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Types of Preposition

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship of a noun (or pronoun) to the other words of a sentence.
e.g., on, in, of, to, at, by, for, with, under, above, into, onto, upon, about, behind, besides, before, after, towards, inside, outside, below, around.

There are six types of prepositions.

  • Prepositions for Time
  • Prepositions for Place
  • Prepositions for Direction
  • Prepositions for Agency
  • Prepositions for Instruments
  • Prepositional Verb

  Preposition for Time (e.g. at, on, in)


These prepositions are used to refer to time in the following ways. e.g. at, on, in.

Prepositions Time Nature

In

1. Month or Year 
e.g., in March, in July, in 2019, in 2015.

2. A particular time of a day or month or year
e.g., in the evening, in the morning, in the 3rd week of April, in winter, in summer.

3. A century or a specific time in past or future etc.
e.g., in the 20th century, in the early days, in the stone age, in the ancient times, in future, in past.

On

1. A Day 
e.g., on Sunday, on Friday.

2. Dates
e.g., on 8th February, on February 8, on the 8th of February, on 15th April 2018.

3. Particular days
e.g., on my birthday, on Independence Day, on the first day, on the last day.

At

1. Time of a clock
e.g., at 3 O’clock, at 4 PM.

2. Short & precise times 
e.g., at night, at sunset, at noon, at lunchtime, at the moment, at bedtime.

Examples.

  • She was born in 1998.
  • His father died in a car accident in 2018.
  • I was very happy on the first day of my job.
  • It is quite hot here in summer.
  • The shop closes at 10 PM.
  • The meeting was held on 15th February 2021.
  • I will meet him on Monday.
  • He gets up early in the morning.

  Prepositions for Place  (e.g. on, at, in)


These prepositions are used for different types of places. e.g., on, at, in.
  • ‘In’ is mostly used for a place having some sort of (physical or virtual) boundary.
  • ‘On’ is usually used for the surface of something.
  • ‘At’ is usually used for a specific place.

Prepositions Nature of the Places

In

Place having some (physical or virtual) boundary
Examples:.
In a hall
In a school
In the building
In the box
In the car
In a library
In a garden
In England
In a room
In a cupboard

On

Surfaces of things. 
Examples:
On the table
On the blackboard 
On the page
On a wall
On a roof
On the map

At

Specific Places:
Examples:
At bus stop
At the entrance
At the door.
At the bottom of the glass
At the edge of the roof

Examples:

  • They live in England.
  • The kids were playing in the room.
  • There is a book on the table.
  • She was drawing a map on the wall.
  • I met him at the bus stop.
  • She waited for her kids at the gate of the school.
  • The cat is sleeping under the table.

  Prepositions for Direction (e.g. into, to, through, towards)

These prepositions show the direction of something.

The preposition ‘to’ is used for places which is generally the endpoint of a movement, at least within the said context. The preposition ‘towards (or toward)’ basically emphasize the direction and the nature of the movement where the place may or may not be the endpoint. The preposition ‘into’ is used when the movement ends inside something.

  • They are going to the library.
  • He will go to London.
  • The snake was coming towards him.
  • They started their journey towards the border.
  • He threw a ball into the river.
  • Please come into the house.
  • She threw the letter into the fire.

  Prepositions for Agency (e.g. by, with)

These prepositions are used to express a causal relationship between the noun (doer or acter) and an action. e.g., by, with, etc. The preposition of the agency is generally used in sentences expressed in passive voice.

Examples:

  • This book is written by John Keats.
  • A lot of noise was made by the kids.
  • Some schools have been made by the government.

  Prepositions for Instrument, Devices, or Machines

The prepositions are used for joining nouns (instruments, devices, machines, etc.) and other words in a sentence. e.g., on, by, with the help of, etc.

Examples.

  • He goes to college by bus.
  • They opened the lock with a key.
  • This car runs on diesel.
  • He broke the glass with a hammer.
  • We washed the car with the help of a water pipe.


Click here to read "Prepositional Verb"


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