The Preposition

A preposition is a word or word team placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relationship to some other noun, pronoun or verb in a sentence.

Example: under the table.

Preposition: under

Object of preposition: table

Full sentence: The book is under the table.

Relationship between book and table = under.

As you can see from the above illustration, the preposition “under” shows the relationship between the “book” and the “table.”

In the sentences below, the prepositions are set in bold.

1. The car is in the garage.
2. The man is at the workplace.
3. The bird flew over the house.
4. The submarine travels under the seas.
5. The teacher talks to the student.
6. He put the paper between the books.
7. The tree fell into the river.
8. The boy plunged into the pool.
9. Strange creatures live below the surface of the sea.
10. The sky is above the earth.

All prepositions take an object. Example, in the prepositional phrase: over the house, the preposition is “over” and the object of the preposition is “house.”

What is the object of the prepositions in the prepositional phrases below? In the prepositional phrases below, the preposition is set in bold and the object of the preposition is underlined.

In the water

Under the sea

Below the mountain

Over the valley

Above the ground

Before the sea

After the houses

In or On?

For students learning English as a foreign language, knowing when to use “in” or “on” can be baffling. For example, we say “I’m going to Paris in March this year.” But, we’re meeting “on’ Friday. There are no rules governing this usage since they were established to common usage and customs over a long period of time. You’ll have to get a “feel” of how to use these prepositions by listening and talking to natives. Reading lots of English literature can “climatize” your mind to the customary uses of prepositions.

Below are some general guidelines for using “on” and “in.” Please note that these are merely guidelines and not rules set in stone.

On

To express a surface of something

Alicja put the handouts on her desk.

Ollie sat on the chair.

To specify days and dates

Anne’s birthday is on March 17th.

This year it is on Monday.

To indicate the use of a device or machine

Jack is on the phone.

Alicja is working on the computer.

To indicate a part of the body

Anne wears several rings on her fingers.

The stick hit Ollie on the shoulder.

To indicate the state of something

Alicja bought all her work clothes on sale.

Jack’s dinner was on fire!

In

Unspecific times in a day, month, season or year

Anne likes reading the newspaper in the morning.

In the summer, Alicja tries to visit her family.

To indicate a location or place (within the limits, bounds or area of)

Alicja is from Warsaw, which is in Poland.

Ollie is currently staying in a hotel.

To indicate a shape, colour or size

Jack asked his students to stand in a circle.

Anne’s apartment is painted mostly in blue.

To indicate a belief, opinion or interest

Anne doesn’t believe in ghosts.

Jack is interested in football.

At

To point out a specific time

Ollie’s class starts at 9am.

Alicja is meeting her boyfriend at 7 o’clock.

To indicate a place (at or near the area occupied by or the location of)

Alicja is meeting him at the park.

They are going to a party at a club

To indicate an email address

Ollie’s students can contact him at 123@gmail.com

To indicate an activity

Anne is great at painting.

Ollie’s class is good at acting.

Here is a list of prepositions for your reference.

Please note: The list above may not include ALL the prepositions in the English Language.