What is a Preposition?
[Preposition means: which is placed before]
Definition– A Preposition is a word which is used to express a relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence. It is placed before a noun or a pronoun.
Ex- The cat is sleeping on the table.
She is sitting under the tree.
He lives in London.
In these sentences, underlined words like on, under, in are prepositions.
What is the object of a preposition?
The noun or pronoun used with preposition is called its object.
In the above sentences, words like table, tree, London are referred as objects.
The preposition may have two or more objects.
Example- The road runs over hills and plains.
Can you end a sentence with a preposition?
You might be thinking whether preposition is always placed before a noun or can we end a sentence with it? Well, usually it is placed before a noun or pronoun but sometimes it can also be used at the end of the sentence. It is often done in two situations:
- If the object is an interrogative pronoun.
- If the object is the relative pronoun (that).
For Example- What are you waiting for?
What are you looking at?
Here is the watch that you asked for.
There are many prepositions like in, on, at, with, for, since etc. They are used in different places according to the situation. In order to use them appropriately, it is important to learn the correct usage of them.
Types of Preposition
Based on their use in the sentence.
- Preposition of time– It is used to denote date, days, point or duration of time. This include prepositions like in, on, since, for, at, before, after, ago.
Ex- It has been raining since morning.
We are having a holiday on Monday.
He will join the meeting at 11 o’clock.
- Preposition of Place- It is used to convey the location of a place. This include prepositions like in, on, at, etc.
Ex- He is studying in a well- known university.
She is at home.
He was sleeping on the chair when he fell down.
- Preposition of direction- It denotes the direction of something, such as- to, towards, into, up, down, etc.
Ex- Even after warning him, he moved towards the tunnel.
The police broke into the house.
- Preposition of agents or instruments- It indicates the use of an instrument or agent to complete the task. It includes with, by, etc.
Ex- He is writing the letter with red pen.
She went to the school by bus.
