1 of 15

Subject :ENGLISH�Subject code :4300002�

Author : YATHARTH N. VAIDHYA

Lecturer in English

Government Polytechnic, Rajkot

2 of 15

PREPOSITIONS

LET’S BEGIN

In this unit, you will understand the concepts and usage of different prepositions.

A preposition is a word which is placed before a noun or pronoun.

It shows different kinds of relationships usually of place,

movement, time, position, direction, means of transport, etc.

3 of 15

In:

For a three dimensional place, we use ‘in’ for someone/something inside it.

Example: I prefer to study in the room.

When we talk about a place as an area, we use ‘in’.

Example: I live in Delhi.

On:

We use ‘on’ as a preposition when we emphasize an object/person placed over a surface.

In this case, there is a contact between two objects/persons.

Example: The cat is on the char.

The ball is on the box.

4 of 15

At:

For place as a point, we use ‘at’.

Example: Our train stops at pune.

Out of:

When something/someone goes out of something/somewhere, ‘out of’ is used as a preposition.

Example: I am out of tub now.

5 of 15

Off :

As a preposition, ‘off’ is used to imply that the object is no longer on the surface.

Example: The cat has jumped off the box.

Inside is the opposite of out side

Example: The man is inside the café. Now he is outside the café.

Inside/outside:

6 of 15

Above, over :

‘ Above’ and ‘over’, are used for the things/persons in a higher position while ‘below’ and ‘under are used

for the things/persons in a lower position.

When we want to describe the position of something vertically, we use ‘over’ and ‘unde.

Example: The ball is over the box.

The cat is sleeping under the chair.

Over/under:

7 of 15

‘Over’ also means ‘covering’ and under means ‘covered by’.

Example: Put a scarf over your jacket.

Example: Wear a shirt under your coat.

Above/ below:

When we want to describe higher and lower positions(but not necessarily the vertical position) we use ‘above’ and ‘below’.

Example: The valley below the hill is dangerous.

The path above the lake is beautiful.

‘above’ and ‘below’ are used to talk about levels.

Example: below average, above the standard.

‘under’ is used to talk about power/control.

Example: under control, under power

8 of 15

In front of, behind:

Example: The car is in front of the truck.

The bike is behind the truck.

Near/next to:

Example: They live near the mountain.

The bank is next to the theatre.

9 of 15

Beside:

‘beside’ is used to show the position of a person/ thing on either side(right or left)

of another person/thing.

Example: Rachana is sitting beside Mansi.

Opposite/between/among:

‘between’ is used to show the place of a person/thing between two things/persons/objects.

Example: The ball is between the box and the animal.

10 of 15

While ‘among’ is used to show that a person/thing is surrounded by more than two people/thing.

Example: The teacher is standing among the students.

Opposite is used to show….

Example: The husband and wife are sitting opposite each other.

Up/down:

‘up’ shows the upward motion/movement and ‘down’ shows the downward motion/movement.

Example: He went up the stairs.

the child is coming down the stairs.

11 of 15

From/to/towards:

‘from’ and ‘to’ is used to show the exact destination/place while ‘towards’ is used to show the direction.

Example: The flight is from London to New York.

Why is he coming towards me?

‘by’ refers to the latest time at which an action will possibly get over.

Example: I will be back by 7.

By:

12 of 15

We use ‘till’ and ‘until’ with the same meaning, to show how long something is expected to last.

Generally till is used in affirmative sentences while until is used in a negative sentence.

Example: He works in office till 7.30

He doesn’t work until his boss allows him to go.

Till/until:

‘Before’ and ‘after’ indicate the relationship between two events.
‘Before is used to indicate an event preceding a certain point of time
‘after’ is used to indicate an event after a certain point of time.

Example: I will call you before 6.

We will go for a walk after dinner.

Before, after:

13 of 15

‘From’ is used to show the starting point of time and ‘to’ is used to show the ending point of time.

Example: I will be busy from Monday to Thursday next week.

From, to:

‘for’ is used to show a duration/period of time, while ‘since’ is used show the exact point of time or

or the event of the past from which the said action started.

Example: He has been playing cricket since 7 o’clock.

For, since:

14 of 15

Different uses

By	By car, by bus
On	On foot
in	In my car

We use ‘in’, ‘on’ or ‘by’ to indicate the means of transport.

We use ‘in’, ‘on’ or ‘at’ for time duration.

in	In January, in summer	period of time
On	On Sunday	Particular day
at	At night, at midnight	Particular time

15 of 15

ACTIVE ENGLISH,(Almas Juneja And Vaseem Qureshi)

Section -1 GRAMMAR

Unit-6 PREPOSITIONS

Thank You