A preposition is a word that is used to link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words in a sentence. Prepositions are usually placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relationship to another word in the sentence. Some common prepositions include “in,” “on,” “at,” “by,” “for,” and “with.” For example:

• The cat is hiding under the table.
• She is standing on the corner.
• The book is on the shelf.

Prepositions can be used to state location, time, direction, and many other relationships between words in a sentence.

What is a Prepositional phrase?

A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun (called the object of the preposition). The object of the preposition is typically the noun or pronoun that follows the preposition, and it is modified by the preposition. For example:

• The cat is hiding under the table.
• She is standing on the corner.
• The book is on the shelf.

In these sentences, “under the table,” “on the corner,” and “on the shelf” are all prepositional phrases. The preposition in each phrase is “under,” “on,” and “on,” respectively, and the objects of the prepositions are “the table,” “the corner,” and “the shelf,” respectively.

Prepositional phrases can function as adjectives or adverbs in a sentence, modifying the nouns or pronouns that they are attached to.

For example, in the sentence “The cat under the table is sleeping.” ,The prepositional phrase “under the table” is modifying the noun “cat,” and is functioning as an adjective.

In the sentence “She is standing on the corner, waiting for the bus.” , the prepositional phrase “on the corner” is modifying the verb “standing,” and is functioning as an adverb.

Five categories of prepositions:

1. Simple prepositions: These are single-word prepositions, such as “in,” “on,” “at,” “by,” “for,” and “with.”
2. Compound prepositions: These are made up of two or more words, such as “according to,” “because of,” “in addition to,” and “in front of.”
3. Participle prepositions: These are formed from verb participles, such as “considering,” “regarding,” and “excluding.”
4. Phrase prepositions: These are made up of a preposition and a noun phrase, such as “by means of,” “in case of,” and “on account of.”
5. Absolute prepositions: These are used to describe a location in an absolute sense, such as “aboard,” “above,” “across,” “after,” “against,” “along,” “amid,” “among,” “around,” “as,” “before,” “behind,” “below,” “beneath,” “beside,” “between,” “beyond,” “but,” “despite,” “down,” “during,” “except,” “for,” “from,” “in,” “inside,” “into,” “like,” “near,” “of,” “off,” “on,” “onto,” “out,” “outside,” “over,” “past,” “since,” “through,” “throughout,” “till,” “to,” “toward,” “under,” “until,” “up,” “upon,” “with,” and “within.”

Types of prepositions:

1. Temporal prepositions: These are used to indicate time, and include words like “after,” “before,” “during,” “on,” “in,” and “at.”

Here are five sentences that contain temporal prepositions:

• “I will see you after lunch.” (The preposition “after” indicates a time later than lunch.)
• “I have to finish my homework before dinner.” (The preposition “before” indicates a time earlier than dinner.)
• “I will be busy during the day.” (The preposition “during” indicates a time within the duration of the day.)
• “I will meet you on Monday.” (The preposition “on” indicates a specific day.)
• “I will see you in the morning.” (The preposition “in” indicates a part of the day.)

2. Spatial prepositions: These are used to indicate location or position, and include words like “in,” “on,” “at,” “by,” “beside,” “behind,” “below,” “above,” and “between.”

Here are five sentences that contain spatial prepositions:

• “The cat is hiding under the table.” (The preposition “under” indicates a location below the table.)
• “She is standing on the corner.” (The preposition “on” indicates a location in contact with the top surface of the corner.)
• “The book is on the shelf.” (The preposition “on” indicates a location in contact with the top surface of the shelf.)
• “I will meet you by the tree.” (The preposition “by” indicates a location in proximity to the tree.)
• “The cat is hiding behind the couch.” (The preposition “behind” indicates a location at the back of the couch.)

3. Causal prepositions: These are used to show cause or reason, and include words like “because of,” “due to,” and “on account of.”

Here are five sentences that contain causal prepositions:

• “I am late because of the traffic.” (The preposition “because of” indicates a cause or reason for being late.)
• “The game was cancelled due to the rain.” (The preposition “due to” indicates a cause or reason for the game being cancelled.)
• “I cannot come to the party on account of my busy schedule.” (The preposition “on account of” indicates a cause or reason for not being able to come to the party.)
• “I am late as a result of the traffic.” (The preposition “as a result of” indicates a cause or consequence for being late.)
• “I am late as a consequence of the traffic.” (The preposition “as a consequence of” indicates a cause or consequence for being late.)

4. Modal prepositions: These are used to indicate possibility or necessity, and include words like “in case of,” “on condition that,” and “in spite of.”

Here are five sentences that contain modal prepositions:

• “I will bring an umbrella in case of rain.” (The preposition “in case of” indicates a possibility of rain.)
• “I will come to the party on condition that you come too.” (The preposition “on condition that” indicates a necessity for both parties to come to the party.)
• “I will go to the party in spite of the rain.” (The preposition “in spite of” indicates a possibility or reality of rain, but does not change the decision to go to the party.)
• “I will come to the party provided that you come too.” (The preposition “provided that” indicates a necessity for both parties to come to the party.)
• “I will come to the party on the assumption that you will be there.” (The preposition “on the assumption that” indicates a possibility or expectation that the other party will be at the party.)

5. Instrumental prepositions: These are used to indicate the means or instrument by which something is done, and include words like “by,” “with,” and “using.”

Here are five sentences that contain instrumental prepositions:

• “I will write the letter by hand.” (The preposition “by” indicates the means or instrument of writing the letter by hand.)
• “I will paint the room with a brush.” (The preposition “with” indicates the instrument of painting the room with a brush.)
• “I will send the email using my computer.” (The preposition “using” indicates the means or instrument of sending the email with a computer.)
• “I will send the message by means of a text.” (The preposition “by means of” indicates the means or instrument of sending the message with a text.)
• “I will send the message through email.” (The preposition “through” indicates the means or instrument of sending the message through email.)

6. Logical prepositions: These are used to show logical relationships between words or ideas, and include words like “after,” “before,” “during,” “until,” “while,” “since,” “as,” “for,” and “in.”

Here are five sentences that contain logical prepositions:

• “I will do my homework after dinner.” (The preposition “after” indicates a logical relationship of time between doing homework and dinner.)
• “I have to finish my homework before dinner.” (The preposition “before” indicates a logical relationship of time between finishing homework and dinner.)
• “I will do my homework during the day.” (The preposition “during” indicates a logical relationship of time between doing homework and the duration of the day.)
• “I will do my homework until it is finished.” (The preposition “until” indicates a logical relationship of time between doing homework and the completion of the task.)
• “I will do my homework while you watch TV.” (The preposition “while” indicates a logical relationship of time between doing homework and watching TV.)

Now Let’s have a short quiz about Prepositions.

1. The cat is hiding _____ the couch. a. behind b. in front of c. beneath d. under
2. I will meet you _____ the park. a. on b. in c. at d. by
3. She is standing _____ the corner. a. on b. in c. at d. by
4. I will be busy _____ the day. a. during b. while c. for d. until
5. I will see you _____ the morning. a. in b. on c. at d. by
6. I will do my homework _____ dinner. a. before b. after c. while d. during
7. I am late _____ the traffic. a. because of b. due to c. on account of d. as a result of
8. The game was cancelled _____ the rain. a. because of b. due to c. on account of d. as a result of
9. I will write the letter _____ hand. a. by b. with c. using d. by means of
10. I will send the message _____ email. a. by b. with c. using d. through