GR/1ER: Prepositions

Introduction

1. Definition of Preposition

§ A preposition is a word usually placed before a noun or pronoun to show place, time, cause, purpose, or means.

§ Propositions or Ad-position = pre + position "connectives" = "they precede a phrase that act a as a modifier or a noun by indicating a position in time, location or manner".

Prepositions are little words that are used to join nouns, gerund, and pronouns to other words in a sentence. As the word itself suggests ("pre" is a prefix means "before" while position refers to a place), a preposition is a word in a position before its object "a noun or pronoun". Prepositions are used in sentences to show a relationship between the object of the preposition and another word in a sentence. It is worth to mention that prepositions may tell us about the position, time, ownership or movement. It should be noted that the nouns or pronouns that follows the preposition is called the object of the preposition. In the following sentence notice how the word preposition changes the meaning of the sentence between the subject and object. So prepositions are important words. See the examples below:

· Brian often talked with Ms. John. "The meaning is……………….…………..."

· Brain often talked about Ms. John. "The meaning is …………………………."

· My father told me information by cell phone. – (preposition = by, object of the preposition = phone)

· Dinosaurs lived in ancient times. – (preposition = in, object of the preposition = times)

2. English Preposition Rule

There is one very simple rule about prepositions. And, unlike most rules, this rule has no exceptions. This rule is as follows: A preposition is followed by a "noun". It is never followed by a verb. By "noun" we include:

§ noun (dog, money, love)

§ proper noun (name) (Bangkok, Mary)

§ pronoun (you, him, us)

§ noun group (my first job)

§ gerund (swimming)

A preposition cannot be followed by a verb. If we want to follow a preposition by a verb, we must use the "-ing" form which is really a gerund or verb in noun form. See the situation below: In the following sentences, why is "to" followed by a verb? That should be impossible, according to the above rule:

· I would like to leave now.

· He used to take cigarette. Here in these two sentences, "to" is not a preposition. It is part of the infinitive of the verbs ("to leave", "to take").

1. 2. Prepositional Phrase

Prepositions and the nouns/pronouns that follow them are always grouped together and treated as a single grammatical unit, called Prepositional Phrases. A prepositional phrase is comprised minimally of a preposition and its object. In other words, a prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun, noun phrase, pronoun or a gerund subordinate clause. It should be noted that the object of a preposition is typically a noun or a pronoun. Prepositional phrase can serve as noun modifiers, as adverbials and as complement to verbs or adjectives in a sentence. Prepositional phrases are relatively uniform constructions: spot a preposition and the Noun Phrase that immediately follows it, and you can be fairly certain that you have identified a Prepositional Phrase. However, you should recall that some apparent prepositions are actually particles (see the next title) and that others may be subordinating adverbial conjunctions. Consider this expression: Preposition (in) + Object (the water) = Prepositional Phrase (in the water). Sees this example and the table for more details:

· Stephan, the researcher from Algeria, wrote an excellent research paper on the computer. Here (on the computer) is a prepositional phrase.

Meaning	Preposition	Noun or pronoun	Prepositional phrase
Time	after	+ the conference	after the conference
Place	under	+ the desk	under the desk
Ownership	of	+ our car	of our car
Causation	for	+ the guilty	for the guilty
Direction	from	+the left side	from the left side
Relation	about	+ the issue of today	About the issue of today

Prepositions are always the first word in a prepositional phrase. Prepositional phrases are used to add more detail to a sentence. The following sentence gives no details about the person or her actions:

· The boy moved. Where did the boy move? Perhaps he moved around the school or he moved around the school.

The word around is a preposition which tells the relationship between the boy moved and the school. Other prepositions show different relationships between the boy moved and the school: Consider these prepositions.

· The boy moved at the school.

· The boy moved through the school.

· The boy moved into the school.

· The boy moved down the school.

· The boy moved behind the school.

· The boy moved to the school.

· The boy moved besides the school.

· The boy moved near the school.

In each sentence above, the prepositional phrases give more information about the verb “walked” by telling where she walked. Adverb phrases can also be used to tell how, in what way, when. Anything that modifies a verb is an adverb; therefore, these prepositional phrases, telling where she walked, are called prepositional adverb phrases.

3. Prepositions versus Particles

As it happens, a subset of the prepositions in English are considered as also particles. A particle differs from a preposition in that it does not (and cannot) take an object. Particles can, like prepositions, come right after the verb and before a noun phrase. (See the unit of verbs for more clarifications: verb phrase or Particles.) Particles, however, are distributed differently from prepositions. How so? Well, while the up's in (sentence 1a) and (b) look similar, consider that in (sentence 2b) you can move the up after the NP without changing the meaning, but in (sentence 2a) moving the up produces an ungrammatical string. Consider the sentences in the table below:

Prepositions versus Particles
Preposition		Particle
1.a	She climbs up the pole.	1.b	She puts up the pole.
2.a	She climbs the pole up.	2.b	She puts the pole up.
3.a	She climbs up it.	3.b	She puts it up.
4.a	She climbs slowly up the pole.	4.b	She puts slowly up the pole.

3. Difference between Prepositions and Adverbs

The difference between a preposition and an adverb is that an adverb answers the questions, Where? When? How? To what extent? by itself. It should be noted that adverbs are content words in the sense that they can fulfill their role and meaning only through one word while prepositions are functional words in the sense that they cannot full their meaning ad role alone so they need to be embedded with other words in a sentence to function properly unlike adverbs. Notice the following examples:

· Ann moved up. (Up is an adverb because it takes only one word to tell where Ann moved.)

· Ann moved up the stairs. (Up is a preposition because it takes more than a single word to tell where Ann moved.)

· John walked aboard. (Aboard is an adverb because it takes only one word needed to tell where John walked.)

· John walked aboard the plane. (Aboard is a preposition because it takes more than one word to tell where John walked.)

4. Position of Prepositions

The two important positions of prepositions

Preposition + Noun or Pronoun

Pre "as indicated in the definition" means before, so prepositions are usually placed before a noun or pronoun. See the examples below:

· at home,

· about him,

· on the table

Noun or Pronoun + Preposition

A preposition is to be placed before a noun, because pre means before insists the prescriptive grammarian. But in current English a sentence ending in a preposition is considered quite idiomatic. Consequently, a preposition can also occur at the end of the sentence as in the following constructions:

§ a) question-word questions a preposition placed before a question-word in an interrogative sentence changes its position. It is usually placed at the end of a question particularly in spoken English: The structure of such questions is question-word + verb + subject + preposition + question mark. See the examples below: See the examples below:

· What is this bag for? We don't say: For what is this bag?

· Which room did you sleep in? We don't say: In which room did you sleep?

§ b) Relative clause a preposition placed before a relative pronoun changes its position. It is placed at the end of the relative clause (adjective clause): See the examples below:

· The room in which I live is big sizes.

· The room I live in is big size.

· The people to whom I am speaking are total foreigners.

· The people I am speaking to are total foreigners.

§ c) exclamations In exclamations also a preposition is moved to the end of the sentence: See the examples below:

· What a society we live in! (not, In what ... )

· What a friend to travel with! (not, With what ... )

§ d) passive voice in the passive construction the preposition is placed at the end of the sentence: See the examples below:

· The situation is being looked into.

· Such a case can't even be thought of.

· Who was this symphony composed by?

1. 2. Kinds of Prepositions

1. 2. 1. Simple or Common Prepositions

Simple prepositions consist of only one single word. They are the most used prepositions. Simple prepositions are important words. Speakers use individual prepositions more frequently than other individual words. In fact, the prepositions "of", "to" and "in" are among the ten most frequent words in English. Here is a short list of around 70 of the more common one word prepositions. Many of these prepositions have more than one meaning. Please refer to the table below for meanings of prepositions and a dictionary for precise meaning and usage. The table below represents the most common simple prepositions. See the examples:

· We are waiting at the station.

· The dog is under the table.

· My copybook is in my bag.

· A captain in below a general.

· The supermarket is between a mosque and the bank.

The most used simple prepositions

across

beside through

after

besides

of throughout

including

excluding

against between

on times

along

until

till

at from

with

within

atop

round

without

before

inside

worth

bar

barring concerning considering

upon

aboard

behind

unlike

save

about

below

minus

since

above

beneath

near

than

off

over under

underneath

amongst

down

past

around

during

per

versus

for

plus

via

opposite to

amidst

by out

outside toward(s)

among

despite

except

excepting following pending

beyond

on/up

amid

but

1. 2. Complex or Common Prepositions

They do the same as common prepositions. Complex or compound prepositions consist of more than one word which are all altogether treated as one single unit in the sentence. The table below represents the most common compound prepositions. See the examples below for more details:

· My car is parked in front of the Hotel.

· The prime minister is out of the service.

The most used compound prepositions

as to

onto

as for

out of

into

in addition to

in lieu of

instead of

but for

according to

along with

away from

because of

by means of

by reason of

with an eye to

with a view to

with respect to

in accordance with

by way of

by virtue of

in the light of

with regard to

in course of

in order to

on behalf of

together with

due to

owing to

in front of

for the sake of

in favor of

in light of

in spite of

in search of

in quest of

in the event of

in view of

with reference to

3. Meanings of Prepositions

The best way to learn the correct use of prepositions is by reading, listening, speaking and writing as much as possible. The use of prepositions is not determined by the kinds but by the relation that is to be presented. Keep in mind that same prepositions can be used for expression of different relations. Prepositions are classified according to their function or the relations expressed through them. Some examples illustrating the meanings and relationships of prepositions are given below. See the appendix 2 for more clarifications:

§ Location is expressed by the following prepositions "in, on, at, inside, within ………." See the examples below:

· There was a big commotion in the store. The preposition "in" here indicates location.

· What were you doing inside the classroom?

· Trust no one within this room.

· Ann is at home in your company.

§ Mode of Transport is expressed by the following prepositions " by, in, on ………….." See the examples below:

· She goes to school on foot. The preposition "on" here indicates a mode of transport.

· She was sent back on plane.

· I prefer travelling by road.

§ Cause is expressed by the following prepositions "because of, on account of, from, out of, for ... of, of ………….." See the examples below:

· John had to stop education because of the need to support his parent.

· On account of heavy snow there have been widespread landslides this season. The preposition "on account" here indicates the heavy snow as a cause of the widespread landslides.

· Out of curiosity the little boy opened the bag.

· People have been dying of a mysterious epidemic in the capital.

§ Subject Matter is expressed by the following prepositions "about, on, regarding

…………………..." See the examples below:

· A book regarding corruption in high positions. The preposition "regarding" here indicates corruption in high positions as a subject matter.

· a talk on linguistics

· the discussion on drug abuse

Summary

§ Prepositions are present in every sentence people use when communicating an oral or written message to another person. As it is well known prepositions are lexical items that function as linking elements establishing a relationship usually between a noun or a pronoun and another element in the clause. For this reason, prepositions have an important role when learning English language. When using prepositions, their meaning may be literal or figurative; this imposes some challenge to students.

§ Prepositions are high frequency items belonging to one of the eight word classes into which English lexicon can be divided. They can be defined as a relatively closed class that is not prone to quick changes.

§ From a morphological viewpoint, prepositions can be defined as invariable word forms which, throughout the history of English, almost never took any inflections.

§ Prepositional phrase consists of a preposition which functions as a head governing the phrase, plus prepositional complement.

§ Prepositions and their relation to semantics have always been problematic. They are often considered to have too little semantic content or, vice versa, to be too polysemous to warrant a proper semantic description. Most linguists consent that nouns, adjectives and main verbs are items with a full lexical meaning. When it comes to prepositions, question might arise, whether they should also be regarded as lexical elements with their own lexical meaning or rather as semantically empty grammatical elements.

Exercise 1

Direction: Read and Underline the prepositions, circle the nouns/pronouns that complete them in the following sentences. Check your answers in the answer key.

1. Put your coats on the bed in the guest room.

2. Paula walked through the park and then turned towards home.

3. She hid the presents behind the desk and under the stairs.

4. The color of her dress was really flattering.

5. The books on airplanes were placed beside those on trains.

6. The chairs on the porch were painted white.

7. Guests with tickets entered first.

8. The sap from maple trees is boiled into syrup.

9. We saw six pheasant on the road to Stanley.

10. The man with the long scarf just robbed the store in the mall.

Exercise 2

Complete the sentence with the correct preposition from the choices given.

1. We are very excited ……...…our trip to Spain next week. (at, with, about, over)

2. I am very fond ………..…… drinking green tea. (for, of, about, at)

3. Almost all politicians were involved …………... the scandal. (in, at, with, from)

4. I am looking forward …. having a meeting with you next week. (with, at, to, from)

5. At the moment, she is recovering ………..…..her injuries. (at, of, from, with)

6. I’m dreaming …………. becoming a famous scientist one day (for, with, about, into)

7. My cousin is married ………….. a famous American (with, for, to, from)

8. I am responsible ………….….. training the new recruits. (at, about, with, for)

9. Many people took advantage ………….. the low prices offered by the new shop (of, for, with, to)

10. I was not quite satisfied ………………. the exam results. (at, for, with, about)

11. The president was thankful ……..…. everyone who helped in the campaign (to, with, for, at)

12. Everyone in this town will benefit ………. the new hospital (from, with, at, into)

13. For two full days, the man was fighting …………….. his life. (up, with, at, for)

14. My dad shouted …….. me because I didn’t do what he said (to, at, with, towards)

15. She insisted ………..…… helping me with the dishes. (on, with, for, about)

16. Almost all car companies care …………... the environment (for, at, about, with)

17. Wearing a seat belt can protect you ……. being killed in a car. (with, of, about, from)

18. Ten people were killed when a bus collided …….. a car (into, with, at, towards)

19. The customers came to the shop to complain ……… their service (about, at, on, for)

20. Our atmosphere consists ……. oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide (into, of, with, for)

Exercise 3

Direction: List the prepositional phrases in this exercise. After each one, tell whether it is used as an adjective or an adverb.

1. The men on the roof worked for two hours in the heat.

2. During the night, the rest of the water drained from the basement.

3. He lived near the mall which was located to the north of the city limits.

4. The women in the kitchen looked under the tables and in the closet.

5. The old lady with the big hat cut into the line in front of me at the store.

6. On Fridays, all of the staff at the radio station eats lunch at the old mill.

7. In the middle of a big spacious lawn, the designer placed a beautiful statue.

8. Because of the storm, the volunteers did not hear about the revised forms.

9. Since his return, the children from the day care at the church have walked around the block every day.

10. After his graduation in 1992, he answered an ad for a job in Manitoba.

آخر تعديل: الأحد، 16 مارس 2025، 11:13 PM