Prepositions of place

Prepositions are those words that are used to connect nouns, pronouns and phrases in a sentence.  They do the job of portraying the relation between the words they connect. Broadly, there are three categories in which Prepositions can be divided:

-          Prepositions of time

-          Prepositions of place

-          Prepositions of movement

In this article, we will discuss the Prepositions of place in detail. 

Prepositions of place refer to those prepositions are used to show the location of something. These include prepositions of position and direction.  Some examples of prepositions of place are:

1.       At: It is used to describe a point. For example:

-          I saw someone standing at the door.

-          My shop is located at the corner of the road.

-          He is at office.

   

2.       In: It is used to talk about enclosed spaces. For example:

-          She is in India.

-          He is in his room

-          She is working in the kitchen.

-          The book is in the bag.

-          They are in Italy.

-          I read the facts in the article.

-          The fish is swimming in the pond.

3.       On: It is used for surfaces. For example:

-          The lamp is on the table.

-          The cat is sitting on the floor.

-          Don’t write on that paper.

-          She drew a picture on her copy.

-          They are on the train.

-          I am on my way to the restaurant.

-          They saw the advertisement on a billboard.

4.       By/next to/beside: These are used to talk about things that are on the left or right of somebody or something. For example:

-          She is standing by the car.

-          The house is next to the park.

-          My office is beside the factory.

5.       Under: It refers to something that is on the ground, lower than or covered by something else. For example:

-          The cat is hiding under the table.

-          The ball is under the bed.

-          The trunk is under the caught.

6.       Below: It refers to something that is lower than something else but above ground. For example:

-          This is explained in the lines below.

-          You can find the fishes below the surface of the water.

7.       Over: It has several meanings. It can be used to refer to something that is covered by something else; it also means more than something; it can also refer to something on the other side and overcoming a difficulty or an obstacle. For example:

-          Why don’t a wear a blazer over that shirt?

-          I am over 24 years now.

-          From Finch Street, you need to walk over to the Subway.

-          They will climb over the steep mountain.

8.       Above: It refers to something that is higher than something else but not directly over it. For example:

-          We are building a highway above this road.

-          The bridge goes above the river.

9.       Across: It means getting to the other side. For example:

-          Walk across the street to reach the Subway station.

-          The college is located across the road.

10.   Towards: It refers to the movement in the direction of something. For example:

-          Walk towards the building on your right.

Kinds of Prepositions in English

The prepositions are the words which join nouns, pronouns and phrases in a sentence. They are basically used to tell the place, time and direction etc. of a noun or a pronoun. The most common prepositions are at, in, on, by, from, etc. 

Placement of Prepositions in a sentence:  The prepositions usually come before the noun and are used with its every form.

Types of Prepositions:  There are two types of Preposition- simple and compound.

Simple Preposition: It contains only one word. It has may types, the most common being Preposition of time, place and direction. Their brief description is given below.

Prepositions of Place: It is used to clarify the place of a noun or a pronoun. It tells the place where a noun or a pronoun is. 

Examples: in, at, on, above, below, on, under, etc.

Preposition of Time: It indicates the time of the event.

Examples: in, at, on, between, during, till, after, before etc.

Preposition of Direction: It is used to describe the direction.

Examples: across, through, to , into, out of etc.

Compound Prepositions:  They contain more than two words.

Examples: in front of, at the back of, in the middle of, in between etc. 

Words which are used without prepositions: There are certain words with which the prepositions are never used.  These are next, every, last, some, any etc.

Example:

I will see you next Monday        : Correct Sentence

I will see you on next Monday   : Incorrect Sentence

Prepositions and its uses in English

The word that shows the relation of nouns and pronouns with other part of a sentence is called as “Preposition”.

Preposition is divided in three categories- Simple preposition, Compound Preposition and Phrase preposition.

A) Simple Preposition: The words like at, in, on, far, near, to from etc. fall under this category. Based          on the usage simple preposition can be subcategorised to

     Ø  Preposition of time

     Ø  Preposition of place

     Ø  Preposition of direction 

1) Prepositionof Time: It shows time.

Examples: at, in on, after, before etc.

2) Prepositionof Place: It shows the place where something or somebody is.

Examples: on, at, in, under, above, beside etc.

3) Prepositionof Direction: It is used to give directions.

Examples: across, through, next to , between, near , etc.

B) Compound & Phrase Preposition: These are the group of words which are used as one preposition.

Examples:  in between, Because of, In front of, on behalf of, In the mid­dle of, According to, By means of, In addi­tion to ‚in spite of, instead of etc. 

Placement of Preposition in a sentence:
In a sentence, the prepositions usually come before the noun. 

Words used without Preposition:
The prepositions are not used before the words like next, last this, one, every, each, some, any, all, today, tomorrow etc.

For example

I will see you next Monday                    : Correct

I will see you on next Monday               : Incorrect.

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