Preposition

A preposition is a word or group of words used before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, time, place, location, spatial relationships, or to introduce an object. Some examples of prepositions are words like "in," "at," "on."

Use of in	Use of on	Use of at
Before months, seasons, years, year, century & period of history	Before days and dates	Before clock time
Before parts of the days	To show the position above the surface	Before name of festivals
To show place ( comparatively bigger)	With means of transportation	To show place ( comparatively smaller)
Before period of time	To give speech or thoughts	To indicate the age at which somebody dies something
With things wear on the body		To indicate a rate, price, speed

Prepositions of Time Basic examples of time prepositions include: at, on, in, before and after. They are used to help indicate when something happened, happens or will happen. It can get a little confusing though, as many different prepositions can be used. Prepositions of time examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification. For example:

· I was born on July 4^th, 1982.

· I was born in 1982.

· I was born at exactly 2am.

· I was born two minutes before my twin brother.

· I was born after the Great War ended.

The above makes it seem quite difficult, with five different prepositions used to indicate when something happened. However, there is a set of guidelines that can help decide which preposition to use: For years, months, seasons, centuries and times of day, use the preposition in:

· I first met John in 1987.

· It’s always cold in January

· Easter falls in spring each year.

· The Second World War occurred in the 20th century.

· We eat breakfast in the morning.

For days, dates and specific holiday days, use the preposition on.

· We go to school on Mondays, but not on Sunday

· Christmas is on December 25^th.

· Buy me a present on my birthday.

For times, indicators of exception and festivals, use the preposition at:

· Families often argue at Christmas time.

· I work faster at night.

· Her shift finished at 7pm.

Prepositions of Place To confuse matters a bit, the most common prepositions to indicate time – on, at, in – are also the most common prepositions to indicate position. However, the rules are a little clearer as place prepositions are a more rigid concept than time prepositions. Prepositions of place examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

The cat is on the table.

The dogs are in the kennel.

We can meet at the crossroads.

The guidelines can be broken down as follows: On is used when referring to something with a surface:

· The sculpture hangs on the wall.

· The images are on the page.

· The specials are on the menu, which is on the table.

In is used when referring to something that is inside or within confined boundaries. This could be anything, even a country:

· Jim is in France, visiting his aunt in the hospital.

· The whiskey is in the jar in the fridge.

· The girls play in the garden.

At is used when referring to something at a specific point:

· The boys are at the entrance at the movie theater.

· He stood at the bus stop at the corner of Water and High streets.

· We will meet at the airport.

Examples of Prepositions
On	At	In	Over
Around	Through	Opposite to	In front of
Behind	Beneath	Beside	Above
Below	Under	Underneath	Down
Up	Out	With	Into
Onto	Across	After	Before
Near	Among	Along	Between
Toward	Away	From	To
Next to	By	Until	About

Prepositions of Time

Can be used to depict general timings like months, years, centuries and parts of days

Can be used to refer to dates, days of the week, days of the month and holidays with ‘day’ (for example – Republic day)

Can be used to denote very specific time, times of the day and holidays without ‘day’ (for example – Easter)

For example: Dan was born in 2000.

Technological development in the field of science and medicine reached its zenith in the 21st century.

For example: There is a national parade every year on Republic day.

All of us will be at home on Christmas day.

For example: We decided to meet at 4 p.m.

I wished my brother at midnight.

To/From

To and from are two other prepositions that create confusion.

From

Used to denote the end location

Used to denote the starting location

For example: We went to Sri Lanka with my family.

I gave my coat to Sandra.

For example: Have you started from Bangalore?

I received a letter from my father.

By/With

The prepositions by and with have various meanings. They sometimes appear to be confusing for a second language learner of English

With

Near or next to.

For example: Is the post office by the bus stop?

In the company of

For example: Glint went to Chennai with his friends.

A given time or not later than

For example: See that you reach the exam hall by 8:30 a.m.

In addition to

For example: would you like to have tea with breakfast?

Denotes the doer of the action mentioned in a sentence

For example: The poem was written by my brother.

By means of

For example: I cut my birthday cake with a fruit knife.

English	Usage	Example
in	· months/seasons · years · time of day · centuries and historical periods · after a certain period of time	· in August/in the summer · in 1985 · in the evening · in the 19^th century · Mystic Market closes in two hours.
at	· time of days · noon, night, and midnight · names of mealtime · age	· at 2:30 · at night · at breakfast · I learned how to use a computer at 12.
on	· days of the week	· on Friday
since	· from a period of time up to the present (when it started)	· I have been a student since 2004.
for	· how long a period of time has been	· I have been a student here for 2 years.
from...to...	· the beginning and end of a period of time	· My appointment is from 13:30 to 14:00.
until	· a period of time up to a specific point in time	· I cannot go dancing until I finish reading this chapter.
by	· in the sense of ''at the latest'' · due date	· You must return your book by April 21^st. · My essay is due by the end of the week.

English

Usage

Example

· when something is in a place, it is inside it (enclosed within limits)

· in class/in Victoria

· in the book

· in the car/in a taxi

· You look serious in this photo.

· located at a specific place (a point)

· for events

· place where you are to do something typical (watch a movie, study, work)

· at the library

· at a concert/at a party

· at the cinema/at school/at work

· being on a surface (not enclosed)

· for a certain side (left, right)

· for a floor in a building

· for public transport

· for television, radio

· I left the keys on the table.

· Go down this hall to the end, turn right, and it's the third door on your left.

· My apartment is on the fourth floor.

· I forgot my phone on the bus.

· You can hear my brother on the radio.

· moving toward a specific place (the goal or end point of movement)

· Every morning, I take the bus to campus.

from

· for the origin or starting point

· I used carrots from my garden.

· I received a suspicious email from my bank.

· I will be on vacation from July 31 for a week.

towards

· movement in direction of something

· I suddenly saw a dog running towards me.

across

· movement from one side to another

· There is a coffee shop across the street.

· I swam across the lake.

through

· movement from one side to another but ''in something''

· I entered the room through an open window.

· You have to go through the kitchen to get to the bathroom.

between

· a place ''in the middle'' of two or more separate people or things

· I was standing between my friend and his parents.

· The gap between the rich and poor keeps growing.

among

· a place ''surrounded'' by more than two people or things together as a group (in the sense of ''included in'')

· France is among the countries of Western Europe.

· Among the advantages of exercising regularly are lower risks of depression and a better quality of life.

English	Usage	Example
of	· between two noun phrases to show that the first belongs to or is part of the second · to say how people are related	· The keyboard of my computer is pink. · Richard is the son of Audrey/He is a good friend of mine.
with	· Between two noun phrases when the second is a particular feature of the first · to say that people or things are together · for the specific thing used to perform an action	· I spilled coffee on the computer with a pink keyboard. · I think Sarah is studying with Tara/I went to a workshop with my friend. · My roommate killed a spider with a book.
by	· when we want to describe an action in a more general way	· My roommate saved my live by killing the spider.

Prepositions in Academic Writing

Here are the prepositions most frequently used in academic writing, with some explanations

for their use:

English	Usage	Example
about	· For topics (in the sense of ''with regard to/concerned with'')	· She was the author of many books about the history of ancient Egypt.
for	· with a purpose/giving a reason (associated with an action; shortened form of ''for the purpose of'')	· The concept of class is important for understanding how society works. · Theories about strategies for linking nouns and verbs
from	· the origin, cause or agent of something	· The meaning is often hard to guess from the individual words.
in	· inclusion, location or position within a time period or limits	· You can see this in works by contemporary authors.
on	· the basis for something	· Many engineers proceed on the assumption that the digital age is unique.
of	· belonging to, relating to, or connected with · describe a relation/causation · the origin, cause, motive or reason of something	· The results of the investigation are still relevant. · The root of the problem is the absence of any evidence supporting our thesis. · Henderson discovered that the king died of poisoning by analyzing blood samples.
by	· describe a direct cause or agent	· According to folklore, he was killed by strangulation by the Mad King when he protested the new tax.

with

· connected to something and near something

· using something

· Respondents were asked to indicate levels of agreement with statements regarding immigration.

· It is difficult to infer any definitive conclusion with the available data.

between

· marking a connection

· In this study, they investigated the relationship between education, diet and health.

Study With BR Sir

Monday 12 February 2024

Preposition

Prepositions in Academic Writing

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