Preposition

A preposition is a type of word that typically expresses a relationship between a noun or pronoun and another element in the sentence. It is used to show direction, location, time, manner, or other relationships between words in a sentence. Prepositions are often used to indicate the relationship between nouns (or pronouns) and other words in a sentence, such as indicating location (“in,” “on,” “at”), direction (“to,” “toward,” “into”), time (“before,” “after,” “during”), or possession (“of,” “with”).

Here are some examples of prepositions used in sentences:

The book is on the table. (“on” indicates the location relationship between the book and the table)
She walked to the park. (“to” indicates the direction relationship between her and the park)
They arrived before the concert. (“before” indicates the time relationship between their arrival and the concert)
Prepositions are an important part of grammar and help to provide clarity and specificity in language.

Examples:

The cat is on the mat.
She walked through the park.
The book is under the table.
He went to the store.
We had dinner at a fancy restaurant.
In these examples, “on,” “through,” “under,” “to,” and “at” are the prepositions that establish relationships with the other words in the sentences.

Preposition Exercises:

Identify the preposition in each sentence:
a) The dog jumped over the fence.
b) I put the keys in my bag.
c) She ran towards the finish line.
d) The book is on the shelf.
e) They met at the coffee shop.

Identify the preposition:
a) over
b) in
c) towards
d) on
e) at

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate prepositions:
a) The movie starts __________ 7:00 PM.
b) The cat is hiding __________ the bed.
c) We went __________ the mountains for our vacation.
d) She is interested __________ learning to play the piano.
e) The ball rolled __________ the hill.

Fill in the blanks:
a) at
b) under
c) to
d) in
e) down

More Examples of Prepositions that Tell Us Where
Here are some more examples of prepositions that tell us where something is in relation to something else (prepositions highlighted):
the boy behind the bush
(Here, the preposition “behind” tells us where “the boy” is in relation to “the bush.”)
a mouse under the stairs
(In this example, the preposition “under” tells us where “a mouse” is in relation to “the stairs.”)

More Examples of Prepositions that Tell Us When
Here are some more examples of prepositions that tell us when something is in relation to something else:
the calm before the storm
(Here, the preposition “before” tells us when “the calm” is in relation to “the storm.”)
one second after the bang
(In this example, the preposition “after” tells us when “one second” is in relation to “the bang.”)

List of Common Prepositions

Here is a list of common prepositions:
above, about, across, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, since, to, toward, through, under, until, up, upon, with, within
More about Prepositions
Expressing where and when are two key roles for prepositions, but they have other roles too. For example, they might show possession or purpose.

These are the wishes of the people.
(Here, the preposition “of” shows possession.)
It is a device for opening jars.
(Here, the preposition “for” shows purpose.)
In the examples below, each preposition (highlighted) sits before the noun “the wizard” to show us the relationship between “the wizard” and “the book.”

The book about the wizard
The book by the wizard
The book near the wizard
The book behind the wizard
The book under the wizard
Here are some more examples:
It is a container for butter.
(“For” shows the relationship between “butter” and “a container.”)
The eagle soared above the clouds.
(“Above” shows the relationship between “the clouds” and “the eagle.”)
He is the President of the United States.
(“Of” shows the relationship between “the United States” and “the President.”)

By practicing exercises like these, you can become more familiar with prepositions and how they function within sentences. Remember that prepositions can vary depending on the context, so it’s essential to consider the relationships they establish between words or phrases.

What Are Prepositions?

Prepositions are words that show relationships between other words in a sentence. Put another way, a preposition links two nearby words to indicate how they relate to each other. For example:
The rat is in the corner.
(The preposition “in” shows the relationship between “corner” and “rat.”)
Her party was on Saturday.
(The preposition “on” shows the relationship between “Saturday” and “party.”)
Examples of Prepositions
There are lots of prepositions. Here are some common ones:
above, about, below, for, from, in, inside, into, of, to, until, with
Lots of prepositions precede words to tell us where or when things are.
Examples of prepositions that tell us where:

The cat on the table is called Toby.
(The preposition “on” precedes “table” to tell us where the cat is.)
Our lorry is stuck at the traffic lights.
(The preposition “at” precedes “lights” to tells us where the lorry is.)
Examples of prepositions that tell us when:

The meeting on Saturday
(This time, the preposition “on” precedes Saturday to tell us when the meeting is.)
The bell will ring at 7 o’clock.
(The preposition “at” precedes “7 o’clock” to tell us when the bell will ring.)

Not all prepositions tell us where or when things are. Prepositions have other roles too. For example, they might show possession (e.g., collar of the dog) or purpose (e.g., a tool for digging). We will discuss this later.