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Parts of Speech – Prepositions

Prepositions are a very important part of English sentence. A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or a pronoun and other words in the sentence.

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or a pronoun and other words in the sentence.

There are about 150 prepositions in English.

On, in, at, by, under, above, beside, to, out, from, for are some of the most common preposition words. Prepositions are used more frequently than other individual words. For example, the prepositions of, to and in are among the ten most frequent words in English.

The two most common usages of prepositions are 1. to introduce an object, and 2. when they are words or groups of words that, when used with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase, express direction, location, or time:
She put the pen on the desk.
We went into the hall.
We meet at 6 am.
The plane under the radar
He is dashing to make the flight.
This was for you.

The word “preposition” comes from the Latin word praeponere ( put before.)

Prepositions usually come before the noun or the pronoun.

Prepositions are also used to introduce an object, and these are called dependent prepositions:

At
e.g. glance, laugh, wait
Mimi laughed at the cartoon
I waited at the front gates

Of
e.g. approve, consist, died, smell
She doesn’t approve of that man
My room consists of a bed.
The car smells of mould

For
e.g. call, ask, look, caring, prepare
Did you call me greedy?
We asked for the bill.
Don’t look for love there.
Shane has been caring for his mother.
Prepare for the cold winters here!

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or a pronoun and other words in the sentence.

What is the Role of a Preposition?

Prepositions function to show relationship. This relationship may indicate where, when, who, or what.

Most often prepositions are used to introduce prepositional phrases.

Prepositions serve to modify and generally function in prepositional phrases as adjectives or adverbs.

Examples of prepositions indicating where:

along (the path)
amid (torment)
throughout (the garden)
within (men)

Examples of prepositions indicating when:

since (the storm)
after (the party)
before (noon)
until (tomorrow)

Examples of prepositions indicating who:

besides (Petra)
except (the children)
with (everyone)
for (the teacher)

Examples of prepositions indicating what:

besides (the essay)
of (the few)
like (the dog)
with (chocolate)

Preposition List

Here is a list of prepositions. It is by no means exhaustive, but it is a list of some of the most commonly used prepositions in English.

aboard
about
above
across
after
against
along
amid
among
anti
around
as
at
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
besides
between
beyond
but
by
concerning
considering
despite
down
during
except
excepting
excluding
following
for
from
in
inside
into
like
minus
near
of
off
on
onto
opposite
outside
over
past
per
plus
regarding
round
save
since
than
through
to
toward
towards
under
underneath
unlike
until
up
upon
versus
via
with
within
without

For a more full list of prepositions, see our full page on the subject. Prepositions list here.

Object of Prepositions

Prepositions do not stand alone but rather take on objects. The word or words that follow the preposition are the object of the preposition.

Examples:

along (the path)
- The path is the object of the preposition.
amid (torment)
- Torment is the object of the preposition.
throughout (the colorful garden)
- The colorful garden is the object of the preposition.

Some Prepositions Also Function as Subordinate Conjunctions

Some prepositions can also function as subordinate conjunctions. In this case, a preposition will begin the conjunction and it will be followed by a subject and a verb.

The prepositions that can function in subordinate conjunctions include: after, as, before, since, until.

Prepositions together within subordinate conjunctions function as adverbs.

Preposition Examples:

Since the movie premiered, the star has received much attention.
We could not make an appointment until the office opened the following day.
The student did not think before he asked a question.

What are Prepositional Phrases?

What does prepositional phrase mean? Almost always a preposition will function in a prepositional phrase.

A prepositional phrase is any preposition and its object (a noun). A prepositional phrase may also include any modifiers in the phrase.

Prepositional phrases clarify the relationship of the preposition to other words.

Prepositional Phrase Examples:

along the path
- along (prep.) + the (article) + path (noun) = prepositional phrase
amid torment
- amid (prep.) + torment (noun) = prepositional phrase
throughout (the colorful garden)
- throughout (prep.) + the (article) + colorful (adj.) + garden (noun) = prepositional phrase

Multiple prepositional phrases may exist within one larger prepositional phrase.

Prepositional Phrase Examples:

within all of the men
- within all + of the men = prepositional phrase
by the lake in the forest
- by the lake + in the forest = prepositional phrase
on the table at the restaurant
- on the table + at the restaurant = prepositional phrase

Summary: What are Prepositions?

Define preposition: To clarify, prepositions:

show the relationship of a word to a noun or pronoun
are almost always used in prepositional phrases
sometimes begin subordinate conjunctions

Contents

1 What is a Preposition?
2 What is the Role of a Preposition?
3 Preposition List
4 Object of Prepositions
5 Some Prepositions Also Function as Subordinate Conjunctions
6 What are Prepositional Phrases?
7 Summary: What are Prepositions?

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Prepositions are one of the trickiest parts of the English language. We have so many prepositions, and they all have multiple definitions.

Often, prepositions are one of the last parts of a language for people to master. In English, even native speakers struggle with all of our prepositions.

When I’m trying to explain prepositions simply, I like to quote the old nursery song:

“Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go.”

The bolded words are all examples of prepositions.

But in reality, prepositions are far more complex than giving directions to grandma’s house.

Today we’re diving into a thorough explanation of all things related to prepositions.

What is a Preposition?

Prepositions are one of the parts of speech, along with nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, articles, and interjections.

Prepositions are usually small words, and you’ll find that you use them all the time without even realizing it.

A preposition is a word that exists to show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word or words in a sentence.

So, what sort of relationship do prepositions show? There are too many to list. But prepositions are commonly used to show a relationship of time, location, direction, and duration.

Now, let’s get into what some of these important little words look like.

What Are the Most Common Prepositions in English?

There are somewhere around 150 prepositions in the English language! For context, Spanish only has twenty-three, and French has even fewer.

Not only do we have a bunch of prepositions, each one has multiple meanings. No wonder they are so hard to master.

I’m not going to list all 150 prepositions here, but if you are interested in seeing all of them, check out Josef Essberger’s list.

Instead, I’m going to cover several of the most common prepositions. This should give you a good understanding of exactly what a preposition is and how to use it.

To

Possibly the most commonly used preposition, to is a powerful word for having just two letters. Dictionary.com lists a whopping twenty-two definitions.

To often shows direction or motion toward something. It can show a limit, a position, an attachment, a comparison, or a reaction.

To make things even more confusing, to can also replace other prepositions. These are just a few of its uses.

Here are some examples.

We went to the store.
Give the phone to your mom.
I’ll drink to that!
He took a hit to the face.

Of

Of is another powerful little word. While we won’t go into all seventeen definitions here, we can talk about a few common uses.

Of can show cause or motive, association, origin, and even direction. It can reference identity or inclusion within a group.

In mathematics, of usually indicates a need to multiply. It can also show what something is made of.

One of the kids got in trouble today.
The works of C.S. Lewis are an important contribution to the fantasy genre.
The entire sculpture was made of butter!
I live five miles south of the freeway.

For

If you can believe it, for has even more definitions than the previous two prepositions. Dictionary.com lists thirty-two.

Many of these definitions are related to purpose. It can also demonstrate a length of time or distance, a reason or cause, and the extent of something. These are just a few common definitions.

She works hard for the money.
I went to the store for ice cream.
Drive for three miles then turn left.
We ran for thirty minutes straight.

In

Unlike our last three prepositions, in has fewer definitions, but that doesn’t make it any less common. Usually, in refers to something being within or inside. That can be a location, time, or other limitation.

In can also show purpose or means.

The dog is in the house.
We completed the race in two hours.
This was discussed in the meeting.
We drank in her honor.

On

On is a preposition that is easy to get mixed up with in. When it refers to a location, it means on top of something.

When on refers to time, it means at a specific time, while in refers to a time frame.

But there are other phrases that are easily confused.

You saw something on a TV show vs. in a movie
You read the words on the page vs. in a book

With

The last preposition we’ll cover in greater detail is with.

With has many definitions, but they are more closely related than the various definitions of our other prepositions.

With can mean accompanied by or next. It can show connection or togetherness. It can be used to show comparison and similar opinions. With can also mean to have.

The team is with you.
(The team supports you.)
Ben Affleck is back together with Jennifer Lopez.
(Ben Affleck is back in a relationship with Jennifer Lopez.)
She is a person with great leadership skills.
(She has great leadership skills.)
Walk with her to the bus stop.
(Accompany her to the bus stop.)

Other Common Prepositions

Let’s take a look at some other common prepositions and use them in sentences.

I go to bed at 10 p.m. every night.
Where is he from?
She told me about her master plan.
Are you arriving by train?
Go through the gate on your left.
He pushed against the wall, but it didn’t budge.
After my shower, I moisturize my face.
You cannot use your phone during school hours.

What Are the Four Types of Prepositions?

Not all prepositions are created equal. We can group prepositions into four major categories. These are simple, double, compound, and participle prepositions. Let’s take a look at each in more detail.

Simple Prepositions

Simple prepositions are what we usually think of when we talk about prepositions. Most of the examples above are simple prepositions. These are just one word, and they are the most commonly used prepositions in English. They include words like on, to, from, by, with, for, about, and during.

Double Prepositions

Like simple prepositions, double prepositions can also be just one word. However, they are made up of two words put together.

They are technically compound words, but don’t confuse them with compound prepositions.

Some examples of one-word double prepositions include upon, within, atop, into. Two-word double prepositions might include out of, up to, from within.

Compound Prepositions

Compound, or complex, prepositions are made up of two or more words. Typically, one of the words is a simple preposition, but the other is not. Examples of compound prepositions include in addition to, according to, in front of, and on behalf of.

Participle Prepositions

Now things get extra tricky. Participle prepositions don’t look like prepositions at all. In fact, they look like verbs!

A participle preposition is when the participle form of a verb—ending in -ed or -ing—functions as a preposition instead of a verb. You can identify these instances by whether or not an object follows the word.

Let’s take a look at some full sentences that use participle prepositions.

I was surprised she did that, considering her upbringing.
Following the argument, we did not speak for two days.
The meeting includes the entire staff, excluding the freelancers.
He is welcome to join us, provided he brings donuts.

What Are Prepositional Phrases?

Another common grammatical term you might have heard of is prepositional phrase. What does this mean?

By now, you have a pretty good idea of what a preposition is. And we know that a phrase is a group of words that isn’t quite a sentence. So, what is a prepositional phrase?

It’s an easy definition. A prepositional phrase is the part of a sentence that contains the preposition and the object of the preposition. The object is the noun or pronoun that follows the preposition. Remember, objects are always nouns or pronouns.

Let’s go back to the example from the very beginning of the article: “over the river, and through the woods, to grandmother’s house we go.”

This sentence in the nursery rhyme contains three prepositional phrases:

Over the river
Through the woods
To grandmother’s house

Notice that our prepositional phrases do not include the words and, we, or go. They only include the prepositions—over, through, to—and the objects following them.

Here are some more examples of prepositional phrases:

At home
In the big, blue house
To the store
For God and glory
By the way
Of mice and men

How Do I Use Prepositions Correctly?

You have probably figured out that using prepositions isn’t always easy.

Often, native English speakers don’t even understand the rules. We just go by what sounds correct to our ears. Plus, certain prepositions can be used differently in different English-speaking countries.

It’s always a good idea to run your writing through a grammar checker like ProWritingAid’s Grammar Report. Be sure to pay attention to the English language settings to ensure you are getting the most accurate results for your audience.

With ProWritingAid, you can rest assured that your prepositions are correct.

One thing to be mindful of is your sentence structure.

A preposition is almost always followed by a noun or pronoun. There might be an article (a, an, the) before the noun, and you might see an adjective before the noun. But if you have a verb after your preposition before a noun or pronoun, you are not using the preposition correctly. A preposition will never precede a verb.

This may be confusing. There are lots of examples of what seem like verbs being used after prepositions:

On doing this, she left the room.
She stopped him from falling.

Doing and falling in these instances are actually gerunds. These words take the form of verbs but actually function as nouns.

A final note on verbs. Some verbs, like consider, influence, and emphasize don’t need prepositions before them.

I will consider about this further.

Should actually be written as:

I will consider this further.

Check out our examples of verbs that don’t need prepositions.

Can I End a Sentence with a Preposition?

You might have learned in school that you can’t end a sentence with a preposition. No one is quite sure why this rule ever existed. But you absolutely can end a sentence or clause with a preposition.

Often, when you try to rearrange your sentence without a preposition, it sounds stiff, awkward, and unnecessarily formal. Here’s an example:

I have too much with which to deal.

vs.

I have too much to deal with.

No one speaks like the first sentence. It’s much more natural to say or write the second sentence. They are both grammatically correct.

Always consider your audience when deciding whether to put a preposition at the end of a sentence. In formal writing, it is often better to place the preposition earlier in the sentence, like this:

The archaeologists are unsure from where the stone tool originated.
The archaeologists are unsure where the stone tool originated from.

The top sentence is better for a formal essay or report, although neither are incorrect.

Unnecessary prepositions at the ends of sentences should be eliminated, however. These bog down your writing with sticky words, making your message less clear and concise:

I don’t know where the store is at.
I don’t know where the store is.

In this case, “at” is unnecessary. It does not add any additional meaning to the sentence. When editing your writing, pay attention to the prepositions that end sentences to be sure they are necessary.

What Are the Functions of Prepositions?

In the simplest terms, prepositions show a relationship between a noun and other parts of a sentence. But prepositions commonly serve specific functions. They often refer to location, placement, orientation, or time. Here are some of the ways prepositions are used.

Using Tools

If you’re describing the use of an implement, machine, or device, you’ll need a preposition. For example:

I traveled here by airplane.
I wrote this article with a keyboard.

Directions

These prepositions indicate an object’s direction, or the way it’s facing.

The shape lumbered towards me.
The fly buzzed away from me.

Time

Prepositions of time indicate how objects relate to one another in terms of when they happen.

On Sunday, I usually watch football.
I’ll call you when the game’s over.
In 1965, The Who released their first album.

Agents

These prepositions correspond to a person or an agent performing an action.

Some of my favorite books were written by Stephen King.
I played fetch with my dog all day. Good dog!

Place

Prepositions of place define an object’s position.

The cat is on the table again.
I’ll meet you at Applebee’s.

More Examples of Prepositions: Test Your Knowledge

The best way to learn prepositions is through copious examples. Can you identify the prepositions in each of these sentences? What about the prepositional phrases?

If you really want to quiz yourself, try to determine what type of preposition is being used.

The puppy is beneath the table.
I drove over the bridge.
It’s nice to be among friends.
He can’t do anything without his phone.
Between you and me, she’s not very good at cooking.
I’ll arrive by noon.
We went from Paris to Bordeaux.
Did he get into the master’s program at Oxford?
There are monsters under the bed!
He accepted the award on behalf of the cast.
Her words came from deep within her heart.
Place the hat atop the snowman’s head.
I am shocked I met my deadline, considering the time I started.

Answers

The puppy is beneath the table.
I drove over the bridge.
It’s nice to be among friends.
He can’t do anything without his phone.
Between you and me, she’s not very good at cooking.
I’ll arrive by noon.
We went from Paris to Bordeaux.
Did he get into the master’s program at Oxford?
There are monsters under the bed!
He accepted the award on behalf of the cast.
Her words came from deep within her heart.
Place the hat atop the snowman’s head.
I am shocked I met my deadline, considering the time I started.

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Источник

Presentation on theme: «Prepositions A preposition is a word that shows the relationship of a noun or a pronoun, called the object of the preposition, to another word. Ex: The.»— Presentation transcript:

1

Prepositions A preposition is a word that shows the relationship of a noun or a pronoun, called the object of the preposition, to another word. Ex: The book is on the table. On is the preposition and table is the object of the preposition. A preposition, its object, and any modifiers of the object form a prepositional phrase. The prepositional phrase in the sentence above is on the table.

2

Prepositions A preposition is a part of speech that can describe:
Location (on, under, in) Timing (before, after, during) Direction (from, toward, to) A preposition that consists of two or more words is called a compound preposition. Some commonly used compound prepositions are: about, above, across, after, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, besides, between, beyond, but (when it means except), by, concerning, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, out, outside, over, past, since, through, to, toward, under, until, up, upon, with, within, and without.

3

Adverb or Preposition Many of the common words used as prepositions can be used as adverbs. Words are prepositions if they have an object to complete them. To decide which it is say the preposition followed by whom or what. If a noun or a pronoun answers the question, the word is a preposition. Example: The boy stood up and ran down the street. Up what? There is no object; therefore up is not a preposition. Down what? Street answers the question; therefore, down is a preposition. Down the street is the prepositional phrase starting with the preposition down and ending with the object street with a modifier the in between.

4

Do Now: Prepositions Write sentences using each of the following words as a preposition. Underline the prepositional phrase. Below Around Outside Under Past Inside By On aboard Up

5

Exit Ticket: Prepositions
Instructions: Find the prepositional phrases in the following sentences. Number your paper and write the phrases, circling the preposition in each phrase. 1. Jim painted a picture on the wall of the house. 2. I like to lie in the shade of the apricot tree and think of the jobs for the day. 3. The dog jumped over the mound behind the barn and ran into the street. 4. Come in and sit down with me. 5. He climbed up on the ladder and through the window.

6

Direct Objects A direct object receives the action performed by the subject, i.e. the subject does the verb to the direct object. The verb used with a direct object is always an action verb. Example: The car hit the tree. To find the direct object, say the subject and verb followed by whom or what. The car hit whom or what? Tree answers the question so tree is the direct object. If nothing answers the question whom or what, you know that there is no direct object. Example: The car sped past. The car sped whom or what? Nothing answers the question so the sentence has no direct object.

7

Direct Objects The direct object must be a noun or pronoun.
A direct object will never be in a prepositional phrase. A direct object may be compound. Ex: The cat said “good morning” and “Cat free to good home.” [The parrot said what? “Good morning” and “Cat free to good home.”] A D.O. may precede the subject and verb. Ex: What remarkable tricks the illusionist performed! [The illusionist performed what? Tricks.]

8

Practice: Direct Objects
Instructions: Find the subjects, verbs, and direct objects in the following sentences. 1. Paul built a doll house for Hayley. 2. The club members held a party in the park. 3. The audience cheered their favorite actors during the play. 4. Tiny children prefer short stories. 5. Terri really dialed a wrong number last night.

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Answers Answers: 1. Paul = subject / built = verb / house = direct object 2. members = subject / held = verb / party = direct object 3. audience = subject / cheered = verb / actors = direct object 4. children = subject / prefer = verb / stories = direct object 5. Terri = subject / dialed = verb / number = direct object

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Practice: Direct Objects
Instructions: Find the subjects, verbs, and direct objects in these sentences. 1. The students of these lessons have studied subjects and verbs. 2. The hungry man ate cake, pie and rolls continually. 3. John wants a bicycle and a wagon for Christmas. 4. Everyone at the party enjoyed the hamburgers, hot dogs, potato chips and drinks. 5. Grandma left her umbrella and coat at our house.

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Answers Answers: 1. students = subject / have studied = verb / subjects, verbs = direct objects 2. man = subject / ate = verb / cake, pie, rolls = direct objects 3. John = subject / wants = verb / bicycle, wagon = direct objects 4. Everyone = subject / enjoyed = verb / hamburgers, hot dogs, potato chips, drinks = direct objects 5. Grandma = subject / left = verb / umbrella, coat = direct objects

Источник

In English grammar, a preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. Prepositions are words like in and out, above and below, and to and from, and they’re words we use all the time.

How useful are prepositions? Just look at how many prepositions are italicized in this simple sentence from E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web: «For the first few days of his life, Wilbur was allowed to live in a box near the stove in the kitchen.»

Prepositions in English Grammar

Prepositions are one of the basic parts of speech and are among the words that we use most when composing sentences. They are also a member of a closed word class, meaning that it is very rare for a new preposition to enter the language. There are only about 100 of them in English.

Prepositions often refer to location («under the table»), direction («to the south»), or time («past midnight»). They can also be used to convey other relationships: agency (by), comparison (like, as . . . as), possession (of), purpose (for), or source (from, out of).

Simple Prepositions

Many prepositions are made up of only one word and are called simple prepositions. These include short and very common words like as, at, by, for, and of. You also use prepositions such as about, between, into, like, onto, since, than, through, with, within, and without to show a relationship between words.

There are many occasions where you might confuse prepositions. For example, sometimes it is difficult to know when you should use in, into, on, or at. This is because their meanings are very similar, so you have to look at the context of the sentence.

Many prepositions have an opposite as well. For instance, you can use before or after, inside or outside, off or on, over or under, and up or down.

Quite a few prepositions express the relationship of things in space. Examples of these include aboard, across, amid, among, around, atop, behind, beneath, beside, beyond, near, over, round, and upon.

Prepositions can also refer to time. Among the most common are after, before, during, till, and until.

Other prepositions have unique uses or can be used in multiple ways. Some of these include about, against, along, despite, regarding, throughout, toward, and unlike.

Complex Prepositions

In addition to the simple prepositions, several word groups can perform the same grammatical function. These are called complex prepositions. They are two- or three-word units that combine one or two simple prepositions with another word.

Within this category, you have phrases like in addition to and such as. Whenever you say thanks to or in between, you are also using a complex preposition.

Identifying Prepositional Phrases

Prepositions are not in the habit of standing alone. A word group with a preposition at the head followed by an object (or complement) is called a prepositional phrase. The object of a preposition is typically a noun or pronoun: Gus put the horse before the cart.

Prepositional phrases add meaning to the nouns and verbs in sentences. They usually tell us where, when, or how and the words of a prepositional phrase can often be rearranged.

A prepositional phrase may do the work of an adjective and modify a noun: The student in the back row began to snore loudly. It may also function as an adverb and modify a verb: Buster fell asleep during class.

Learning to identify prepositional phrases is often a matter of practice. After some time you will come to realize how frequently we rely on them.

Ending a Sentence With a Preposition

You may have a heard the «rule» that you should never end a sentence with a preposition. This is one of those «rules» that you don’t have to put up with. It is based on the etymology of «preposition,» from the Greek for «put in front,» as well as a false analogy to Latin.

As long ago as 1926, Henry Fowler dismissed the rule about «preposition stranding» as «a cherished superstition» ignored by major writers from Shakespeare to Thackeray. In fact, in «A Dictionary of Modern English Usage» he said, «the remarkable freedom enjoyed by English in putting its prepositions late and omitting its relatives is an important element in the flexibility of the language.»

Essentially, you can ignore this rule, and you can cite Fowler to anyone who tells you otherwise. Go ahead and end your sentence with a preposition if you want to.

Prepositions Functioning as Another Part of Speech

Just because you see one of the prepositions we’ve mentioned used, does not mean that they are being used as a preposition. It depends on the circumstances, and this is one of those tricky parts of the English language, so don’t let these fool you.

Certain prepositions (after, as, before, since, until) serve as subordinating conjunctions when they’re followed by a clause:

You better get out of town before sundown. (Before is used as a preposition.)
Many people run out of ideas long before they run out of words. (Before is used as a conjunction.)

Some prepositions (including about, across, around, before, down, in, on, out, and up) also moonlight as adverbs. These are sometimes called prepositional adverbs or adverbial particles.

Beth walked up the driveway. (The preposition up is followed by the object.)
Beth looked up. (The prepositional adverb up is modifying the verb looked.)

Deverbal Prepositions

Transitive prepositions that take the same form as -ing participles or -ed participles are called deverbal prepositions. It is a rather short list, but it is important to understand that these are also prepositions.

according (to)
allowing (for)
barring
concerning
counting
excepting
excluding
failing
following
given
gone
granted
including
owing (to)
pertaining (to)
regarding
respecting
saving
touching
wanting

Source:

Fowler H. A Dictionary of Modern English Usage. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 1965.

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