuries, long periodsWe were born in July.
OnDays, dates, specific occasionsShe arrived on Monday.
AtSpecific timesThe train leaves at 5 PM.
ByBefore a deadlineFinish your homework by 8 PM.
BeforeEarlier than somethingWe met before the show.
AfterLater than somethingThey left after dinner.
SinceFrom a point in time until nowI have lived here since 2015.
ForDuration of timeShe stayed for two weeks.

Examples in sentences:

  • We will meet at 6 PM.
  • My birthday is on January 10.
  • He has been working here since 2020.

3. Prepositions of Direction or Movement (Where to?)

These show the direction of movement.

PrepositionMeaningExample
ToTowards a destinationShe is going to school.
IntoMovement insideHe went into the room.
OntoMovement onto a surfaceThe cat jumped onto the table.
FromStarting pointWe came from London.
TowardsIn the direction ofHe ran towards me.
Out ofLeaving a placeShe walked out of the house.

Examples in sentences:

  • He ran towards the exit.
  • She got into the car.
  • The ball rolled onto the road.

4. Prepositions of Manner (How?)

These show the way something happens.

Examples:

  • He solved the problem with ease.
  • She looked at him in anger.
  • They traveled by car.

Common Prepositions of Manner:

  • By (by train, by car)
  • With (with a knife, with care)
  • In (in fear, in silence)

5. Prepositions of Cause, Reason, and Purpose

These show why something happens.

Examples:

  • He was absent because of illness.
  • She got a reward for her hard work.
  • The flight was delayed due to bad weather.

Common Prepositions for Cause:

  • Because of
  • Due to
  • Owing to
  • For

6. Prepositions of Possession

These show ownership or relationship.

Examples:

  • The keys of the house are missing.
  • He is a friend of mine.

Common Prepositions of Possession:

  • Of
  • With
  • To

7. Prepositions in Phrasal Verbs

Prepositions are often part of phrasal verbs (verb + preposition).

Examples:

  • Look after (take care of) → She looks after her brother.
  • Get over (recover from) → He got over his illness.
  • Give up (quit) → He gave up smoking.
Exercises

Exercises

A. Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition of place:

  1. The keys are ___ the table.
  2. She is waiting ___ the bus stop.
  3. The cat is hiding ___ the couch.
  4. There is a beautiful park ___ my house.
  5. The boy sat ___ the chair.

B. Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition of time:

  1. My birthday is ___ July.
  2. We will meet ___ 6 PM.
  3. She was born ___ 2002.
  4. The concert is ___ Friday.
  5. He has lived here ___ five years.

C. Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition of movement:

  1. We are going ___ school.
  2. She walked ___ the door.
  3. The ball rolled ___ the hill.
  4. He jumped ___ the river.
  5. The bird flew ___ the tree.

D. Identify the prepositions in these sentences:

  1. She is sitting between her two friends.
  2. The book is on the table.
  3. He was absent because of illness.
  4. They ran towards the exit.
  5. The bus arrives at 9 AM.
Answers

Answers

A. Prepositions of Place:

  1. on
  2. at
  3. under
  4. near
  5. on

B. Prepositions of Time:

  1. in
  2. at
  3. in
  4. on
  5. for

C. Prepositions of Movement:

  1. to
  2. through
  3. down
  4. into
  5. over

D. Identifying Prepositions:

  1. between
  2. on
  3. because of
  4. towards
  5. at
Author

Written by Amlan Das Karmakar

Amlan Das Karmakar, aka Phoenix (https://itsamlan.com) is a professional Web Developer and Designer and Linux System Administrator. He has expertise in HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (latest ECMA), PWA Development, PHP, Node.JS, Python, Bash Scripting, NGiNX Server, REST API, MySQL Database, MongoDB Database, GIT Version Control System, Bind9 DNS Server, CoTURN Signalling Server, WebRTC, FFMPEG, RTMP, HLS, MPEG DASH, Bubblewrap, TWA Development, Apache Cordova, ElectronJS based multi-platform Software Development. He has expertise in handling both Debian-based Linux Distributions like Ubuntu 22.04 and Fedora-based Linux Distributions like CentOS 8 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux. He was also listed in Google Hall of Fame in 2017 (https://bughunters.google.com/profile/e755e2c0-235d-41b6-893b-d64486bb771f/awards). He is the Co-founder of Bengal Web Solution (https://bengalwebsolution.com) and has been working there as the Head, Dept. of Web and App Development, AI and ML Deployment since 2011. In StackOverflow (https://stackoverflow.com/users/3195021/phoenix), he has 2626 Reputation, 4 Gold Badges, 16 Silver Badges and 20 Bronze Badges as of 19th Feb. 2023, 5:30pm (GMT +5:30). He completed his Masters in English from the Vidyasagar University and ranked among the toppers with 1st class. He graduated from The University of Burdwan with English (Hons.) earlier in 2017.

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