Prepositions

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

It usually tells us about place, time, movement, manner, reason, or relationship.

👉 Think of it like a "bridge" — it connects words and shows how they are related!

Example:

• The book is on the table. ("on" shows the relation between 'book' and 'table')
• She arrived at 5 PM. ("at" shows the relation between 'arrived' and '5 PM')

Main Functions of Prepositions

Function	Example
Place	The pen is on the desk.
Time	We met at 7 o'clock.
Direction	She walked into the room.
Manner/Means	He traveled by train.
Cause/Reason	The match was canceled because of rain.

 

Types of Prepositions with Detailed Explanation

1. Prepositions of Place (Where?)

These prepositions show the location or position of something.

For Example:

• At = small or specific place.
• In = inside an area.
• On = on a surface.

Preposition	Usage	Example
At	Specific point	She is at the door.
In	Inside an area or volume	The money is in my pocket.
On	Resting on a surface	The glass is on the table.
Under	Lower position	The shoes are under the bed.
Over	Directly above	A painting hangs over the fireplace.
Between	In the middle of two things	The library is between the bank and the café.

2. Prepositions of Time (When?)

These prepositions show when something happens.

For Example: At 5 PM, on Monday, in June.

Preposition	Usage	Example
At	Specific time	We sleep at night.
On	Days and dates	I was born on Monday.
In	Longer periods (months, years, centuries)	He was born in 1999.
Before	Earlier than a point in time	She left before noon.
After	Later than a point in time	We will have dinner after the show.
By	Not later than a specific time	Finish the project by Friday.

 

3. Prepositions of Direction / Movement (Where to?)

These show movement from one place to another.

Preposition	Usage	Example
To	Movement toward a place	He is going to school.
Into	Movement inside something	She jumped into the pool.
Onto	Movement to the surface of something	The cat leaped onto the bed.
Out of	Movement from inside to outside	He ran out of the house.

Remember:

• "Into" is for inside a place; "onto" is moving to a surface.

4. Prepositions of Manner, Cause, and Instrument (How/Why?)

These show how something happens or the reason behind it.

Preposition	Usage	Example
By	Method or means	She traveled by bus.
With	Tool or instrument	He cut the cake with a knife.
Because of	Reason or cause	The flight was delayed because of fog.

 

5. Prepositions of Possession (Whose?)

These show ownership or characteristics.

Preposition	Usage	Example
Of	Belonging to	The wheels of the car are new.
With	Having something	The boy with blue shoes won the race.

 

6. Prepositions of Comparison / Contrast

These show similarity or difference.

Preposition	Usage	Example
Like	Similarity	She sings like a professional singer.
Unlike	Contrast	Unlike his sister, he is very shy.

 

Common Prepositional Phrases

Phrase	Meaning
In time	Early enough
On time	Exactly at the scheduled time
At once	Immediately
By chance	Accidentally
In charge of	Responsible for
Out of order	Not working

 

Summary

• Prepositions link nouns/pronouns to other words.
• They mainly talk about place, time, movement, manner, or reason.
• Always look at the relationship between things to choose the correct preposition.
• Practice makes it easier to spot and use them naturally! 🌟

 

Prepositions Exercises for Practice

✏️ Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with correct prepositions.

1. The cat is hiding ____ the sofa.
2. We will meet ____ Sunday.
3. She put the money ____ her purse.
4. The school bus stops ____ 7 AM every day.
5. He walked ____ the bridge.

Answers: under; on; into; at; across

 

✏️ Exercise 2: Choose the correct preposition.

1. She was born (at/on/in) December.
2. The picture hangs (on/over/in) the fireplace.
3. The kids ran (into/onto/out of) the room.
4. They finished the project (by/on/at) the deadline.
5. He divided the sweets (between/among/into) the two children.

Answers: in; over; into; by; between

 

✏️ Exercise 3: Identify the prepositional phrase in each sentence.

1. The keys are on the kitchen counter.
2. She will arrive at the station on time.
3. We walked through the tunnel during the night.

Answers:

1. on the kitchen counter
2. at the station, on time
3. through the tunnel, during the night