Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

Prepositions:

 Show the relationship between a Noun or pronoun or other elements of noun with the rest of
the sentence.
 Show location in Time or space.
 Preposition with its noun is call a prepositional phrase.
 The noun of a preposition is called its object.
A preposition is a word (often a short word) that expresses the relationship between two other nearby
words. In the examples below, each preposition (highlighted) shows us the relationship between the
word book and the word wizard.

 The book about the wizard

 The book by the wizard
 The book near the wizard
 The book behind the wizard
 The book under the wizard

The Role of a Preposition:

A preposition precedes a noun (or a pronoun) to show the noun's (or the pronoun's) relationship to
another word in the sentence. In the examples above, the preposition preceded the noun wizard to
show that noun's relationship with the noun book.

Examples:

 It is a container for butter.

(The preposition for shows the relationship between butter and container.)

 The eagle soared above the clouds.

(The preposition above shows the relationship between clouds and soared.)

 He is the President of the United States.

(The preposition of shows the relationship between the United States and President.)

Tnypes of preposition.

1. Preposition of place
2. Preposition of Movement
3. Preposition of Time
4. Preposition of Position
5. Preposition of Direction

1: Preposition of place:

1
 Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

What is a preposition of place?

A preposition of place is a preposition which is used to refer to a place where something or someone

is located.

There are only three prepositions of place, however they can be used to discuss an almost endless
number of places.

 At – A preposition of place which is used to discuss a certain point

 In – A preposition of place which is used to discuss an enclosed space
 On – A preposition of time which is used to discuss a surface
 Prepositions of place allow you to be very specific when talking about where action takes place
in stories or when discussing important details for communication purposes.

Preposition of
place Explanation Example

 Inside  I watch TV in the living-room

 I live in New York
 Look at the picture in the book
 She looks at herself in the
mirror.
In
 She is in the car.

2
 Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

 Look at the girl in the picture
 This is the best team in the
world

 used to show an exact position or  I met her at the

particular place entrance, at the bus stop
 table  She sat at the table
 events  at a concert, at the party
 place where you are to do something  at the
At typical (watch a film, study, work) movies, at university, at work

 attached  Look at the picture on the wall

 next to or along the side of (river)  Cambridge is on the River
 used to show that something is in a Cam.
position above something else and touching it.  The book is on the desk
 left, right  A smile on his face
 a floor in a house  The shop is on the left
 used for showing some methods of  My apartment is on the first
traveling floor
 television, radio  I love traveling on trains
/on the bus / on a plane
 My favorite
on program on TV, on the radio

by, next to,  not far away in distance  The girl who is by / next
beside, near to / besidethe house.
 in or into the space which separates  The town lies
between two places, people or objects halfway between Rome and Florence.

 at the back (of)  I hung my coat behind the

behind door.

 further forward than someone or  She started talking to the

in front of something else man in front of her

 lower than (or covered by) something  the cat is under the chair.
Under else

 lower than something else.  the plane is just below the the
Below cloud

 above or higher than something else,  She held the

sometimes so that one thing covers the other. umbrella over both of us.
 more than.  Most of the carpets
 across from one side to the other. are over $100.
over  I walked over the bridge

3
 Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

 overcoming an obstacle  She jumped over the gate
 higher than something else, but not  a path above the lake
above directly over it
 from one side to the other of  She walked across the
something with clear limits / getting to the field/road.
other side  He sailed across the Atlantic
across 

 from one end or side of something to  They walked

through the other slowly through the woods.

 in the direction of  We went to Prague last year.

To  bed  I go to bed at ten.

 towards the inside or middle of  Shall we go into the garden?

something and about to be contained,
Into surrounded or enclosed by it
 in the direction of, or closer to  She stood up and
towards someone or something walked towards him.
 used to show movement into or on a  I slipped as I stepped onto the
onto particular place platform.

 used to show the place where someone  What time does the flight from
From or something starts: Amsterdam arrive?

2: Preposition of Movement:

ACROSS / THROUGH
Across is movement from one side of an area, surface, or line to the other side.

Example:
I drew a line ACROSS the paper.

Through is movement from one side of an enclosed space to the other side.

4
 Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

Example:
The baseball went THROUGH the window.

 Sometimes, either ACROSS or THROUGH can be used for areas:

 We walked across the park.
 We walked through the park.
 They drove across the city.
 They drove through the city.

ALONG / AROUND
Along is to follow a line.

Around is to go in a circular direction around some obstacle.

INTO / OUT OF
Into is to go from outside a space to inside a space.

5
 Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

Out of is to go from inside a space to outside a space.

Example:

The cat went into the box.

The cat jumped out of the box.

ONTO / OFF
Onto and off refer to surfaces, differently from into / out of (which refer to enclosed spaces):

 The dog jumped onto the table.

 The dog jumped into the table.
 I took the picture off the wall.
 I took the picture out of the wall.

UP / DOWN

Going up the stairs / Going down the stairs

Go up and go down can also be used for “increase” and “decrease,” in addition to physical movement.

 The price of food has gone up in the past two years.

 The number of children per family has gone down.

6
 Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

OVER / UNDER:
To go over is to pass above something.
To go under is to pass below something.

TOWARDS / AWAY FROM:

If you go towards something, you get closer to it.
If you go away from something, you get farther away from it.

Example:
The dog is running towards me.

The boy is running away from me.

BACK TO
“Back to” is movement of return to a place you have been before:

 He went to Italy.
(maybe for the first time)

7
 Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

 He went back to Italy.
(it is the second time, or he is from Italy)
 He went back Italy.
(this form is incorrect)

3: Prepositions of direction:
are used to show movement from one place to another. These prepositions are most often used with
verbs of motion and are found after the verb.

TO

“To” is the most common of the prepositions of movement or direction.

Meaning: a function word used to indicate movement or an action or condition suggesting movement in
the direction of a place, person, or thing

Use: We use “to” to show movement in a specific direction.

Examples:
 You walk to work every day.
 They came to the wedding.Sofia flew to Canada.

ACROSS

Meaning: from one side to the other

Use: “Across” is used to show movement from one side to the opposite side.

Examples:
The boat will take you across the river.
You must walk across the street at the crosswalk.

ALONG

Meaning: in a line; a point in the length of; from one point to another

Examples:
He’s walking along the path.
The street runs along the seafront.

8
 Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

AROUND

Meaning: in a circle; in or along a curving path

Examples:
You must drive around the city center to reach the cinema.
Let’s go for a walk around the park.

DOWN

Meaning: high to low; to or toward the south

Use: “Down” is used to indicate movement from a higher to a lower position.

Examples:
I prefer to ride my bike down the hill.
We are going down to Florida this summer.

INTO

Meaning: to or toward to inside of; in the direction of; to enter

Examples:
Don’t go into your sister’s room!
We went into the shop on the corner.
OFF

Meaning: away from

Examples:
Get your feet off the sofa!
We get off the train at the next stop.
ONTO

Meaning: to move to a position that is on

Examples:
We can get onto the bus here.
The dog got onto the sofa.

9
 Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

OVER

Meaning: in an upward and forward direction across something; from one place to another; from or to a
place that is higher than

Examples:
The cat jumped over the dog.
You must cross over the bridge.

PAST

Meaning: at the far side of something; beyond; up to or going near

Examples:
Walk past the theater on the right and the bank is on the left.
Go past Main Street and turn left at the next street.

THROUGH

Meaning: from one point to the other; from one end to the other

Use: “Through” is used to show movement within an enclosed space.

Examples:
You must turn on your lights when passing through the tunnel.
She walks through the park on her way to work.
TOWARD[S]

Meaning: in the direction of

Examples:
Who is that woman running towards us?
Walk towards the sea and turn left at the first street.

UP

Meaning: low to high; toward the ceiling, sky or the north

Use: “Up” is used to indicate movement from a lower to a higher position.

Examples:
I don’t like riding my bike up these hills.

10
 Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

We climbed up the mountain this morning

4: Preposition of Time:

AFTER / LATER
Use after + phrase, and use later alone (at the end of a sentence or phrase).

Examples:

 I’ll call you later.

 I’ll call you after I get home from work.
 First he bought a new car. Two weeks later, he bought a new motorcycle.
 He bought a new motorcycle two weeks after he bought a car.
You can say “later + time period” to refer to an unspecified time in the future. Example:
 I’ll finish the project later this week.
 We’ll go on vacation later this year.
Never end a sentence with “after.” Instead, you can use “afterwards”

 “Did you go straight home after the baseball game?”

“No, we went out for drinks after.”
“No, we went out for drinks afterwards.“

AGO / BEFORE
Use ago to talk about past times in reference to the current moment.

Use before to talk about past times in reference to another moment in the past.

11
 Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

Difference between “before” and “ago”

BY / UNTIL
Use by for one specific event that will happen before a certain time in the future. Use untilfor a
continuous event that will continue and then stop at a certain time in the future.

 Please send me the information by Monday.

 He’s staying in London until the 30th.

Difference between “by” and “until”

12
 Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

DURING / WHILE
Both during and while mean that something happens at the same time as something else.

Use during + noun.

 She cried during the movie.

Use while + subject + verb, or while + gerund.

 She cried while she was watching the movie.

 She cried while watching the movie.

FROM… TO / TILL / UNTIL

We use from + to / till / until to define the beginning and end of a time period.

 The museum is open from 8 AM to 4 PM.

 Jack will be on vacation from tomorrow until next Friday.
 I studied English from 2001 till 2004.

ON / IN / AT
Use in for centuries, decades, years, seasons, and months:

 In the 18th century

 In the 1960s
 In 2001
 In the summer
 In October
Use on for days:
 On Friday
 On March 15th.
 On my birthday
 On the weekend
Use at for times:
 At 3:30.
 At noon.
 At quarter past four.
Be careful with morning, afternoon, evening, and night!
 In the morning
 In the afternoon

13
 Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

 In the evening
 At night

PAST / TO
We can use these prepositions with minutes in relation to the hour:

 3:50 = Ten to four

 6:15 = Quarter past six

FOR / SINCE
For is used for a period of time, and since is used to reference a specific point in time.

 I’ve been waiting for three hours.

 I’ve been waiting since ten o’clock.
 We’ve lived here for four years.
 We’ve lived here since 2008.
 She’s been working there for six months.
 She’s been working there since she graduated from college.

AS SOON AS / AS LONG AS
As soon as means “immediately after another event.”

 We’ll call you as soon as we arrive.

(if we arrive at 8:00, we’ll call you at 8:05)
As long as means “for the period of time” or “on the condition that”:

 I stayed awake for as long as I could. (period of time)

 I’ll take the job as long as I have the freedom to work from home a few days a week. (condition)

14
 Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

Prepositions of Direction:

Prepositions of direction give readers a sense of place or location. The following chart lists different
prepositions of direction, their definitions, and examples.

Preposition Meaning Example

Above higher relative to something else The milk is above the soda in the refrigerator.

Across on the other side of My friend lives across the street from me.

Along beside The ducks are eating along the river.

Among within a group The girl was sitting among her friends.

Around in a circular way They told stories around the campfire.

At indicates a particular point Meet me at the stop sign.

Behind at the back of The employees parked behind the store.

15
 Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

Below lower relative to something else I hung the poster below the mirror.

Beside next to Come stand beside me.

close to near The flowers are close to the produce section.

Over above The spices are over the sink.

Through from one point to the next The river runs through the woods.

Toward in the direction of The man started walking toward the exit.

Up from low to high The store is right up the road.

Down from high to low The boy tumbled down the hill.

in the space separating two

Between things The ring fell between the couch cushions.

By near The thrift store is by the church.

inside/in within Have you ever been inside an abandoned building?

Near close by The movie theater is by the interstate.

next to beside The library is next to the post office.

On touching something Put the mail on the table.

Onto moving on top of something The dog climbed onto the bed.

Off away from Don’t jump off that wall.

Past on the farther side of She drove right past the house.

Under below something The cat slept under the bed.

Some prepositions are trickier than others. For example, it’s not so logical to be on a bus or a train or a
plane rather than in one, yet that’s the way we say it. While you are on the plane (i.e., inside the plane),
there is also a logo on the plane, and two wings on the plane, though they’re not inside with you. When
in doubt about how to use a specific preposition, look up the proper term in a dictionary.

16
 Prepositions Rules

H.M. Kamran Younis (0321-7620019)

17