Preposition

 

The Preposition – Detailed Discussion

1. Definition
A Preposition is a word or group of words that shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to other parts of the sentence. It typically expresses place, time, direction, manner, or relationship.
Structure: Preposition + Object (noun/pronoun) = Prepositional Phrase
Examples:
• The book is on the table.
• We will meet at 5 PM.
• She comes from Dhaka.

2. Functions of Prepositions
A. Showing Relationships

Relationship	Preposition	Example
Place	in, on, at, under, above	The cat is under the table.
Time	at, on, in, during, for	I'll see you on Monday.
Direction	to, from, into, out of	She went to school.
Reason	because of, due to	Because of rain, we stayed.
Purpose	for, to, in order to	This is for you.
Possession	of, with	The pages of the book.

B. Forming Prepositional Phrases
Preposition + Object (noun/pronoun) = Prepositional Phrase
Examples:
• in the room
• after dinner
• with my friends

Functions of a Prepositional Phrase:

1. As an Adjective: The man with a hat is my uncle.
2. As an Adverb: She sat in the corner.

3. Types of Prepositions
A. Simple Prepositions
Single-word prepositions:

Preposition	General Use	Example
in	large area, time, language, color	in Dhaka, in 2024, in English, in blue
on	surface, day, vehicle	on the table, on Monday, on the bus
at	specific point, time, address	at the station, at 5 PM, at home
to	direction, destination, time	go to school, from 9 to 5
for	duration, purpose	for 2 hours, for you
of	possession, relationship, material	pages of the book, cup of tea
with	accompaniment, instrument	with friends, write with a pen
by	means, near, within a time	by car, by 5 PM, sit by me

B. Compound Prepositions
Formed by two or more words:

Preposition	Formation	Example
in front of	in + front + of	in front of the house
because of	because + of	because of the rain
out of	out + of	out of the room
by means of	by + means + of	by means of technology
in spite of	in + spite + of	in spite of difficulties

C. Phrasal Prepositions
Full phrases functioning as prepositions:

Preposition	Example
according to	According to the report...
along with	Along with his friends...
due to	Due to bad weather...
in addition to	In addition to English...
on behalf of	On behalf of my team...
with regard to	With regard to your question...

D. Double Prepositions
Two prepositions used together:

Preposition	Example
into (in + to)	Go into the room.
onto (on + to)	Jump onto the bed.
upon (up + on)	Upon his arrival...
within (with + in)	Within the house.
without (with + out)	Without money.

E. Participle Prepositions
Formed from present (-ing) or past (-ed) participles:

Preposition	Root Verb	Example
regarding	regard	Regarding your email...
concerning	concern	Concerning the matter...
considering	consider	Considering his age...
during	dure (Old French)	During the meeting...
past	pass	Walk past the shop.
given	give	Given the circumstances...

4. Detailed Usage of Common Prepositions
A. IN, ON, AT - For Place and Time
For Place:

Preposition	Use	Example
IN	Large/general area (country, city, room)	in Bangladesh, in Dhaka, in the room
ON	Surface, road, island	on the table, on the road, on an island
AT	Specific point, address, specific place	at the station, at school, at home

Memory Trick for Place:
• IN = Inside
• ON = Surface
• AT = Address/Point

For Time:

Preposition	Use	Example
IN	Large time (month, year, season, century)	in January, in 2024, in summer, in the 21st century
ON	Specific day, date	on Monday, on 25th December, on my birthday
AT	Specific time, festival	at 5 PM, at noon, at night, at Eid

Memory Trick for Time:
• IN = Long period
• ON = Specific day
• AT = Point in time

B. Common Preposition Pairs
1. FOR vs. SINCE (For Time)
• FOR + Duration: for 2 hours, for 3 days, for a long time
• SINCE + Starting point: since Monday, since 2010, since childhood
Examples:
• I have lived here for 5 years.
• I have lived here since 2019.

2. BETWEEN vs. AMONG
• BETWEEN = Two persons/things
o between you and me, between Dhaka and Chittagong
• AMONG = Three or more persons/things
o among the students, among the trees

3. BY vs. WITH (To indicate means)
• BY = Agent/Means
o written by Shakespeare, travel by bus
• WITH = Instrument/Companion
o write with a pen, go with friends

4. IN vs. INTO
• IN = Static position inside
o She is in the room.
• INTO = Movement towards inside
o She went into the room.

5. ON vs. ONTO
• ON = Static position on a surface
o The book is on the table.
• ONTO = Movement onto a surface
o Put the book onto the table.

C. Time Prepositions

Preposition	Use	Example
at	specific time	at 3 PM, at midnight
on	specific day/date	on Sunday, on July 4th
in	month/year/season	in March, in 2024, in winter
for	duration	for two hours, for a week
since	starting point	since yesterday, since 2010
from...to	time range	from 9 to 5, from Monday to Friday
during	within a period	during the movie, during summer
until/till	up to a time	until tomorrow, till 5 PM
by	within/before a time	by Friday, by the end of the day
before	earlier than	before dinner, before 2020
after	later than	after school, after the meeting

5. Position of Prepositions
A. Normal Position
A preposition usually comes before its object:
• She is in the kitchen.
• We talked about the problem.

B. Preposition at the End
In some cases, a preposition can come at the end of a sentence:

1. In Questions:
   • What are you looking at?
   • Where are you from?
2. In Relative Clauses:
   • This is the book that I was looking for.
   • The person who I was talking to is my teacher.
3. In Passive Voice:
   • She is well looked after.
   • The problem was dealt with.
4. In Infinitive Structures:
   • I need a pen to write with.
   • She has no one to talk to.
   Traditional Grammar Rule: "Never end a sentence with a preposition" – but this is accepted in modern English.

C. Pronoun as Object of a Preposition
When a pronoun is the object of a preposition, it must be an object pronoun:

Subject Pronoun	Object Pronoun	Prepositional Use
I	me	Give it to me.
he	him	I went with him.
she	her	This is for her.
we	us	They sat beside us.
they	them	I'm thinking of them.

Wrong: ❌ between you and I
Correct: ✅ between you and me

6. Common Preposition Combinations
A. Adjective + Preposition Combinations
Some adjectives are used with specific prepositions:

Adjective + Preposition	Example
afraid of	afraid of dogs
angry with	angry with him
good at	good at math
interested in	interested in science
famous for	famous for tea
proud of	proud of his son
responsible for	responsible for the project
similar to	similar to mine
different from	different from others
married to	married to a doctor

B. Verb + Preposition Combinations (Prepositional Verbs)
Some verbs are used with specific prepositions:

Verb + Preposition	Example
believe in	believe in God
depend on	depend on you
listen to	listen to music
look at	look at the picture
look for	look for my keys
talk about	talk about politics
think about/of	think about the future
wait for	wait for the bus
belong to	belong to me
apologize for	apologize for being late

C. Noun + Preposition Combinations

Noun + Preposition	Example
advantage of	advantage of technology
reason for	reason for his absence
solution to	solution to the problem
interest in	interest in art
experience in	experience in teaching
relationship with	relationship with parents
difference between	difference between them

7. Common Mistakes and Corrections
A. Unnecessary Prepositions
• ❌ Where are you going to? (redundant)
• ✅ Where are you going?
• ❌ She met with him. (acceptable but often redundant)
• ✅ She met him.

B. Missing Prepositions
• ❌ She is listening music.
• ✅ She is listening to music.
• ❌ I will wait you.
• ✅ I will wait for you.

C. Wrong Preposition Choices
• ❌ I am good in English.
• ✅ I am good at English.
• ❌ She is married with a doctor.
• ✅ She is married to a doctor.
• ❌ It depends from you.
• ✅ It depends on you.

D. At, In, On Confusion
• ❌ I live at Dhaka. (city)
• ✅ I live in Dhaka.
• ❌ See you in Monday.
• ✅ See you on Monday.
• ❌ We meet on 5 PM.
• ✅ We meet at 5 PM.

8. Special Cases and Advanced Usage
A. Prepositions with Vehicles
• by + vehicle (general): by car, by bus, by train, by plane
• on/in + vehicle (specific):
o on the bus, on the train, on the plane (public transport)
o in the car, in a taxi (private/small vehicles)
• on + non-motorized: on foot, on horseback, on a bicycle

B. Prepositions with Communication
• on + electronic device: on the phone, on television, on the radio
• in + print media: in the newspaper, in a magazine, in a book
• by + method: by email, by post, by phone

C. Prepositions of Movement

Movement	Preposition	Example
To	to	go to school, walk to the park
From	from	come from home, receive from him
Through	through	walk through the forest
Across	across	swim across the river
Over	over	jump over the fence
Under	under	crawl under the table
Around	around	walk around the lake
Into	into	go into the room
Out of	out of	come out of the house
Up/Down	up/down	go up the stairs, walk down the hill

D. Idiomatic Expressions with Prepositions

Expression	Meaning	Example
in time	early enough	We arrived in time for the show.
on time	punctually	The train arrived on time.
at once	simultaneously	Don't speak at once.
by heart	memorized	Learn the poem by heart.
in detail	thoroughly	Explain in detail.
on purpose	intentionally	He did it on purpose.
by chance	accidentally	We met by chance.
for good	permanently	He left for good.
in advance	beforehand	Pay in advance.

E. Prepositions in Passive Voice
In passive voice, 'by' is used to indicate the agent:
• Active: Shakespeare wrote Hamlet.
• Passive: Hamlet was written by Shakespeare.

F. Prepositions with -ing Forms (Gerunds)
A verb's -ing form (gerund) comes after a preposition:
• She is interested in learning English.
• He is good at playing football.
• Thank you for helping me.

10. Practice Exercises
Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks
Insert the correct preposition:

1. She is good ______ Mathematics.
   o at
2. We will meet ______ Monday.
   o on
3. The cat is hiding ______ the bed.
   o under
4. I have been living here ______ 2010.
   o since
5. He is interested ______ learning French.
   o in
6. We traveled ______ bus.
   o by
7. She is married ______ a doctor.
   o to
8. Please wait ______ me.
   o for
9. The book is ______ the table.
   o on
10. I will be back ______ an hour.
    o in

Exercise 2: Correct the Errors
Correct the mistakes:

1. ❌ I am afraid from dogs.
   ✅ I am afraid of dogs.
2. ❌ She arrived on 5 PM.
   ✅ She arrived at 5 PM.
3. ❌ This is different to that.
   ✅ This is different from that.
4. ❌ He is listening music.
   ✅ He is listening to music.
5. ❌ Divide the chocolates between all the children.
   ✅ Divide the chocolates among all the children.

Exercise 3: Identify Prepositional Phrases
Identify the prepositional phrases in the following sentences:

1. The book on the table is mine.
   o on the table (adjective phrase modifying "book")
2. She sat in the corner quietly.
   o in the corner (adverb phrase modifying "sat")
3. We went to the market in the morning.
   o to the market (adverb phrase), in the morning (adverb phrase)
4. The man with a hat is my uncle.
   o with a hat (adjective phrase modifying "man")
5. According to the weather report, it will rain.
   o According to the weather report (adverb phrase modifying entire sentence)

Exercise 4: Translate from Bangla to English

1. I live in Dhaka.
   o I live in Dhaka.
2. He will come on Monday.
   o He will come on Monday.
3. The book is under the table.
   o The book is under the table.
4. I have bought a gift for you.
   o I have bought a gift for you.
5. We have been studying since morning.
   o We have been studying since morning.

11. Learning Tips and Strategies
A. Preposition Grouping Technique
Learn prepositions with similar use/meaning together:

1. Place: in, on, at, under, over, above, below, beside, between
2. Time: at, on, in, for, since, during, until, by
3. Direction: to, from, into, out of, through, across, along
4. Reason: because of, due to, owing to
5. Means: by, with, through

B. Visual Mapping
Use spatial diagrams to understand prepositions:

text

         above/over

            ↑

in front of ← ● → behind

            ↓

         below/under

C. Common Combinations Memorization
Memorize Verb/Adjective/Noun + Preposition combinations:
• Verb + Preposition: look at, wait for, depend on
• Adjective + Preposition: good at, afraid of, interested in
• Noun + Preposition: reason for, solution to, advantage of

D. Contextual Learning
Learn prepositions by using them in sentences:
• Place: The keys are in my pocket.
• Time: I'll call you at 6 PM.
• Direction: Walk to the end of the street.

E. Error Analysis
Identify and correct preposition-related errors in your own writing.

Conclusion
Prepositions play a crucial role in determining the subtlety and accuracy of the English language. Though they are small words, their incorrect use can change the entire meaning.

Key Takeaways:

1. A preposition shows the relationship of a noun/pronoun to other parts of the sentence.
2. Main Types: Simple, Compound, Phrasal, Double, Participle.
3. IN, ON, AT: Most important for place and time.
4. Fixed Combinations: Must memorize Verb/Adjective/Noun + Preposition.
5. Bangla-English Difference: In Bangla, prepositions are often used as suffixes.

Remember:
"Prepositions are the GPS of language - they don't just name locations, but chart the intricate relationships between ideas, guiding us through the logical and spatial landscape of thought."

Final Advice:

1. Learn in Context: Learn by using in sentences, not in isolation.
2. Avoid Common Mistakes: Pay special attention to frequently mistaken prepositions.
3. Memorize Combinations: Learn Verb/Adjective/Noun + Preposition combinations.
4. Read and Listen Extensively: Notice how native speakers use prepositions.

Improving preposition skills is the key to speaking natural and accurate English - it is more than grammar rules, it is part of the natural flow of the language.