1.PREPOSITION – is a word used to relate nouns or pronouns to other words in a sentence

2.PREPOSITION – followed by a noun or pronoun called the object of a preposition

SINGLE WORD PREPOSITION EXAMPLES

Aboard amid betweenAbout amongbetwixAbove astridebeyondAbsent atop butAcross barring byAfore beforeconcerningAfter behind despiteAgainst below duringAlong beneath exceptAlongside besideexcluding

SINGLE WORD PREPOSITION EXAMPLES

following next regardingfor of roundfrom off sincegiven on thanin onto throughincluding opposite thruinside out throughoutInto outside towardsmidst over undernear past underneath

SINGLE WORD PREPOSITION EXAMPLES

unlikeuntilupuponversusviceinsideIntomidstnear

COMPOUND WORD PREPOSITION EXAMPLES

Two words according to ahead of apart from as for as of as per as regards aside from because of close to due to except for far from in to (contracted as into) inside of (note that inside out

instead of left of near to next to on to (contracted as onto) out from out of outside of owing to prior to pursuant to regardless of right of subsequent to thanks to that of where as

COMPOUND WORD PREPOSITION EXAMPLES

Three words preposition as far as as well as by means of in accordance with in addition to in case of in front of in lieu of in place of in point of in spite of on account of on behalf of on top of with regard to with respect to

Role of a PrepositionPrepositions are important when constructing

sentences. A preposition sits before a noun and pronoun to show the noun and pronoun’s relationship to another word in the sentence.

Examples:It is a container for butter.

(The preposition "for" shows the relationship between "butter" and "container".)

The eagle soared above the clouds.(The preposition "above" shows the relationship between "clouds" and "soared".)

Ending a Sentence with a PrepositionAs a rule, a sentence should not end in a preposition.

(However, there are several factors to consider.)Examples:a. That is a situation I have not thought of.  (The word "of" is a preposition. Writers should avoid ending sentences in prepositions. This is because, a preposition should sit before a noun.)

b. She is a person I cannot cope with.  (The word "with" is a preposition.)

c. It is behavior I will not put up with.  (This example ends in two prepositions: "up" and "with".)

Not a Serious ErrorWhere possible, you should avoid ending a sentence in a

preposition. However, after shuffling the words so that the preposition is not at the end, the re-structured version often sounds contrived and unnatural.Examples:a. That is a situation of which I have not thought.  (This version is grammatically more pure than the one above. In this example, the word "of" sits before "which").

b. She is a person with whom I cannot cope. 

c. It is behavior up with which I will not put.  (This example sounds extremely contrived.)

Reword to AvoidOften, the best solution is to re-word the

sentence:Examples:a. That is a situation I have not considered.  (There are no prepositions in this sentence, and it has the same meaning.)

b. It is behavior I will not tolerate. 

Leave the Preposition at the EndIf the sentence sounds too contrived after it

has been reworded, another option is to leave the preposition at the end of the sentence.

 Ex.: There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.  (This is an example of a sentence that should be left with the preposition at the end.)

Prepositions for Time, Place, and Introducing Objects

One point in timeOn is used with days:•I will see you on Monday.•The week begins on Sunday.

At is used with noon, night, midnight, and with the time of day:•My plane leaves at noon.•The movie starts at 6 p.m.

In is used with other parts of the day, with months, with years, with seasons:•He likes to read in the afternoon.•The days are long in August.•The book was published in 1999.•The flowers will bloom in spring.

Prepositions for Time, Place, and Introducing ObjectsExtended timeTo express extended time, English uses the following prepositions: since, for, by, from—to, from-until, during,(with)in

•She has been gone since yesterday. (She left yesterday and has not returned.) •I'm going to Paris for two weeks. (I will spend two weeks there.)

•The movie showed from August to October. (Beginning in August and ending in October.)

•The decorations were up from spring until fall. (Beginning in spring and ending in fall.

•I watch TV during the evening. (For some period of time in the evening.)

•We must finish the project within a year. (No longer than a year.)

Prepositions for Time, Place, and Introducing Objects

PlaceTo express notions of place, English uses the following prepositions: to talk about the point itself: in, to express something contained: inside, to talk about the surface: on, to talk about a general vicinity, at

•There is a wasp in the room.•Put the present inside the box.•I left your keys on the table.•She was waiting at the corner.

Prepositions for Time, Place, and Introducing Objects

Higher than a pointTo express notions of an object being higher than a point, English uses the following prepositions: over, above.•He threw the ball over the roof.•Hang that picture above the couch.

Lower than a pointTo express notions of an object being lower than a point, English uses the following prepositions: under, underneath, beneath, below. •The rabbit burrowed under the ground.•The child hid underneath the blanket.•We relaxed in the shade beneath the branches.The valley is below sea-level

Prepositions for Time, Place, and Introducing Objects

Close to a pointTo express notions of an object being close to a point, English uses the following prepositions: near, by, next to, between, among, opposite.

•She lives near the school.•There is an ice cream shop by the store.•An oak tree grows next to my house•The house is between Elm Street and Maple Street.•I found my pen lying among the books.•The bathroom is opposite that room.

Prepositions for Time, Place, and Introducing Objects

To introduce objects of verbsEnglish uses the following prepositions to introduce objects of the following verbs.

At: glance, laugh, look, rejoice, smile, stare•She glanced at her reflection.

(exception with mirror: She glanced in the mirror.)•You didn't laugh at his joke.

•I'm looking at the computer monitor.

•We rejoiced at his safe rescue.

•That pretty girl smiled at you.

Prepositions for Time, Place, and Introducing Objects

Of: approve, consist, smell•I don't approve of his speech.•My contribution to the article consists of many pages.•He came home smelling of alcohol.

For: call, hope, look, wait, watch, wish•Did someone call for a taxi?•He hopes for a raise in salary next year.•I'm looking for my keys.•We'll wait for her here.•You go buy the tickets and I'll watch for the train.•If you wish for an "A" in this class, you must work hard.

Verbs with PrepositionsSome verbs, like 'to face up to', have unnecessary

prepositions (highlighted in the examples below). For more succinct sentences, omit the prepositions.

Examples:a. I cannot face up to this problem.   / I cannot face this problem.  (Both are grammatically correct, but the second version is more succinct. The prepositions "up to" do not add anything.)

b. Try this new garlic dip out.   / Try this new garlic dip.

c. Heat the soup up.   / Heat the soup.   

d. Give up the chase.   / Give the chase.   (Often, the preposition is required. These two versions have different meanings.)

e. She will not stand for shoddy work.   / She will not stand shoddy work. 

d. Where are you going to?   / Where are you going? 

Object of a PrepositionThe words after a preposition are said to be

the 'object of the preposition'.

Examples:a. The cat ran under the car.(The words "the car" are the object of the preposition "under".)

b. Can you give this parcel to him tomorrow?(The word "him" is the object of the preposition "to".)

As covered in the first lesson for preposition, a preposition usually sits before a noun (i.e., a word like dog, man, house, Alan). However, a preposition can also sit before a pronoun (i.e., a word like him, her, which, it, them). This is important because the object of a preposition is always in the 'objective case', and pronouns change in this case. (In general, native English speakers have little trouble forming the objective case.)

Examples:a. Can you give the parcel to him?("He" changes to "him" in the objective case.)

b. I went to the cinema with them.("They" changes to "them" in the objective case.)

Who and WhomThe word 'whom' is the objective case of 'who', and

this pairing causes some confusion. (This is covered more in the lesson Who and Whom.)

Examples:a. Andy saw the scouts, at least one of whom was armed, through the mist.   ("Whom" - objective case after the preposition "of")

b. Against whom did you protest if there was nobody present?   ("Whom" - objective case after the preposition "against")