Building Blocks of English: Prepositions

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We’ve launched a series of blog posts, wherein we take up one component of language at a time, and unveil its various nitty-gritties – this time, prepositions! Read on to learn more.

P.S. don’t forget to update yourself with what we’ve already covered! You can check out blog posts on Adjectives (link here) and Articles (link here)!

Prepositions: what are they and how do you use them?

Prepositions are of various types playing various functions – all of them however are related to one major, primary function:

The most common prepositions are the following:

Each of these prepositions plays multiple functions in different sentences. In addition, there are several prepositions that play only one or two of these functions.

We will sum up each of these preposition-functions as follows, along with plenty of examples:

1. Direction

Prepositions are used to denote the direction of a verb showing movement, as it links or relates one noun and another.

Other examples of prepositions for direction include: across, around, through, under etc.

2. Position

Prepositions are used to denote the position of a noun in relation to another noun. The noun here is at rest (i.e. there is no movement).

3. Place/Location

Prepositions are used to denote a verb/action as being located in a place. Here again, there is no movement – the action is happening in one place.

Other examples of prepositions for position/location include: beside, by, above, under, over etc.

4. Time

Prepositions are used to denote different aspects of time in relation to events – including starting/ending times, duration, passage of time etc.

Other examples of prepositions for time include: until, after, during, prior etc.

5.Other uses of prepositions

The above prepositions denoting space (direction, position, location) and time, are the most basic.

Besides these, there are prepositions that perform a variety of other functions.

a. Purpose/Cause – prepositions are used to tell us the purpose or cause of a particular action.

Examples:

b. Contrast – prepositions are used to establish a relationship between one action i.e. the main action, and a second oppositional action.

Here, the main action stands alone, with the oppositional action combined with the preposition.

Examples:

Other examples of prepositions for contrast include: though, in spite of*, albeit, nevertheless etc.

*Avoid this common mistake! While despite and in spite can be used interchangeably, there are rules for the use of each one:

The difference is simple – it is always ‘despite’ or ‘in spite of’!

Rules for preposition use

1.Sentence structure

The most important rule to be remembered is that regarding preposition placement in a sentence.

For the sake of explanation, we will divide the sentence into 2 parts – the phrase containing the verb and at least one noun, in most cases; and the prepositional phrase which consists of one preposition and one noun.

Examples:

Based on this, you may identify the following principles:

• The verb will never come after the preposition.
• The preposition is always used along with a noun

P.S. in certain cases, a preposition may be used to join two separate phrases, both of which contain verbs – this is usually the case with prepositions used to denote ‘contrast’ as you saw above.

2. Alternative preposition placement

• In certain cases, the preposition may be placed at the end of the sentence. Some examples include:

There is nobody to hind behind.

Where did you come from?

• In certain cases, usually in questions, the preposition may be placed at the beginning of the sentence. Some examples include:

With whom are you staying?

From where did you come?

3.Do not use unnecessary prepositions

• In some cases, the preposition may be dropped completely. For instance,

Incorrect: She entered into the room Correct: She entered the room

Incorrect: We discussed about the business plan Correct: We discussed the business plan

• Take care that you do not repeat prepositions in a sentence:

Incorrect: From where did he come from?

Correct: From where did he come? OR Where did he come from?

Tips to Improve

The peculiar thing about prepositions is that, as you have seen, there are no hard and fast rules regarding where they may be used and for what function.

How then do you keep track?

The answer is simple: practice and familiarity!

Expose yourself to English in use, through reading and listening to good material. The more you see the various prepositions being used, the quicker it becomes second nature!

What next?

Any expert would tell you that the best way to improve your language skills, is with a knowledgeable and experienced trainer – someone with deep understanding of the nitty-gritties of language. Hurray, is also one of the few centers in offering major english profieciency test training such as IELTS online training, PTE Online Training and OET online training in addition to English Online training. We can provide you with assistance, helping you to learn the rules, put them into practice, and improve your overall language skills.

You can reach out to us at info@hurrayedutech.com or call us on 8971357938, to learn more.

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