Preposition

Preposition means placing before.

A preposition is a word that establishes relation between the subject and the object in a
sentence.
It is placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relation with other words within a
sentence.
The other word may be a noun, a verb or an adjective.

Examples of Prepositions are: on, at, in, by, down, of, etc.

Ex: The pen is on the table.

Ex: He is at my place.
Ex: Money is in my pocket.
Ex: Please return by 10 'o' clock.
Ex: Come down to my room.
Ex: This watch is of my brother.

Kinds of prepositions:
1. Simple preposition: At, by, for, from, in, of, off, on, out, through, till, too, up,
with, etc.

Ex: The box is on the table.

Ex: The book fell off the table.

 Different prepositions show different relations.

Ex: Above the table, Below the table, Around the table, At the table, etc.

 Object of the preposition:

A noun or pronoun before which a preposition is placed is called the object of
the preposition.
Preposition is usually placed before its object, but sometimes it follows it.

(Preposition before object:)

Ex: The ant crawled up the wall.
 The wall is the object of the preposition up.
Ex: An arrow fell between them.
 Them is the object of the preposition between.
Ex: He is fond of tea.
 Tea is the object of the preposition of.
 Ex: There is a cow in the field.
 Field is the object of the preposition in.

(Preposition after object:)

Ex: What are you looking at?

Ex: Here is the watch that you asked for.
Ex: That is the boy (whom) I was speaking of.
Ex: Which of these chairs did you sit on.

2. Compound Prepositions:

Are generally formed by prefixing a, be, in, out, under, with to a noun, an adjective
or to an adverb.
Ex: about, across, along, amidst, among, amongst, around, before, behind, below,
beneath, beside, between, beyond, inside, outside, underneath, within, without.

3. Phrase Preposition: (a word or group of words used as a single preposition).

Such as: According to, In accordance with, In accordance with, Agreeably to, In
addition to, In reference to, Along with, In case of, In regard to, Away from, In
comparison to, In spite of, Because of, In compliance with, Instead of, By means of, In
consequence of, In the event of, By reason of, In course, On account of, By virtue of,
In favor of, Owing to, By way of, In front of, With reference to, For the sake of, In lieu
of, With regard to, Conformity with, In order to, In order to.

Use of prepositions
At- suggests space, time, cause, order, value, activity, manner, degree, etc.
Ex: My mother is at home. (space)
Ex: You must go there at regular intervals. (time)
Ex: He was delighted at the idea of owning a car. (cause)
Ex: You must meet him at 4 0' clock. (order)
Ex: She appeared at her best. (activity)
Ex: I will do it at leisure. (manner)
Ex: I got it at great cost. (degree)
In - suggests place, direction, motion, time, physical surrounding, manner, dress,
degree, identity and condition.
Ex: Zebras are found in Africa. (Place)
Ex: I saw a light in the distance. (direction)
Ex: The apple was cut in two halves. (motion)
Ex: Meet you in the afternoon. (time)
Ex: He lost his way in the dark. (physical surrounding)
Ex: You can pay me in the installments. (manner)
Ex: The boy is in full sleeve shirt. (dress)
Ex: The people gathered in great strength to show solidarity. (degree)
Ex: In him, I see a true friend. (identity)
Ex: She was in deep sorrow. (condition )

On:
Ex: Tajmahal is located on the banks of river Yamuna. (location)
Ex: The books are on the table. (touch)
Ex: The ship is on the way to the port. (movement)
Ex: He lends money on good security. (condition)
Ex: The dog is lying on the floor. (touch)
Ex: The guard is on the duty. (time)
Ex: He is on time. (time)
Ex: The carriage moved on. (movement)
Ex: Life is all about moving on. (movement)
Ex: On my way to work there is a bridge. (location)
Ex: There are certain things on my mind. (location)

Between:
Ex: He sat between his parents.
Ex: The train runs between two stations.
Ex: She runs back and forth between her office and home.

Among:
Ex: He sat among his friends.
Ex: This is the best breed of dogs among all other.

Over (over something):

Ex: The water is all over the runway.
Ex: There are clouds all over the sky.
Ex: There are flowers all over the valley.
Ex: White snow is seen all over the mountain peaks.
Ex: Kites are flying all over the sky.
Ex: Ink has fallen all over the desk.
Ex: Keep the book over there.
By (agent):
Ex: This work is done by him.
Ex: The award shall be given by the chief minister.
Ex: I swear by my god.
Ex: This single job is done by a number of artisans.
Ex: The carriage is drawn by the horse.

With (instrument):
Ex: I cut the apple with a knife.
Ex: Tie him with a rope.
Ex: Dig a pit with a spade.

To (direction of motion):
Ex: Where does this road go to?
Ex: What are you up to?

In (place):
Ex: We were in the class sharp at ten.
Ex: I am in my room.
Ex: The food is in the fridge.
Ex: There is infection in my throat.
Ex: Some snacks are there in the cupboard.
Ex: Could you see your name in the list?

Into:
Ex: She jumped into the pool.
Ex: I am deep into dramatics.
Ex: She is deep into meditation.
Ex: She is lost into her own thoughts.

Through:
Ex: They walked through the door.
Ex: I am through with this book.
Ex: Are you through with your work?

Under:
Ex: Cat is under the table.
Ex: There is a drawer under the bed.
Ex: Don't stand under the tree when it's raining.
Ex: He is an undercover agent.
Of:
Ex: He was the man of his words.
Ex: What is the secret of your success?
Ex: The preface of the book is written by an academician.
Ex: She bought a bagful of mangoes from the market.
Ex: She always dreamed of becoming rich and famous.
Ex: The highlight of this show is the Indian rope trick.
Ex: "By the rivers of Babylon”…...is a hit number of Bony M.
Ex: This is the entrance of the building.

For:
Ex: I am late for the meeting.
Ex: He is in for a shock.
Ex: She is studying for her exams.
Ex: For whom the bell tolls?
Ex: Mom baked a cake for my birthday.
Ex: I am so happy for you.
Ex: I have decided to quit this job for a better one.
Ex: This is a good venue for exhibitions.
Ex: This iPad is for my personal use.

Till:
Ex: I waited till 6 O'clock.
Ex: Till tomorrow I shall stay here.

By (not later than that):

Ex: I left by 10 O’ clock.
Ex: Finish the work by tomorrow.
 Words followed by appropriate prepositions:
Certain prepositions are always used with certain words. They are also called
prepositional phrases.

1. She acted according to the instructions.

2. He is accused of theft.

3. Megha acted on/upon the orders of his senior.

4. The cubs were afraid of the lion.

5. My friends agreed to my proposal. (Proposal)

6. The amount of Rs. 6000 was agreed upon by all members. (Agree on a point)

7. She agreed with me. (Agree with a person)

8. I am aiming at getting the first position.

9. My mother was angry with me. (Person)

10. She was angry at Megha's loud behaviour. (At something)

11. She applied to (person) the Human Resource Manager for (something) the post of
executive.

12. He acted according to the rules.

13. Deepak accused his friend of theft.

14. The train arrived at Agra in the morning.

15. The singer is ashamed of her failure.

16. He must avail himself of this opportunity.

17. I am not aware of the change in programme.

18. Harshad Metha belongs to a royal family.

19. Ruchi is always boasting of her beauty.

20. Rahul is born of rich parents.

21. My sister called on me last week.

22. We called at Renu's house on our way to school.

23. You must care for the aged.

24. You must take care of your health.

25. I complained to the police against (somebody) my neighbour.

26. She congratulated me on my success.

27. This medicine consists of five herbs.

28. His father died of heart attack.

29. Sunil is different from his father.

30. The cat is never faithful to its master.

31. Agra is famous for its historical buildings.

32. I am fond of sweets.

33. Your calculator is full of errors.

34. Sachin is very good at cricket.

35. It is very good of you to come over.

36. He is good to others thought he is strict.

37. I inquired of him way he failed to come on time.

38. She insisted on joining the music class.

39. I am interested in films.

40. Who is knocking at the door?

41. It is bad manners to laugh at anybody.

42. Please listen to the lecture carefully.

43. Hina was married to Rajiv.

44. We pray to god everyday.

45. My father prefers reading to watching T.V.

46. I am proud of your success.

47. He quarreled with (person) his friend over (something) money matters.
48. I have already replied to these letters.

49. I am fully satisfied with your answer.

50. The police is searching for the culprit.

51. She is sorry for her mistake.

52. Richa was quite sure of her success.

53. She has no taste for music.

54. I am thankful to (person) them for (something) their help.

55. Kindly think over these proposals.

56. I am tired of waiting for the show to start.

57. We are waiting for the train to arrive.

58. They were warned of the unmanned railway crossing.

59. We wonder at the greatness of king Ashoka.

60. Your hard work is worthy of the praise.