Prepositions in English:

Definition, Usages, & Examples

GLOBAL ENGLISH 1
2ND WEEK, SPRING (2024)
P R O F. H Y O J I N J E O N G
DONGGUK UNIVERSITY
1. Definition of Prepositions
 A preposition is defined as “a word that connects a noun, a noun phrase, or a pronoun to an-
other word, especially, to a verb, another noun, or an adjective”, according to the Cambridge
Dictionary.
 The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary says that a preposition is “a word or group of words, such as in,
from, to, out of and on behalf of, used before a noun or pronoun to show place, position, time
or method.”
 The Collins Dictionary defines a preposition as “a word such as by, for, into, or with which usu-
ally has a noun group as its object.”
 The Merriam Webster Dictionary provides a slightly different definition. According to it, a
preposition is defined as “a function word that typically combines with a noun phrase to form a
phrase which usually expresses a modification or predication.”
1. Definition of Prepositions
① A preposition is a word or group of words used to link nouns, pronouns and
phrases to other words in a sentence.

② Some examples of prepositions are single words like in, at, on, of, to, by and
with or phrases such as in front of, next to, instead of.

③ Prepositions in English are most frequently dictated by fixed expressions.

 While there are some general guidelines to follow, many prepositions are used id-
iomatically with certain verbs. In these cases, it is best to memorize the phrase instead
of the individual preposition.
2. Usage of Prepositions
 Prepositions are seen to show some key characteristics and perform some vi-
tal functions when used in sentences. Look at the various uses of prepositions
in English.

① They are used to show the direction of something.

② They can refer to the time of something happening.
③ They can be used to denote the position or location of an object in the sentence.
④ They are also used to represent spatial relationships.
⑤ Prepositional phrases, in particular, can be used to do all of these when used in
sentences.
3. Prepositions of TIME
 A preposition of time is a preposition used to indicate when a particular action takes
place. The most common prepositions of time are at, in and on.
1) Usage of At, In, and On
 The three prepositions seem to confuse many English language users as they have the same
function. What you should know is that they cannot be used interchangeably as they refer to
different time frames.

① The preposition ‘at’ is used to refer to a specific time.

② The preposition ‘on’ is used to refer to a particular day or date, such as on Sunday, on May
25th.

③ The preposition ‘in’ refers to a broader time frame, such as a month or a year, a decade, etc.
3. Prepositions of TIME
AT ON IN
specific time a particular day or date a broader time frame
Examples Examples Examples
at noon on Sunday in December
at midnight on May 18th in (the) summer
at the moment on Saturdays in 2024
at the same time on your birthday in the Middle Ages
at that time on time in the past
at any time on the hour in a few days
at lunchtime on Friday morning in ten minutes
at night on Monday night in the morning
3. Prepositions of TIME
 Frequently Asked Questions on Prepositions of Time

Q1: What is a preposition of time?

A preposition of time is a preposition used to indicate when a particular
action takes place.

Q2: Whichtopreposition
In order can I use
refer to a particular to you
day, refer touse
can a particular day? ‘on’.
the preposition
For example, I will meet you on Monday.

TheWhat
Q3: prepositions at, in, and on
do the prepositions at,are usedontorefer
in and referto?
to the time.
4. Prepositions of PLACE
The most common prepositions indicate the place or position of something.

1) Usage of On, In, and At

 The rules are a little clearer as place prepositions are a more rigid concept than
time prepositions.
① On is used when referring to something with a surface.
② In is used when referring to something that refers to an exact position or par-
ticular place or within confined boundaries.
③ At is used when referring to something at a specific point or exact position.
4. Prepositions of PLACE
On In At
with a surface or Inside or An exact position or
attached within boundaries particular place
Examples Examples Examples
on the wall in France at the entrance
on the page in the jar at the movie theater
on the menu in the fridge at the bus stop
on the table in the garden at the corner of Water streets
at the airport
4. Prepositions of PLACE
 The other prepositions of place, such as between, in front of, across from, be-
hind and next to are used in English.

① The town lies halfway between Rome and Florence.

(in or into the space which separates two places, people or objects)
② She started talking to the man in front of her
(further forward than someone or something else)
③ I live across from a supermarket.
The chess players sat opposite each other before they began their game
(Across from and Opposite mean the same thing.
It usually refers to something being in front of something else, but it is similar to saying that
someone (a place) is on the other side of something.)
4. Prepositions of PLACE
 The other prepositions of place, such as between, in front of, across from, behind, next
to and close to are used in English.

④ I slowed down because there was a police car behind me.

(behind is the opposite of Ii front of. It means at the back (part) of something.)
⑤ Guards stand next to the entrance of the bank.
He walked beside me as we went down the street.
(next to and beside mean the same thing. It usually refers to a thing (or person) that is at
the side of another thing
⑥ This building is near a subway station.
We couldn't park the car close to the store.
(near and close to mean the same thing. It is similar to next to / beside, but there is more
of a distance between the two things.)
4. Prepositions of PLACE
 The other prepositions of place, such as under, over, inside, outside,
above and below are used in English. There is, however, less confusion as they re-
fer to rigid positions rather than abstract ones.

① The cat is under the table.

② Put the sandwich over there.
③ The key is locked inside the car.
④ They stepped outside the house.
⑤ Major is ranked above corporal.
⑥ He is waving at you from below the stairs.
5. Prepositions of MOVEMENT
 Prepositions of movement are quite easy to understand as they are less abstract than preposi-
tions of place and time.
 Essentially, they describe how something or someone moves from one place to another.
 The most commonly used preposition of movement is to, which usually serves to highlight that
there is movement towards a specific destination.
 Prepositions of movement examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identifica-
tion.

① He has gone on vacation to France.

② She went to the bowling alley every Friday last summer.
③ I will go to bed when I am tired.
5. Prepositions of MOVEMENT
 Other more specific prepositions of movement include: through, across, off,
down, and into.
 These prepositions can sometimes get mixed up with others. While they are similar, they
have individual meanings that add context to the movement.
① Mike travelled across America on his motorcycle.
Rebecca and Judi are swimming across the lake.
(Across refers to moving from one side to another.)

② The bullet Ben shot went through the window.

The train passes through the tunnel.
(Through refers to moving directly inside something and out the other end.)

③ James went into the room.

They stare into the darkness.
(Into refers to entering or looking inside something.)
5. Prepositions of MOVEMENT
Up, over, down, past, and around indicate directions of movement:

④ Jack went up the hill.

⑤ Jill came tumbling down after.
⑥ We will travel over rough terrain on our way to Grandma’s house.
⑦ The horse runs around the track all morning.
⑧ A car zoomed past a truck on the highway.
6. Prepositional phrases
1) Definition:

 A prepositional phrase is a group of words consisting of a preposition, its object,

and any words that modify the object.

 A prepositional phrase is a group of words that lacks either a verb or a subject, or

it normally consists of a preposition and a noun or a preposition and a pronoun.

 Most of the time, a prepositional phrase modifies a verb or a noun.

6. Prepositional phrases
2) Some Rules:
Remember the following rules for prepositional phrases and you will find that using them be-
comes much easier.

① Prepositional phrases always consist of two basic parts at minimum: object & preposition.
② Adjectives can be placed between the prepositions and objects in prepositional phrases.
③ Prepositional phrases can act as adverbs or adjectives.
 When they are used as adjectives, they modify nouns and pronouns in the same way single-word
adjectives do.
 When prepositional phrases are used as adverbs, they at the same way single-word ad-
verbs and adverb clauses do, modifying adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs.