GRAMMAR TRAINING

ON
P-R-E-P-O-S-I-T-I-O-N-S
Preposition Defined

Prepositions are the words that

indicate location. Usually,
prepositions show this location
in the physical world.
Example:
Note:
There are single-word and
multiple-word (two-words and
three-words), archaic or
infrequently used, not fully
grammaticalised, preposition-like
modifiers or quantified noun
phrases and postpositions
prepositions.
 For single-words, there are more than ninety (90) prepositions.

 For two-words, there are more or less thirty (30) prepositions.

 For three-words, there are more or less 20 prepositions.

 For archaic or infrequently used, there are fifteen (15) listed

prepositions.

 There are four (4) not-fully-grammaticalised prepositions.

 Five (5) are listed as preposition-like modifiers or quantified

noun phases.

 More or less ten (10) are postpositions.

List of Most Basic
Prepositions,
their Definitions and their
Uses
AT
 In or very near a particular place.
example: At that precise position, at Jim’s house.

 (indicating time) Simultaneous.

example: At six o’clock, at closing time.

 In the direction of (often in an unfocused or uncaring manner).

example: He threw the ball at me, he shouted at her.

 Occupied in (activity).
example: Men at work.

 Indicates a position on a scale or in a series.

example: Tiger finished the round at tenth, seven
strokes
behind the leaders.
Usage notes

 He threw the ball to me. — (so I

could catch it).
 He threw the ball at me. — (trying to
hit me with it).
 He talked to her. —
(conversationally).
 He shouted at her. — (aggressively).
IN
 Contained by.
example: The dog is in the kennel.

 Surrounded by.
example: We are in the enemy’s camp.

 Part of; a member of.

example: One in a million.

 Pertaining to (that particular thing).

example: He has passed in English.
 After a period of time.
example: They said they would call us in a week.

 By virtue of; by means of

examples: In replacing the faucet washers, he felt he
was making his contribution to the environment.

 Indicating an order or arrangement.

example: My fat rolls around in folds.

 Into.
example: Less water gets in your boots this way.

 During (said of periods of time)

examples: -in the first week of December Easter falls
-in the fourth lunar month The country
reached a high level of prosperity
-in his first term.
 Denoting a state of the subject.
examples: He stalked away in anger.
John is in a coma.

 Indicates a language, script, tone, etc. of a text, speech, etc.

examples: - Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C minor is
among his most popular.
- His speech was in French, but was
simultaneously translated into eight
languages.

 Indicates a language, script, tone, etc. of writing, speaking, etc.

examples: - When you write in cursive, it's illegible.
- He spoke in French, but his speech was
simultaneously translated into eight
languages.
INTO
 Going inside (of)
example: Mary danced into the house.

 Going to a geographic region.

examples: - We left the house and walked into the street.
- The plane flew into the open air.

 Against, especially with force or violence.

examples: - The car crashed into the tree.
- I wasn't careful, and walked into a wall.

 Producing, becoming
examples: - I carved the piece of driftwood into a sculpture
of
a whale.
- Right before our eyes, Jake turned into a wolf!
 (colloquial) Intensely interested in or attracted to.
examples: - I'm really into Shakespeare right now.
- I'm so into you!

 (mathematics) Taking distinct arguments to distinct values.

example: The exponential function maps the set of
real numbers into itself.

 (British, archaic)(India)(mathematics) The operation of multiplication.

[1]

example: Five into three is fifteen.

 (mathematics) The operation of division, with the denominator

expressed first.
example: Three into two won't go.

 Investigation of a subject.
example: Call for research into pesticides blamed for
vanishing bees
OF
 Belonging to or associated with.
examples: - The properties of this substance are
interesting.
- I could hear the sounds of heavy
machinery and of workers.
- That person is a friend of mine and a friend
of my children.

 Containing; comprising; made from.

examples: - Could you bring me a glass of water?
- This is an unusually long list of examples.
- First, cut a small square of cloth.
- The suit was made of wool. His dog was
full of fleas

 About; concerning (poetic).

example: He told me of the old days .
 Connects a quantifier with the thing quantified.
example: The rocket reached a height of over 100 km.

 Connects a noun derived from a verb with the object of that verb.
examples: - Some resisted the admission of the new
members
to the club.
- This chemical increases the conduction of
action potentials in the neuron.

 (in expressions of time) Before.

example: It's almost a quarter of four.

 Connects a jurisdiction to its name.

example: The city of Lawrence is located on the Kaw river.

 Indicates the age of a person.

examples: - That's a big responsibility for a boy of seven.
- That's a big responsibility for a boy of seven
years.
 Indicates distance from, direction from, separation from, or
deprivation from.
example: - within a mile of the church,
- south of Omaha,
- robbed of one's money,
- out of the car.

 By
example: The family is ordained of God.

USAGE NOTE

 (belonging to or associated with): When applied to a person or

persons, the possessive is generally used instead.
 (containing, comprising, or made from): Of may be used directly
with a verb or adjectival phrase.
ON
 Positioned at the upper surface of, touching from above.
example: on the table; on the couch

 At the date of.

example: Born on the 4th of July.

 Some time during the day of.

examples: - I'll see you on Monday.
- The bus leaves on Friday.
- Can I see you on a different day?
- On Sunday I'm busy.

 Dealing with the subject of, about, or concerning something.

examples: - A book on history.
- The World Summit on the Information
Society.
 Touching; hanging from.
examples: - The fruit ripened on the trees.
- The painting hangs on the wall.

 (informal) In the possession of.

example: I haven't got any money on me.

 Because of, or due to something.

examples: - To arrest someone on suspicion of bribery.
- To contact someone on a hunch.
- The stock price increased on news of a
new product.

 Paid for by.

examples: - The drinks are on me tonight, boys.
- The meal is on the house.
- I paid for the airfare and meals for my
family, but the hotel room was on the
company.
 Used to indicate a means or medium.
examples: - I saw it on television.
- Can't you see I'm on the phone?

 Indicating a means of subsistence.

examples: - They lived on ten dollars a week.
- The dog suvived three weeks on
rainwater.

 This word needs a definition. Please help out and add a definition,
then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
examples: - He's on his lunch break.
- on vacation, on holiday

 (of a drug) Regularly taking.

example: You've been on these antidepressants far
too long.
ONTO

 upon, on top of
example: My cat just jumped onto the keyboard.

 (informal) aware of
example: The thought-police were onto my plans of
World domination.

 (mathematics) being an onto function with a codomain of (see

below)
example: The exponential function maps the set of
real numbers onto the set of positive real
numbers.
TO
 In the direction of, and arriving at (indicating destination).
example: We are walking to the shop.

 Used to indicate purpose

examples: - He devoted himself to education.
- They drank to his health.

 Used to indicate result of action

example: His face was beaten to a pulp.

 Used after an adjective to indicate its application.

example: - similar to ..., relevant to ..., pertinent to ...,
- I was nice to him, he was cruel to her, I am used
to walking.
 (arithmetic) Used to indicate ratios.
examples: - one to one = 1:1
- ten to one = 10:1.

 (arithmetic) Used to indicate that the preceding term is to be raised to the

power of the following value; indicates exponentiation.
examples: - Three squared or three to the second power is
nine.
- Three to the power of two is nine.
- Three to the second is nine.

 Used to indicate the indirect object.

examples: I gave the book to him.

 (time) Preceding
example: ten to ten = 9:50; We're going to leave at ten to
(the hour).

 (Newfoundland) at
example: Stay where you're to and I'll come find you, b'y.
WITH
 against
example: He picked a fight with the class bully.

 in the company of; alongside, along side of; close to; near to:
example: He went with his friends.

 in addition to; as an accessory to:

example: She owns a motorcycle with a sidecar.

 Used to indicate simultaneous happening, or immediate succession

or consequence.

 in support of:
example: We are with you all the way.
 (obsolete) To denote the accomplishment of cause, means,
instrument, etc; – sometimes equivalent to by.
examples: He was torn to / pieces by a bear:

 as an instrument; by means of
examples: They had cut of his head upon the cudy of
his boat had not the man rescued him with a
sword, …

 (obsolete) as nourishment, more recently replaced by on

examples: I am fain to dine and sup with water and
bran.