Sequence : Parts of Speech
Lesson 7: Prepositions
e.g.
He owns the house on the corner.
Object of prep.
We are waiting for her.
She has read many books about flying.
Definition:
Prepositions are used to link nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in the sentence. The word or phrase that the preposition introduces is called the object of preposition. A preposition is a word which opens up the possibilities of saying more about a thing or an action, because you can choose any appropriate noun group after it as its object.
Although there are fewer than one hundred English prepositions, and although the structure of most prepositional phrases is simple, the use of English prepositions is very complex. The reasons for this are that most prepositions have more than one meaning, many prepositions can also be used as adverbs, prepositions are used in hundreds of idioms, many adjectives, nouns, and verbs must usually be followed by certain prepositions, and there are hundreds of phrasal verbs formed from combinations of verbs with adverbs and prepositions.
Meanings of prepositions
Prepositions of space and movement : above, across, , against, along, alongside, among , around, at, , away from, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, by ( the edge/ side of), down, far (away) from, from, as (far) as, in ,in back of, in front of, inside, into, near, , next to, off, on, onto, opposite, out, out of, outside, over, past, round, through, throughout, to, towards, under, underneath, up, upon, with, within.
Prepositions of time: after, as (late) as, before, during, for ( + period of time), in , on, prior to, since, to, till, until, up to, upon.
The common adverbs of place, such as ‘in’ and ‘up’, which are used as adverbs and as prepositions are sometimes called adverb particles or adverbial particles. The following words are used as adverbs to indicate position, and can also be used as prepositions: abroad, about, above, alongside, below, beneath, beside, beyond, close by, down, in, in between, inside, near, off, opposite, outside, over, round, throughout, underneath, up.
N.B. As it was mentioned before, one preposition can have more than one meaning.
e.g. around 1. Circling something: We walked around the block.
2. Surrounding: There is a fence around the garden.
3. In different parts of: I looked around the house for the keys.
4. In the other direction: We turned around and went back home.
5. Approximately: He is around six feet tall.
Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate prepositions chosen from those given in ( ).
She made a speech …………….the future of the school. ( about, around)
This train travels from London…….Paris. ( at, to)
She went to Rome ……France. ( versus, via)
I took my hat ……the table. ( of , off)
The children ran ……the school. ( of, out of)
He opened the box……a screwdriver. ( at, with)
I will work …..five o’clock. ( until, up)
We walked ……..the restaurant. ( despite, past)
You have delivered all of the papers…..this one. ( between, but)
The bank is ……the school. ( opposite, out of)
……the danger, he decided to climb the mountain. ( despite, except)
When it is heated, water changes …….steam. ( in, into )
The squirrel ran …..the wall. ( along, among)
Exercise 2: Insert a suitable preposition in each gap.
We have been travelling ……..several days.
I have known her ………last year.
She will call us ……half an hour.
His birthday is ………the 8 th of January.
I brought the wrong book ……mistake.
We made out the report ……..triplicate.
Since he could offer us no proof, we had to take his story……..trust.
She has a good attitude ………..her job.
…….an intersection, pedestrians usually have the right ……way.
He subscribes ……..four magazines.
Please refrain …………smoking.
Exercise 3: For each underlined word or phrase, substitute an idiom containing the preposition indicated in brackets.
e.g. She came punctually. ( on) = She came on time.
1. His remarks were brief and relevant. (to) = …………………………..
2. Incidentally, I heard that there is a sale at the bookstore. (by) = …………………….
3. What do you do as a profession? (for) = ……………………….
4. There is a great deal to be won or lost. (at) = …………………………
5. The two friends sat beside one another. (by) = ………………………….
Activity four:
Trevor has just come home from work. Complete the conversation.
Trevor: Hello, my love. (►) How are you?
Laura: Hello. I'm all right, but I'm in a bit of a rush getting ready ……… the barbecue.
Trevor: Er, I forgot ……. tell you that I invited two more people.
Laura: ……………. are you telling me now ………………. ? I've bought all the food. I just hope there's
enough. Anyway, who are these people? ........……… are they ….…………. ... ?
Trevor: They're friends of Harriet's. They're very nice people. And after all,…………… are parties
………………. ? To meet new people.
Laura: It isn't a party, it's a barbecue. …………… .. 's the weather going to be ………….. ... ?
Trevor: The forecast said it's going to be perfect. Warm and dry.
Laura: Good. And .…………….. was your day?
Trevor: Oh, not too bad. Busy ……. usual.
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