BLS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, HATHRAS
Session 2021-22
Content
SUBJECT- English Grammar:
PREPOSITIONS
CLASS- VII
(Keep printouts)
Definition: 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 in regard to something
else.
Fundamental:
• A preposition is a word that relates or connects words in a sentence to
each other.
• Prepositions can show direction, place, or time as well as other
relationships.
• All prepositions have objects. In most cases, the preposition comes just
before its object.
Usage of Preposition
Use of At, on, in
At usually denotes a definite point of time but can also be used for indefinite
periods:
Examples:
• at 7 p.m.; at this moment; (Definite at midnight; point of time)
• at the end of the class; at night; at dawn; (indefinite at Durga Puja; at
Diwali. periods)
On is used with days and dates:
Examples:
• on Monday; on 1st May; on the annual day; on a May afternoon.
In is used with parts of the day, with months, years, seasons:
Examples:
• in the morning; in September; in 2004; in winter.
In is also used with the future tense to show the period in which an action will
happen.
Examples:
• in a week; in four hours.
In and within. In meAnswer: at the end of; within meAnswer: before the end of:
Examples:
• I shall be back in a week, (when a week is over)
• I shall be back within a week, (before a week is over)
Use of By
By refers to a point of future time and denotes the latest time at which an action
will be over.
Examples:
• The competition will be over by 6 p.m.
• It should be over before it is 6 p.m., but the latest time at which it can be
over is 6 p.m.
• They will have declared the result by tomorrow evening.
Use of For
For is used with periods of time to show the duration of an action. It is mostly
used with perfect continuous tenses though it may be found with other tenses as
well.
Examples:
• This discussion has been going on for two hours.
• I have been working in this office for two years.
• ‘For’ may sometimes be omitted:
• I have been busy the whole morning, (for the whole morning)
Use of Since
Since marks the point of time at which an action began. It is used only if the
action has continued till the time of speaking; hence it is used with perfect
continuous tenses. Unlike ‘for’, ‘since’ can never be omitted.
Examples:
• She has been teaching in this college since 2001.
• A cool breeze has been blowing since morning.
Use of From
From denotes the starting point of an action and is used in all cases except when
the action has continued till the moment of speaking. It is almost invariably used
with to or till.
Examples:
• The examination will be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
• He was the Chief Minister of the state from 1999 to 2002.
Use of At, in
At gives us the idea of an exact point and is, therefore, used with houses, villages,
small towns.
In has the idea of a larger area and is used while speaking of bigger towns,
states, countries, etc.
Examples:
• At Karol Bagh in New Delhi;
• At Ambala; in India;
• At the end; in the middle.
At conveys the idea of a general neighbourhood. In conveys the idea of
something contained:
Examples:
• We say at the table to take our lunch.
• Please wait for me at the Regal PVR.
• Turn left at the next crossing.
• There are two Pepsi bottles in the refrigerator.
• You will find the stapler in the drawer.
Use of On, Upon
On is used while speaking of things at rest; Upon is used with things in motion.
Examples:
• The file is on the table.
• The dog sprang upon the table.
Use of Above, Over
Both above and over mean higher than. Sometimes we can use either of them.
Examples:
• The flags waved over our heads.
• The flags waved above our heads.
But over can also mean covering, or vertically above.
Examples:
• My father put a blanket over me.
• There is a fan exactly over the table.
Use of Below, under
Both below and under mean beneath and sometimes we can use either of them.
But under meAnswer: vertically below. It also has the idea of contact.
Examples:
• There was a beautiful lake below us in the valley.
• His shoes were lying under the table.
• She put the keys of the wardrobe under her pillow.
Use of Into
Into denotes movement towards the interior of something.
Examples:
• He jumped into the well.
• One stream flows into another
Use of For
For is used to tell direction when the verb shows the beginning of a movement.
The children leaves for the school at 7 a.m.
We shall soon set off for Mumbai.
Use of Against
Against shows pressure or contact.
Examples:
• He threw the goods against the wall.
• Prepositions of direction from. Most common among these are: ‘from’,
‘off’, ‘out’, ‘of’.
Use of From
From is used with the point of departure.
Examples:
• He brought these books from the market.
• He had already gone from home.
Use Out Of
Out of is the opposite of into. It means from the interior of. He took a few books
out of the almirah.
