Prepositions
A preposition is a word placed before a noun (or a pronoun) to show in what relation the person or thing denoted by it stands to something else.
Kinds of Preposition
1) Simple Prepositions : They are the simple words used as prepositions.
For example, at, by, for, from, in, of, off,on, out, over, through, till, to, under, up, with.
2) Compound Prepositions : They are generally formed by prefixing a preposition (usually a = on or be = by) to a
noun, an adjective or an adverb.
For example,about, above, across, along, amidst, among, around, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, inside, outside, underneath, within, without.
3) Phrase Prepositions : When a group of words is used with the force of a single preposition, it is known as a phrase preposition.
For example, He succeeded in spite of obstacles.
4) Participial Prepositions: When the present participle of a verb acts as a preposition, it is known as a participle preposition.
For example, There have not been too many celebrations in recent times barring those happened after Diwali.
Rules based on frequent asked questions
Rule : In is used with names of countries and large towns; at is more often used when speaking of small towns and villages.
Incorrect: He lives at Germany.
Correct: He lives in Germany.
Rule : In and at are used in speaking of things at rest; to and into are used in speaking of things in motion.
Incorrect : This week the song jumped at the top of the charts.
Correct: This week the song jumped to the top of the charts.
Rule : Till is used of time and to is used of place.
Incorrect: The office will remain open to six in the evening.
Correct: The office will remain open till six in the evening.
Rule : With often denotes the instrument used by the agent.
Incorrect: The ball was hit by the bat.
Correct: The ball was hit with the bat.
Rule : Both since and from are used before a noun denoting some point of time. However, while since is preceded by a verb in the perfect tense, from is used with the
non-perfect tense.
Incorrect: India has been playing Test cricket from 1932.
Correct: India has been playing Test cricket since 1932.
Rule : While since or from is used with a point of time, for is used with a period of time.
Incorrect: The parcel has been lying here since 10 days.
Correct: The parcel has been lying here for 10 days.
Rule : Beside means by the side of while besides means in additions to.
Incorrect: He sat besides the chair.
Correct: He sat beside the chair.
Rule : Between is used for only two things or persons while among is used for more than two.
Incorrect: You have to choose among tea and coffee.
Correct: You have to choose between tea and coffee.
Rule : Above and below merely denote position while over and under also carry a sense of covering or movement.
Incorrect: The bird flew above the lake.
Correct: The bird flew over the lake.
Rule : During is used when we are talking about the time within which something happens. For is used when we are talking about how long something lasts.
Incorrect: There were few incidents of irregularity for the Emergency years.
Correct: There were few incidents of irregularity during the Emergency years.
Rule: The preposition “off” denotes “separation”, “at a distance from” or “far from” whereas the preposition “of” denotes cause, origin, quality, possession.
Incorrect: He put of his coat.
Correct: He put off his coat. (Separation)
Incorrect: He died off cancer.
He died of cancer. (Cause)
Rule : The word compare is followed by to when it shows that two things are alike. It is followed by with when we look at the ways in which two things are like and unlike each other.
Incorrect: Sanath Jayasuriya's batting may be compared with the sales of a useful book: they score fast right from the beginning.
Correct: Sanath Jayasuriya's batting may be compared to the sales of a useful book: they score fast right from the beginning.
Rule : When we simply speak of a thing having got better, we talk of an improvement in it. When we compare two things, the second of which is better than the first, we talk of an improvement on the first thing.
Incorrect: There has been an improvement on the weather.
Correct: There has been an improvement in the weather.
Rule : In means at the end of, while within means before the end of, the said time duration.
Incorrect: We left at 5 o'clock expecting to come back in an hour and watch the 6 o'clock movie.
Incorrect: We left at 5 o'clock expecting to come back within an hour and watch the 6 o'clock movie.
Some important points about prepositions
1. The words “superior”, “inferior”, “senior”, “junior” etc. take the preposition “to” with them.
Incorrect: Ram is senior than Mohan.
Correct: Ram is senior to Mohan.
2. The words “prefer”, “preferrable”, “preferred” also take the preposition “to” with them.
Incorrect: I prefer tea than coffee.
Correct: I prefer tea to coffee.
3. The words “inspite of” and “despite” share the same meaning. The only difference is that inspite takes the preposition “of” whereas despite does not take any preposition.
Incorrect: Despite of bad weather, he went to school.
Correct: Despite bad weather, he went to school.
In the same way, the word “consist” takes the preposition “of” whereas “comprise” does not take any preposition.
Incorrect: The classroom comprises of twenty students.
Correct: The classroom comprises twenty students.
Important Rules of Prepositions
Accustomed of
- He was accustomed of working hard in his youth. (used to)
Accused of
- The man accused of stealing was sent to jail. (blamed of)
Acquainted with
- Please introduce him to me if you are acquainted with him. (know)
Afraid of
- Don’t get afraid of that dog. It won’t bite. (fear from)
Agree to (idea)
- The president agreed to the resolution and passed it. (accept)
Agree with (person)
- If you agree with me please support me. (have same opinion)
According to
- He was acquitted as he was innocent according to the jury. (in the opinion of)
Adapted to
- Man easily gets adapted to new environments. (change)
Along with
- The Prime Minister along with his retinue entered the hall. (together with)
Associated with
- He had long been associated with the organization before he retired. (worked with)
Averse to
- Initially people are averse to accepting their weakness, but with the passage of time they start realizing and correcting themselves. (unwilling to)
Believe in (faith)
- I believe in God. (have faith in)
Belong to
- As this country belongs to us, we belong to this country. (have a right over)
Clever at
- She is clever at painting and playing mu sic, but I am at mu sic. (skilled at)
Congratulate on
- I congratulated her on her great success. (greeted)
Cure for
- As man conquers a disease and find a cure for it, another pops up. (remedy for)
Depend on
- High rate of employment depends on growth of economy. (is related with)
Derived from
- Many English words are derived from Greek and Latin. (came/originate from)
Details of
- This new book contains de tails of her extensive journey. (description of)
Different from
- Village life is quite different from city life. (not same)
Divide into
- The property was divided into two parts and given to the two sons. (break into)
Dream of
- The henpeck husband could never dream of op pos ing his wife. (think of) Frightened of Those frightened of obstacles never proceed ahead for success. (having fear of)
Famous for
- The city of Benaras is famous for its teeming ghats. (known for)
Good at
- He is quite good at convincing people in his favour. (skilled at)
Ignorant of
- Being ignorant of the consequences, thenaives easily fall into bad habits. (not knowing)
Increase in
- There has been a tremendous increase in the multi-nationals in our country. (rise in)
Insist on
- The shopkeeper could not deny when she insisted on paying later. (said forcefully)
Interested in
- Work hard if you are interested in your progress. (want to)
Lack of
- Lack of money brings poverty and lack of knowledge ignorance. (devoid of, not having)
Fond of
- The mother was very fond of her youngest child. (loved/liked very much)
Aim at
- The shooter aimed at the tar get and shot accurately. (fix at the tar get)
Laugh at
- Don’t laugh at those who are deprived of God’s blessings. (ridicule, make fun of)
Listen to
- Hello! Please listen to me. (lend your ear, heed, pay attention to)
Look at
- What are you looking at? (see)
Look after
- The nurse looked after the child better than the mother. (to take care of, to rear)
Look for
- Have you lost anything? What are you looking for under the table. (to search for)
Look into
- I have requested the police commissioner to look into the matter of increasing crime in our locality. (investigate, to probe, examine)
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