SKBE1003

Prepositions

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What is a preposition?

A preposition is a part of
speech that introduces a
prepositional phrase.

A preposition indicates a
relation between things
mentioned in a sentence
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In English, the most common
prepositions are:

of
to
in
for
with
on
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Here are some of the more common prepositions:
A B F O T
aboard barring failing of than
about before following off through
above behind for on throughout
across below from onto till
after beneath I opposite times
against beside in outside to
along besides including over toward
alongside between inside P towards
amid beyond into past U
among but L per under
amongst by like plus underneath
around C M R unlike
as circa minus regarding until
aside concerning N round unto
astride considering near S up
at D nearby save upon
atop despite next since V
down notwithstanding versus
during via
E W
except with
excepting within
excluding without
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 Simple vs Compound Prepositions

Simple prepositions:
• Simple prepositions are standalone words
that connect and establish a relationship
between different parts of a sentence.
• These are usually short words with four or
fewer letters.
• Examples include 'at', 'by', 'on', 'in', 'off',
and 'up' among others.
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• Compound prepositions are formed by joining
two words together.

• They are more complex than simple

prepositions and are used when single-word
prepositions can't convey the meaning of the
sentence appropriately.

• Examples include 'before', 'without', 'about',

'inside', 'along', 'within', and 'upon'.
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Some compound prepositions:
according to In place of
by way of with respect to
instead of because of
ahead of in spite of
in addition to by means of
on account of up on
apart from
in front of
prior to
aside from
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 Prepositions of Time, Place and
Movement/Direction

Prepositions are often used to give us more

information about time, place and movement.

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 Prepositions of Place
Some prepositions show where something happens.
They are called prepositions of place.

Examples:

Sonny was sitting under a tree.

There’s a wooden floor underneath the carpet.
Some geese flew over their house.
John and Sarah were hiding inside the wardrobe.
There was a tree beside the river.
I have a friend who lives in America.
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 Prepositions of Time
Some prepositions show when something happens.
They are called prepositions of time.
Examples:
School starts at nine o’clock.

We’re going to the zoo on Saturday.

I visited my grandparents during the summer.

You must finish the work by Friday.

I’ll do my homeworkPowerpoint
before Templates
dinner.
 Prepositions of Direction
Some prepositions show where something is going.
They are called prepositions of direction.

Examples:

The boys chased after each other.

The football rolled down the hill.

A man was walking his dog along the riverbank.

The freeway goes right through the city.

We were travelling towards Miami.

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 Always begins with a
preposition and ends with a
noun or pronoun.

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An adjective prepositional phrase
describes a noun or pronoun. It
answers the questions- which one,
what kind, how much, or how
many
The show \ on television tonight is about snow leopards \ in
Asia.
On television tells us which show. In Asia tells us which
leopards. Powerpoint Templates
Modifies a verb, adjective, or
adverb
It answers the same questions an adverb
would:
Where? When? How?
You can run pretty quickly \in those high heels.
(In those high heels tells when you run quickly.)
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Some words can be used as either an
adverb or a preposition

ADVERB: Susan ran inside

VS
PREPOSITION: Her hat was inside the
store.

ADVERB: The shopkeeper looked up .

VS
PREPOSITION : Susan raced up the
stairs.
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 How to Tell:
Adverb or Preposition

You can tell the difference between an adverb

and a preposition if you look carefully at how
the word is used in the sentence.

If the word begins a prepositional phrase,

it’s a preposition

Otherwise, it is an adverb
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The Adverb Phrase

A prepositional phrase (the preposition shows the

relationship between the object of the preposition
and another word in the sentence) can function in
three ways in a sentence: as an adjective, as an
adverb, or as a noun.

When a prepositional phrase functions as an

adverb phrase, it is letting us know the relationship
between the object of the preposition and the verb
(the action or state of being).
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 What is a multi-part (phrasal verb)?

• It is a verb which consists of two or more parts: a

verb + a preposition.

• You probably know some of them, such as:

get up
turn on
turn off

• There are quite a lot of them in English and they are

used very often.
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