prepositions exercises

In this blog we read about prepositions exercises and its types with examples.

What is Preposition?

A preposition is a word that is placed before a noun or a pronoun to show its relation to other words in a sentence.

Examples of Preposition.

• Ram has acted against Shyam.
• We are standing outside the gate.
• His safe was full of money.
• He shouted at me.

Kinds of Preposition: Prepositions are of these kinds:

• 1. Simple Preposition: at, by, with, up, to, till, in, for, of, though, etc.
• 2. compound prepositions: across, before, into, until, within, etc.
• 3. Double prepositions: from under, from beneath, from among, etc.
• 4. Participle prepositions: during, regarding, notwithstanding, accepting, considering, etc.
• 5. Phrase Prepositions: with a view to, with regard to, in spite of, in lieu of, according to, by dint of, for the sake of, etc.

Uses of Prepositions:

On the basis of use, prepositions can be divided into these types:

Prepositions of Place

1. Prepositions of Place: This preposition tells about the position of a noun or pronoun with respect to other words. In, on, under, below, above, over, behind, by, near, at, before, between, in front of, outside, inside, besides, against, and beyond are some of the prepositions of place.

• in: It is used when one thing is within something or inside the edges of something.
  • He is in the car.
• at:    It is used for a point in an open space.
  • The boy is standing at a railway station.
• on:    It is used when one thing touches the surface of another from above.
  • The apple is on the table.
• Above:    It is used when one thing is higher than the other vertically.
  • The aeroplane is flying above the clouds.
• Over: It is used when one thing is covering the other thing without touching it.
  • The roof of the room is over our heads.
• Below, it is used when one thing is lower than another thing vertically.
  • Your socks are below your knees.
• Under: it is used when one thing is exactly below the other without touching.
  • The cat is under the table.
• Behind: it is used when one thing is at the back of the other.
  • There is a dog behind the bush.
• By: it is used when one thing is near or on one side of another.
  • My house is by the garden.
• Between: It is used when one object is in the space that separates the other two objects.
  • This road is between the trees.
• Before: It is used when one thing is in front of the other.
  • The accused was taken before the judge.
• Against: it is used when one thing is in contact with the other.
  • He leaned against the wall.
• Beyond: it is used when one thing is far from the other.
  • The mountains are beyond the hills.
• Inside: It is used when one thing is on the inner side of another thing.
  • The children are inside the car.
• Outside: It is used when one thing is on the outer side of another thing.
  • He is standing outside the door.
• Beside: It is used when one thing is very near another thing.
  • He was sitting beside me.

Preposition of Time

Preposition of Time: This preposition signifies the relationship of a noun or a pronoun with time. A preposition of time answers the question ‘when’. At, in, on, before, after, from, till, by, for, since, during, and between are prepositions of time.

• At: It is used to tell us the exact time of an action.
  • He will arrive at 8 a.m.
  • It is also used to tell the age at the time of action.
  • He joined the political party at the age of 15.
• In: It is used to signify periods like a year, month, week, season, or part of the day.
  • Action may take place at any time within that period.
  • India got freedom in 1947.
  • The exam will start in January.
  • He will get promoted in a week.
  • We will purchase AC in the winter.
  • The children will go to the birthday party in the evening.
• On: It is used with days of the week and dates. Action takes place on that particular day or date.
  • He will arrive on Monday.
  • My birthday falls on February 5th.
• Before: It is used to tell the time earlier than the mentioned time.
  • He will arrive before midnight.
• After: It is used to tell the time of action later than the mentioned time.
  • They will go to the cinema after breakfast.
• From: It is used to tell the starting time of any action. It may be an action spreading over a period of time.
  • He will come from New York.
• Till: It is used to tell the limit of time up to which the action takes place.
  • He will work on this project till next Sunday.
• By: It is used to say that the action will not go beyond this time. It expresses the deadline.
  • We will sign this agreement by Monday.
• For: It is used to signify the period during which action takes place.
  • I will go on a tour for a month.
  • I have been reading the newspaper for an hour.
• Since: It is used to signify the starting time of a time.
  • He has been playing cricket since 2 p.m.
• Around: It is used to express time very near the action.
  • He will visit your home around 5 p.m.
• During: It is used to express the whole period of any action.
  • He remained hidden during the war.
• Between: It is used to express any time from the starting time to the ending time.
  • My lecture will take place between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m.

Prepositions of Movement and Direction

Prepositions of Movement and Direction: There are two types of prepositions.

One signifying the direction in which one is going. These include to, towards, into, at, for, against, etc.

• Towards: It is used to tell the direction of movement.
  • He went towards a northerly direction.
• Into: It is used to indicate the direction of movement within something.
  • He will jump into the pond.
• At: It is used to indicate the target of movement.
  • He threw stones at the dog.
• For: It is used to indicate the direction of movement.
  • He is heading for London.
• Against: It is used to show contact with the targeted destination of movement.
  • He leaned against the wall.
• 2. One signifying the direction from which one has started his journey. These include from and off.
• From: It is used to show the point of departure for the movement.
  • He come from school.
• Off: It is used to show the separation from the surface of something or down from it.
  • He fell off the horse.
• To: It is used to give the sense of destination where the journey ends.
  • He went to school.