Is the word put a preposition

Both entrances were arranged and the old elevator (which had not worked for years) was put in order.

It had something in its talons, which it put to its mouth and tore at….

He was remarkably intelligent and absolutely unscrupulous, didn’t hesitate to put into the mouths of people what he wished them to say, so he naturally had a great pull over the ordinary simple—minded journalist who wrote simply what he saw and heard.

The grand piano, which had been standing well out toward the middle of the room, open, with music on it (I dare say some of Liszt‘s ownbut I didn’t have time to examine), was being pushed back into a corner, all the music hidden away, and the instrument covered with photographs, vases of flowers, statuettes, heavy books, all the things one doesn’t habitually put on pianos.

The same seed becomes a very different plant when sowed in one soil or another, and put under this or that mode of cultivation.

In entering the Christian life, one must put out of his heart the expectation that it is to be an easy life, or one removed from toil and danger.

The aborigines of this far away country have no written language, and this work aims to put before the traveler or trader a means of communication with this people which it is hoped will be of mutual benefit to both.

In recognition of this general fear, the unmuzzled Cerberus was put at the gate of Hades.

We turned our horses and ran, the bullets flying after us thick and fastmy whip being shot from my hand and daylight being put through the crown of my hat.

«Let‘s put for the village.

Boys who were taken to gaol for the first time were put with old and hardened criminals; the prisons were dirty and ill—smelling; the dungeons were dark and unhealthy; and, unless prisoners could afford to pay for comforts, they were obliged to sleep on cold bare floors, even delicate women not being exempted from such cruel treatment.

If she was kept late at the hospital, Mavity put by a bite of cold supper for her, and Mandy always waited to see that she had what she wanted.

Tapp was still putting after him.

Education is not a thing of books alone, or schools; it is a process of intellectual assimilation of what is about us, or what we put about ourselves.

The Lunarians write as we do, from left to right; but when their words consist of more than one syllable, all the subsequent syllables are put over the first, so that what we call long words, they call high ones: which mode of writing makes them more striking to the eye.

Unless you break down the bar you put between us, I never want to see your face again,never, living or dead!

He put from him the knowledge of how her charm wrought upon himbound him the faster every time he spoke to her.

I have triedah, how often!to put behind me the memory of her face as I saw it then, but it is before me now and again, even yet.

I am utterly against those confused Olios into which men put almost all kinds of meats and Roots, and especially against putting of Oyle, for it corrupts the Broath, instead of adding goodnesse to it.

Jarvis felt satisfied that his veracity had been put beyond question.

It is, however, in the double aisled transepts that we can best appreciate how very glorious that first Norman church must have been; there is nothing in England more wonderful; and so far as I know there is nothing in Europe quite to put beside them.

The buffalo were put within a wire fence, which, when it was built, was found to have included both black—tail and white—tail deer.

It has, doubtless, found its way into your state—room, and has been put among your effects by your man, through mistake.

This is put as a question, and Shelley does not supply an answer to it here, though the terms in which his enquiry is couched seem intended to suggest a reply to the effect that the mind shall not die.

Behind them, at least four hundred people packed and waiting with their possessions at their feet, ready to be put aboard the instant the Oklahoma made fast.

Types of Prepositions

There are several types of prepositions such as: Simple Prepositions, Double Prepositions, Compound Prepositions, Phrasal prepositions, Participle Prepositions, Disguised preposition, and Detached Prepositions.

1. Simple Prepositions: 

Simple prepositions are used to denote a relation between nouns or pronouns. These can even be used to join different parts of sentences and clauses. Simple prepositions are one word prepositions. These are also called Single Prepositions. Common words used that come under the category of Simple Prepositions are as follows:

In, out, on, up, at, for, from, by, of, off, through, till, etc.

Examples of Simple Prepositions in sentences:

Keep your phones in your pockets.

Staring at people is not considered a good gesture.

In the above two examples, both prepositions consist of one simple word and hence are Single or Simple Prepositions.

2. Double Prepositions: 

Double Prepositions are made by putting together two Single Prepositions. That is why they are called Double Prepositions. Common words used as Double Prepositions are as follows:

Onto, into, throughout, up till, up to, within, without, upon, etc.

Examples of Double Prepositions in sentences:

Complete this essay within two hours.

I am going to turn this scrap into a masterpiece.

In the first example, the Preposition within is made by combining two Single Prepositions with and in.

In the second example, the Preposition into is formed by putting together two Simple Prepositions in and two. These are hence Double Prepositions.

3. Compound Prepositions: 

Compound Prepositions are those types of preposition that are usually formed by prefixing a preposition to nouns, adjectives or adverbs.  They are different from double prepositions because they are not formed by two single prepositions. Common words, which come under the category of compound prepositions, are stated below:

Above, about, across, along, before, behind, beside, inside, outside, etc.

Examples of preposition in sentences:

He was going about his business.

The person beside Ali is my brother.

In the first example, the prefix ‘a’ is added to a root word ‘bout’ to make a preposition. In the second example, the prefix be is added to the root word side to make a preposition. Thus, these words are Compound Prepositions.

4. Phrasal Prepositions: 

Phrasal Prepositions are groups of words or phrases that join the noun or pronoun in a sentence, to the remainder of the sentence. These groups of words express a single idea by coming together as a unit. Words that come under the category of Phrasal Prepositions are as follows:

In addition to, by means of, in spite of, according to, owing to, in favour of, etc.

Examples of Phrasal Prepositions in sentences:

He couldn’t pass the test, owing to his lack of knowledge of English Grammar.

She made it to the other side of the world, in spite of all the difficulties.

In the first example, the group of words ‘owing to’ is joining the two sentences with each other and is a phrase. Likewise, the group of words ‘in spite of’ is also a phrase and is working as a preposition. Hence, these are Phrasal Prepositions.

5. Participle Prepositions: 

Participle Prepositions, indicating from their name, are the Present Participle forms of Verbs. These are used without any noun or pronoun attached with them. The words that are distinguished as Participle Prepositions are as follows:

Concerning, considering, barring, notwithstanding, touching, pending, during, etc.

Examples of Participle Prepositions in sentences:

Notwithstanding his efforts, he was still fired from the job.

Touching this matter, I do not have much information.

In above examples, both the verbs notwithstanding and touching are in Present Participle which is apparent from the ‘ing’ at the end of both words. These words are therefore Participle Prepositions.

6. Disguised Prepositions: 

Disguised prepositions are those prepositions which are not used in the sentences directly, but we use them in a disguised way. Their shorter forms are used. The examples of Disguised Prepositions are ‘a’ and ‘o’.

Disguised preposition ‘a’ is shortened form of the preposition ‘on’ and similarly ‘o’ is the shortened form of the preposition ‘of’.

Examples of disguised prepositions in sentences:

The ceremony will be held at 5 o’ clock.

We all went to a party.

In the first example, instead of saying ‘5 of the clock’, we have used disguised form of the preposition of.

In the second example, instead of saying ‘went on partying’, we have used abbreviation of the preposition on and disguised the preposition as ‘a’. Hence these are Disguised Prepositions.

7. Detached Prepositions: 

A preposition is called a detached preposition when it does not come before its object. It is detached from its object. When the object of a preposition is an interrogative pronoun or a relative pronoun, the preposition comes at the end of the sentence.

Look at the following examples of detached prepositions for further understanding.

She is the woman whom I was talking about.

Here are the books that you asked for.

Which of the houses were you working in?

In the first two of the above examples, we can see that because of relative pronouns whom and that, the prepositions about and for are being detached from their objects.

In the third example, the interrogative pronoun ‘which’ is detaching the preposition ‘in’ from its object.

Hence these are all detached prepositions.

Most English speaking people recall only a handful of common prepositions, but in reality, there are about 150 different prepositions. Three of these prepositions are in the top ten most commonly used words in the English language: of, to, and in. What are prepositions, are there more than one type, and if there are prepositions, are there postpositions? Finally, what can you do to understand prepositions better, especially when studying for an English proficiency test?

What are prepositions?

According to Merriam-Webster, the technical definition of a preposition is “a word or group of words that is used with a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, location, or time, or to introduce an object.” Simply put, prepositions are connector words. These connectors customarily tie a noun to an idea.  An example of this is in the sentence, “I went to the store.” “To” connects the location of “store” to where the person went. 

Often a preposition is a short word such as on, in, or to. This standard is not the only option; it can also be a longer word, multiple words, or a short phrase. “In front of” is an example of a short phrase. She parked her bike in front of the school.

Prepositions are common in the English language. There are about 150 used with the most common being: above, across, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, by, down, from, in, into, near, of, off, on, to, toward, under, upon, with and within.

Types of prepositions

Because there are so many prepositions, differentiating them helps to understand when and how to use them properly. The word directly following a preposition is called its complement, and how it relates to the preposition determines what type of preposition you are using.

Transitive Prepositions

A transitive preposition always uses a complement with a preposition. For example, the word “amongst” is a transitive preposition. You cannot write “she lived amongst the wildflowers” without the complement “the wildflowers.” Some traditional grammars believe transitive prepositions are the only true prepositions.

Intransitive Prepositions   

Intransitive prepositions do not need to use the complement to complete the thought. For example, “outside” can be used in the following sentence without a complement, “she lived outside.” You could add a complement to this, “She lived outside the city limits,” but it is unnecessary when using it. Traditional grammars believe intransitive prepositions are actually adverbs. The argument for intransitive prepositions parallels the use of transitive or intransitive verbs. “He runs” versus “he runs a marathon.” 

Conjunctive Preposition

This type of preposition uses a clause as the complement. Traditional grammar may categorize these are subordinating conjunctions instead of conjunctive prepositions. One common example of a conjunctive preposition is the word “because.” 

Complex Preposition

When two or more words form a preposition, they are a complex preposition. This type of preposition is also referred to as a compound preposition. Aside from being more than one word, it functions essentially the same as any other preposition. “In light of” is an example of a complex preposition. “In light of the recent traffic reports, the man drove a different way to work.” Other examples are in addition to, on behalf of, in the middle of, or across from. 

Complex prepositions are mostly found at the beginning and the middle of a sentence, but rarely at the end. To find the correct complex preposition to use, focus on the relationship between the beginning and the end of the sentence. When you have determined this relationship, you can identify the proper complex preposition much easier. 

Phrase propositions

Sometimes called prepositional phrases, phrase prepositions contain the preposition, the object, and the optional object’s modifier (extra details about the object such as “smooth” to describe a table). Some examples of these are “at home, with a little help, according to their wishes.”

Difference between prepositions and postpositions

As mentioned earlier, a preposition is a word connecting an idea or action to a noun. The example “I went to the store” describes where one went. The preposition “to” came before its complement “store.” The word “pre” means before, so the preposition (to) comes before the complement.

When this comes after the complement, instead of being called a PREposition, this is called a POSTposition. Post means “after,” and the postposition comes after the complement. English does not often use postpositions, although there are a few. Ago, as in “that was many years ago,” or through, as in “We slept the whole night through,” are two of the few postpositions English uses.

English postpositions

• Ago
• Apart
• Aside
• Aslant
• Away
• Hence
• Notwithstanding
• On
• Over
• Short
• Through
• Withal

List of prepositions

Lists of prepositions like the picture above are overwhelming to study. They provide limited context as to how to apply the prepositions. If you are looking for a list of prepositions, these lists offer prepositions by category. Don’t forget to check out this preposition song used to help American kids when memorizing prepositions.

Even advanced English learners struggle with using prepositions in the proper context. Some of the ways native English speakers use prepositions do not translate well to other languages. Sometimes the only way to learn these is by forcing yourself to begin using them in your practice. The lists below describe using prepositions for place and time.

Preposition Exercises

You must practice using prepositions to better your understanding of them. Simply reading through the information will not allow it to commit to memory for speaking, let alone an English proficiency test. Only by practicing preposition exercises will you acquire the skills to feel comfortable.

Ending with a preposition

Before you put yourself to the test, become familiar with spotting out incorrect usage of prepositions. See if you can spot out the mistake in the below sentences:

Where did he go to? Do you know where it is at?

In each of these, the question ends with a preposition. Remember, you ordinarily want to place the preposition before the object. There are some exceptions to this rule, but for the most part, it applies. Try instead the changes below:

Where did he go? Do you know where it is?  

Like or as

Another hiccup is often the words “like” and “as.” Use “like” when saying something is similar to something else. Use “as” when comparing something to a verb. Which of the following sentences is the proper use of “like?”

You look like your mother.

You look like you are angry.

If you said the first one, you are correct. Again, think of replacing “like” with “similar.” Which sentence makes sense?

You look similar to your mother.

You look similar to angry.

The first one makes sense. Moreover, if you add “do” or “does” to the end of the sentence, the preposition may no longer be modifying the same subject. For example, in the first sentence, if you wrote, “you look like your mother does,” you would need to change “like” to “as” because no one says, “you look similar to your mother does.” 

When not to use of and from

“Of” is often misused. When using the preposition of, make sure the verb “have” is not really what you are requiring. For example, “I should of taken the money to the bank,” should be written as “I should have taken the money to the bank.”

“From” is another tricky one. Skilled linguists will insist the phrase “different than” is rewritten as “different from” when at all possible. For example, “that shirt is different than the others,” should instead be, “that shirt is different from the others.”

In verses into

This rule is often one that is mixed up in the speech of even most native English speakers. When using “into,” pair it with movement towards something. In contrast, “in” is used when talking about a location. 

Compare the two sentences below and their meanings:

She is walking on the street. 

She walked into the street. 

The first sentence means she is going for a walk on the street. The second says she has walked onto the street, maybe from her yard or out of the car. 

Exercises to practice prepositions

With so many different types of prepositions and rules, it can be overwhelming to imagine taking an English proficiency test. Not to worry, there are plenty of places to pull up sample exercises for practice.

The English Page has numerous online practice preposition tests. English Grammar Online is another resource. Downloadable, amusing worksheets can be found at English-grammar.at. Englishpage.com is an extra resource for online practice problems. 

If you are studying for an English proficiency test and need your skills to be in the best shape possible, start with the common prepositions and work up to the more advanced skills. Practice with worksheets a few times a week until you feel comfortable and as if prepositions were nothing more than a walk in the park. Did you catch the preposition there?