Preposition

THE PREPOSITION

A preposition denotes the position that one person or thing occupies in relation to the other.

It is pre (before) because it is put before the noun or noun equivalent which is its object.

 

Examples

The book is on the table.

On in the above sentence is a preposition. It shows the relation of the book to the table.

 

Note

Generally, a preposition is used before a noun or a pronoun, but there are some circumstances in which this does not happen, either because the complement has to take first position in the clause, or because it is absent.

 

Wh-Questions

• What were you looking at?
• What are you looking for?

 

Relative Clauses

• This is the book that we were looking for.
• The old house which I was telling you about is empty.

 

Wh-Clauses

What I am convinced of is that the world’s population will grow to an unforeseen extent.

 

Exclamations

What a mess he’s got into!

 

Passive

She was sought after by all the leading impresarios of the day.

 

Infinitive Clauses

He is impossible to work with.

 

PREPOSITIONS IN COMMON USE

After, about, above, across, against, around, before, behind, below, beneath, between, beyond, by, for, from, in, into, of, off, on, over, since, through, till, towards, under, underneath, up, upon, with, within, without, out, beside, down, besides.

 

Prepositions are of two kinds

1. Simple Prepositions

At, in, on, by, with, of, off, for, from, to, out, over, under, since, through, up, down, after, round, till, against.

2. Compound Prepositions

Into, upon, within, without, beneath, besides, before, beyond, below, among, against, underneath, between, behind, outside, above, across, about, beside.

 

USE OF SOME IMPORTANT PREPOSITIONS

Among, Between; Among, In; Beside, Besides; In, Within (time); On, Upon;
By, With; After, In (time); For, From, Since; Over, Above;
At, Towards; At, In, On; Below, Beneath; In, Into, To;
Till, By, Of, Off; Across, Along, Through; About, On.

 

Among – Between

Among → more than two persons/things
Between → only two

Examples:

• Distribute these sweets among the poor students.
• She works among the poor.
• Distribute these books between Ram and Shyam.
• I lost my book somewhere between the car and the house.

 

Among – In

Among is used before collective plural nouns; in before collective singular nouns.

Examples:

• I found him standing among the crowd.
• I saw him in the crowd.

 

Beside – Besides

Beside = by the side of
Besides = in addition to

Examples:

• The daughter was sitting beside her mother.
• Besides his relatives, he invited his friends also.

 

In – Within (Time)

In = at the expiry of a period of time in future
Within = before the expiry of time

Examples:

• She will return in a week.
• I shall finish my work within a week.

 

On – Upon

On → things at rest
Upon → motion or about to happen

Examples:

• He is sitting on the floor.
• The dog sprang upon the table.
• Diwali is upon us again.

 

By – With

By → agent or doer
With → instrument

Examples:

• Ravana was killed by Rama with an arrow.
• He beat the dog with a stick.

By is also used for time limit:

• I shall reach here by five o’clock.

With also means:

• company: I came to Delhi with a friend.
• agreement: Are you with us?
• reason: She trembled with fear.
• opposition: I had an argument with my landlord.

 

After – In (Time)

After → end of period in past
In → end of period in future

Examples:

• He returned the book after a week.
• I shall return your book in a week.

 

For – From – Since

For → period of time
From → point of time
Since → point of time (perfect tense)

Examples:

• We have been playing for two hours.
• She stayed from March to May.
• I have been reading since morning.

 

Over – Above

Over

1. Above → The sun is over our heads.
2. Beyond → I cannot get over my disappointment.
3. Conclusion → It is all over.

Above

• higher than → We flew above the clouds.
• more than → Applicants above 18.
• importance → Honour above life.
• beyond suspicion → He is above suspicion.

 

At – Towards

At → aim
Towards → direction

Examples:

• He threw the stone at the cat.
• He went towards the house.

 

At – In – On

At

• small towns/villages → He lives at Ramgarh.
• definite time → at 9 p.m.
• phrases → at night, at noon, at home, at work.

In

• countries, cities → in India, in Kolkata
• months/years → in April, in 1972
• parts of day → in the morning
• inside something → in a box.

On

• dates/days → on Monday, on 26th April.

 

Below – Beneath

Below → lower level/dignity, number, position, temperature
Beneath → under,( ठीक नीचे , के नीचे दबा हुआ , तले)

Examples:

• He is below an inspector.
• Coins beneath a pile of leaves.

 

In – Into – To

In → rest
Into → motion inside
To → motion from one place to another

Examples:

• Sita is in bed.
• Rani jumped into the river.
• They are going to France.

 

Till – By – Of – Off

Till → up to time
By → not later than
Of → possession, source, quality
Off → separation

Examples:

• I shall work till 5 a.m.
• The nib of the pen is gold.
• My house is off the road.

 

Across – Along – Through

Across → from one side to another
Along → parallel movement
Through → movement within space

Examples:

• The bus came across the bridge.
• They walked along the road.
• She walked through the forest.

 

About – On

About and On mean “concerning”.

Use about after verbs:
argue, complain, know, ask, think, worry, learn, etc.

Examples:

• Have you heard about it?
• I care about people.

Use on after verbs:
comment, concentrate, focus, insist, reflect.

Examples:

• He commented on the issue.
• She concentrated on her work.

Some verbs allow both:

• speak on/about
• lecture on/about

 

WHERE PREPOSITION SHOULD NOT BE USED

Don’t Say → Say

Resemble with → Resemble
Investigate into → Investigate
Enter into the room → Enter the room
Ask from → Ask
Return to home → Return home
Inform to → Inform
Assist to → Assist
Sign on the paper → Sign the paper
Discuss about → Discuss
Obey to → Obey

 

WHERE PREPOSITION SHOULD NOT BE OMITTED

Don’t Say → Say

Write a man → Write to a man
Wish a thing → Wish for a thing
Ask something → Ask for something
Believe God → Believe in God
Listen a man → Listen to a man
Care a man → Care for a man

 

CORRECT USE OF PREPOSITIONS

Don’t Say → Correct Form

Learn word by word → Learn word for word
Sit under shade → Sit in the shade
Write with ink → Write in ink
Married with → Married to
Different than → Different from
Weak in → Weak at
Famous in → Famous for

 

INFINITIVES WRONG FOR GERUNDS

Don’t Say → Correct

Addicted to gamble → Addicted to gambling
Averse to make → Averse to making
Fond to talk → Fond of talking
No harm to do → No harm in doing
Hesitate to sing → Hesitate in singing
Passion to read → Passion for reading
Succeeded to win → Succeeded in winning

 

READY-RECKONER (ONE WORD — MANY PREPOSITIONS)

Agree → with a person / to a thing
Angry → with a person / at a thing
Apologise → to a person / for something
Apply → to a person / for a post
Argue → with a person / about something
Attend → on a person / to a thing
Call → at a place / on a person
Care → for a person / about a thing
Compete → with a person / for something
Complain → to/against a person / about something
Consult → with a person
Contend → with or against a person