Sen

ten

ce A

naly

sis

Take the money from her.

Take the money to her.

PREPOSITIONS

ENGLISH PLUS

Ob

jecti

ves

At the end of the lesson, the students are able to:

define Preposition;

distinguish the different meanings of the sentences connected by prepositions;

distinguish the proper usage of some common prepositions; and

answer the given exercises.

PREPOSITIONS

ENGLISH PLUS

Defi

nit

ion

word used before noun: a member of a set of words used in close connection with, and usually before, nouns and pronouns to show their relation to another part of a clause.

Microsoft® Encarta® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Defi

nit

ion

The word preposition comes from the Latin pre- (before)+ponere (place or put) = to put before or in front of. In English, one can say that a preposition is a word found before or in front of its object. The object may be a noun (at school) or a pronoun (beside them). A preposition shows the relationship between two words in a phrase.

Be Your Own English Teacher! Prepositions by Dr. Lydia Rodriguez et al.

Exam

ple

s 1.The ball is under the table.

2.The finger of suspicion is pointed at the chief of security.

3.Go to school.

Typ

es o

f P

rep

osit

ion

1.Place or Location

2.Time

3.Direction

4.Manner

Pre

po

sit

ion

of

Pla

ce

The correct use of prepositions is not usually explained or governed by specific rules. There are some prepositions, however, which may be easier to learn if we associate them with their particular functions; for instance, those which indicate location.

Pre

po

sit

ion

of

Pla

ce

THINGS: A BALL (BOOK, WHATEVER)ON THE TABLE

UNDER THE TABLE

BETWEEN TWO TABLES

IN A DRAWER.

OVER THE TABLE

BY THE BED

Pre

po

sit

ion

of

Pla

ce

PERSONS: A GIRL OR A BOYON A BENCH

IN A CAR

AT A TABLE

AROUND A TREE

UNDER A TREE

Pre

po

sit

ion

of

Pla

ce

in = name of district, town, city, or province.

on = name of a street.

at = specific address.

They live in Barangay Laging Handa 

Their office is on Commonwealth Avenue.

She lives at 32 Pinagkaisahan Street.

Pre

po

sit

ion

of

Tim

e

Certain prepositions are used to indicate time or duration.

Commonly used preposition of time:

on, at, in, before and after.

Examples:

Let us meet at exactly twelve noon tomorrow.

He was born on August 1, 1987.

Pre

po

sit

ion

of

Dir

ecti

on

Certain prepositions are used to indicate direction (to the left); more specifically, to indicate source (water from the well); goal (towards the top); or path (through your veins).

Commonly used preposition of direction are to and from.

Others include towards, through, into, along, and around. At is also preposition that shows direction, usually indicating aggression.

Exam

ple

s:

1. The prisoner crawled through the tunnel, slowly but surely.

2. We drove around Quezon City about an hour before finding her house.

3. He ran down the road at a tremendous speed.

Pre

po

sit

ion

of

Man

ner

There are prepositions that are found in phrases that answer the following questions:

How? In what way?

By what means?

With/Without whom; with/without what?

On what condition? 

Some of those most often used are by, through, under, with, without, in, and on.

Exam

ple

s:

1. They sing in unison.

2. You should work with a jackhammer.

3. She is dancing without a partner.

4. He should travel with a passport.

5. Do not proceed under written orders.

EX

ER

CIS

ES

Exerc

ises:

1. Lena put the flowers she received for her birthday (in, on) vase.

2. The crown (at, on) the winner’s head is made of Davao pearls.

3. Bert put the greeting card he received (inside, between) the pages of this books.

4. The mother lay down (beside, in) her child and read him a story.

5. Huge neon signs (under, above) the high-rise buildings dotted the skyline.

6. He is having a hard time swimming because he is going (against, with) the current.

7. The policemen suddenly broke (into, out) the gambling casino and arrested everyone inside.

8. Coming (from, to) Baguio at the crack of dawn, we reached Quezon City by noon.

9. We drove (around, between) Quezon City for about an hour before finding her house.

10. The Sultan of Brunei arrived (at, of) the Ninoy Aquino international Airport yesterday.

Exerc

ises:

11. Let us meet (at, on) exactly 12 noon tomorrow.

12. I cannot be very sure, but I think I saw him walking in front of his office (around, on) 5:00 p.m. yesterday.

13. My younger son was born (on, in) October 2, 1973.

14. My daughter was born (in, on) Jul 1970.

15. There is a saying that those who live (by, on) the gun shall die (by, with) the gun.

16. The forensic evidence came (on, in) bits and pieces.

17. Politicians love to eat (with, on) their hands to show they are “just plain folk”.

18. The witness agreed to testify, but (on, to) his own terms and (under, off) the strictest confidentiality.

An

sw

ers

:

1. Lena put the flowers she received for her birthday (in, on) a vase.

2. The crown (at, on) the winner’s head is made of Davao pearls.

3. Bert put the greeting card he received (inside, between) the pages of this books.

4. The mother lay down (beside, in) her child and read him a story.

5. Huge neon signs (under, above) the high-rise buildings dotted the skyline.

6. He is having a hard time swimming because he is going (against, with) the current.

7. The policemen suddenly broke (into, out) the gambling casino and arrested everyone inside.

8. Coming (from, to) Baguio at the crack of dawn, we reached Quezon City by noon.

9. We drove (around, between) Quezon City for about an hour before finding her house.

10. The Sultan of Brunei arrived (at, of) the Ninoy Aquino international Airport yesterday.

An

sw

ers

:

11. Let us meet (at, on) exactly 12 noon tomorrow.

12. I cannot be very sure, but I think I saw him walking in front of his office (around, on) 5:00 p.m. yesterday.

13. My younger son was born (on, in) October 2, 1973.

14. My daughter was born (in, on) Jul 1970.

15. There is a saying that those who live (by, on) the gun shall die (by, with) the gun.

16. The forensic evidence came (on, in) bits and pieces.

17. Politicians love to eat (with, on) their hands to show they are “just plain folk”.

18. The witness agreed to testify, but (on, to) his own terms and (under, off) the strictest confidentiality.