Prepositions are a word or group of words that link nouns, pronouns, and phrases to other words in sentence. It indicates location, direction, time, manner, or other details. Some common prepositions in English include in, about, or, for, of, on, by. Three types of prepositions are used in general:

  1. Simple Prepositions: These are the prepositions commonly used in most of the sentences. Such as in, on, for, at, to.
  2. Compound Prepositions: These prepositions are formed by prefixing a preposition with a noun, adjective, or adverb. Such examples include inside, above, around.
  3. Phrase Prepositions: These are the group of words linked together to serve as prepositions. Common examples are in front of, according to, in addition to, along with.

Remember that prepositions are used before a noun or a pronoun, and the pronoun must be in objective case. Similarly, the noun or a pronoun which follows a preposition is called object.

Cases of Pronoun

Before studying prepositions, let’s have a look at the objective and subjective case of pronoun.

PersonSubjective CaseObjective Case
1st Person SingularIMe
2nd Person SingularYouYou
3rd Person SingularHe/She/It/Any SingularHim/Her/It
1st Person PluralWeUs
2nd Person PluralYouYou
3rd Person PluralTheyThem

Common Prepositions Used for Time

PrepositionUsageExample
inHistory
Years
Months/Weeks/Years/Season
Times of day		in the 21st century.
in 2023.
in winter/March/two years.
in the morning.
atTime of day
Noon, night, and midnight
Mealtimes
Age		at 2 p.m.
at noon/night/midnight.
at lunch/dinner.
at 2 years.
onDays of the week.on Monday
sinceWhen we know the time.since March 2023, since 2014.
forWhen we don’t know the time.for one week/two days.
from… to…Used for the starting point/time and deadline/endpoint.from Monday to Friday/from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
untilLinked with another action in the sentence.I cannot write until I finish reading.
byWhen there’s a due date/day mentioned.The assignment is due by Monday.

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Common Prepositions Used for Place (Location and Direction)

PrepositionUsageExamples
insomething enclosed in a place or within limits.in the class.
in the book.
in a photo.
atsomething located at a specific point.
for events.
a place where you’re to do something typical action.		at school.
at the party.
at cinema/work.
onon a surface (open).
public transport.
floors of a building.
for television or radio.		on the table.
on the bus/taxi.
towhen moving/ending towards a specific point or a place.He’s flying to London.
A road to library.
fromwhen moving/starting from a specific point or a place.He’s working from home.
towardsmoving in direction of something.a bull running towards him.
acrossmoving from one side to another.a shop across the road.
throughmoving from one to another using ‘something’through the market.
through opened door.
betweena place in the middle of something or someone.He was standing between his two friends.
a door between the pillars.
amongsurrounded by two or more people together as a group.Germany is among the countries of Europe.

Prepositions Used for Making Connections

PrepositionUsageExample
withconnecting a particular feature of the first.
when people or things are together.
for things used to perform an action.		He’s writing with a black pen.
He’s meeting with one of his friends.
bydescribing an action more specifically.He was bitten by a snake last night.
ofbetween noun phrases.
relationships.
reason or motive.		a book of poetry.
mother of this girl.
principal of the college.
betweenmaking a connection.relationship between Physics and Chemistry.
Relationship between art and artist.

Prepositions are the unsung heroes of sentence structure, providing clarity and precision to our expressions. By understanding their functions and practicing their usage, you can elevate your command of the English language.

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