Prepositions are important as they act as the vital makers to the structure of a sentence. They are highly used in our day – to – day speaking and reading, whether it’s a novel, text book or a newspaper. In this article, we will study about prepositions in detail:

What is a Preposition?

The term preposition is formed of two terms, “pre” and “position” means, a place before. A Preposition denotes the relationship between the noun and other words included in a sentence. Prepositions help us understand time connections, order and positions.

Facts about prepositions:

There are some interesting facts about the prepositions. Let’s look at them one by one:

1. Closed class of words: Prepositions are a closed class of words, meaning no new prepositions get the privilege to be added to the language.
2. Have no form: Prepositions do not have any form. They can be possessive, inflection, plural or anything else.
3. Different uses: Most of the prepositions have various uses. They can be used as nouns, adverbs and adjectives.
4. Can be of different words: Prepositions can be of one, two or even more words like – on, in, inspite of, because of, inspite of, on account of, on behalf of etc.

Kinds of prepositions according to their combination:

Prepositions are words that connect phrases, nouns and pronouns. So, let’s start learning about these kinds of prepositions.

1.Simple prepositions: Simple prepositions contain only two syllables. These kinds of preposition include:

By, out, at, for, through, in, off, of, to, up, till, with

Illustrations:

• I am from New York.
• The dolphins dived into the water creating a sound of splash.
• I am really good at Mathematics.
• My son is suffering from cough.
• My mother – in – law will stay with us till schools are not getting opened.

2.Compound Prepositions: Compound prepositions are made by prefixing the preposition to an adjective, an adverb or a noun. Preposition examples for such kind of prepositions are:

Amidst, amongst, above, around, along, beneath, across, within, without, beyond, below, beside, between, outside

Compound preposition = Prefix + noun/adjective/adverb

Illustrations:

• The dog is jumping around the ball.
• The body was hidden beneath a layer of soil.
• Amongst all the children, Nancy performed really well in dance.
• Her sketches are beyond imagination.
• Once upon a time, there was a queen with a Golden heart.
• There is a lizard insidemy cupboard.

3.Double Prepositions: When two prepositions are used together, they are known as double prepositions. This kind of preposition includes two separate words. For example –

Behind, up, from, within, according, to

Double Preposition = Formation of two simple prepositions

Illustrations:

• According to Indian Mythology, Laxmi is the goddess of success and prosperity.
• Passion is something which comes from within a person.
• It’s up to nature whether the plants will flourish or not.
• I got scared when my daughter emerged from behind the curtains.

4.Participle Prepositions: When the verbs act as prepositions are known as particle prepositions. They usually end with ‘ed’ and ‘ing.’ For example:

Considering, including, frustrated, tired, quiet

Illustrations:

• Our mother sometimes gets frustrated with her.
• Everyone attended the annual functions, including the Chief Head of the School.
• I request everyone to maintain silence during the class.
• Considering my financial conditions, I make sure that I don’t overspend.
• Barring you and me, nobody cares about making preparations for the upcoming event.

5.Phrase Prepositions: A Phrase preposition comprises of a preposition, an object and the object’s modifier.

Phrase preposition = Preposition + Object + Modifier

Illustrations:

• The cricket match got cancelled because of sudden rain.
• In order to save money, he bought a cheap dress.
• My elder brother collected my trophy on behalf of me.
• Inspite of being the best Hockey team, we did not win.
• She became an American resident by virtue of marriage.

Kinds of prepositions according to their functionality:

Prepositions are of various types. Want to know about them? Let’s have a look:

1.Prepositions of Time:

Prepositions of time symbolize the relationship of time between the nouns and other parts of a sentence. The most common preposition examples of time are:

On, at, in, from, for, since, to, before, ago, till/until, by

Ilustrations:

• The company scheduled the conference on 25th August
• He has not attended my calls since Tuesday.
• The show will start at 11 AM.
• The Eid Holiday will come in July.

The common point in all the above examples is that they denote time in the sentence.

2.Prepositions of Place:

Prepositions of time symbolize relationship of place between the nouns and other parts of a sentence. The most common preposition examples of place are:

Over, under, below, above, behind, on, at, in, by, from, to, towards, up, down, across, between, among, through, in front of

Illustrations:

• My brother is at his home.
• She has come from her In-Laws home.
• The thief broke into the house.
• My uncle lives across the river.

The common point in all the above examples is that they denote place in the sentence.

3.Prepositions of Things:

Prepositions of things denote the casual relationship or acts as an agent between nouns and other parts of a sentence. The most common preposition examples of things are:

Of, for, by, about, with

Illustrations:

• This news is about upcoming IT technology.
• Most of the delegates have already left the meeting.
• My spouse will always be there for me.
• Her daughter is playing with my niece.

The common point in all the above examples is that they denote things in the sentence.

4.Prepositions of Phrase or Phrase Prepositions:

A phrasal preposition is a simple preposition which is preceded by a word from another category like – adjective, conjunction or adverb. The most common preposition examples of phrase are:

Out of, with regard to, on top of, instead of, in regard to, in addition to, in reference to, in front of, by means of, because of, along with, apart from, along with, according to

Illustrations:

• They along with their parents moved to USA
• In spite of being a proficient writer, he was not selected by a media firm.
• My neighbors are going out of the state.
• According to new rules, short leaves will not be allowed.

Conclusion

Prepositions are used in a variety of ways. The best way to be familiar with them is to stay alert whenever you read a sentence. Read as much as possible and highlight prepositions with markers whenever you across with them.
One of the useful exercises to point out the preposition is describing the context in which they are used. The reader must be aware that in what reference – time, location, position or something else the preposition is used.