In, on, at, by, for, with, without, against, between, after, before, across, under, through, to, from, since, due to are the most used 20 prepositions in English grammar. Prepositions are used to shows relationship between noun or pronoun with the rest of the sentence. “Pre + position” word itself shows its role. It is placed before noun or pronoun to show the relative position in sentence compare with other grammatical elements. Time, place, direction, agency, cause, manner, origin are major types of prepositions provide meaning and context to communication. Through this article, my attempt would be to provide better clarity regarding most common and most used 20 prepositions in our day to day English usages.
Classification of major types of prepositions
On the basis of meaning and functions they play in sentence, prepositions are classified as:
- Prepositions of place: at, in, on, between, out
- Prepositions of time: at, in, on, between, during, after, before
- Prepositions of direction: from, across, through
- Prepositions of agency and instrument: by, with
- Prepositions of cause and purpose: because of, due to
- Prepositions of manner: with
- Prepositions of connection and origin: of, from
Usages of prepositions in sentence
Before to proceed, first of all let’s learn about preposition phease. It is a combination of preposition and object of prepositions.
- Now, I’m selling fruits in the market. (in: preposition, the market: noun)
In the preposition phrase: in the market, “the market” is called object of preposition. It means “preposition + object of preposition” becomes “preposition phrase.”
Role and usages of preposition phrase
Here are some examples of preposition phrase. Once you go through, you will get a better picture.
- With a hammer, knife, pen etc.
- In the morning, evening, etc
- In the bus, room, ground etc.
- For dinner, breakfast, lunch etc.
- By train, bus, airplane etc.
- Behind the house, tree, car etc.
- At night, noon, 12 o’clock, etc.are common examples of preposition phrases.
1. Use of preposition phrase as “adverbial complement “
It is a group of words or prepositions phrase that play a role to describe the adverbial elements like time, place, cause, etc. Are known as adverbial complements as like in the garden, on the roof, etc.
- He is swimming in the river.
Here, “in the river” is the prepositional phrase functions like adverbial complement as it is placed immediately after action verb.
Adverbial complement
Adverbial complement is essential grammatical elementn as they provide complete meaning to sentence. And, it could impact the meaning when it is removed.
- Himalaya is in the east of Tibetan plateau.
- Ganga river flows through the Himalayan mountain.
- He plays football in the ground.
Preposition phrase as adjunct
On the other hand, “adjunct” are words used as adverbial but can’t provided essential information. Because, by removing, it doesn’t impact core meaning of the sentence.
- Tiger swims in the river occasionally. (In the river: adverbial complement and Occasionally: act as adjunct)
- He grazes cattle in the countryside regularly. (Regularly: adjunct)
- Mike is driving his car on the road in the evening. (In the evening: adjunct; on the road: adverbial complement)
Preposition phrase
In the morning, she is working in the garden. In this example, “in the garden” is called preposition phrase. Let’s see the usages of preposition phrase. In sentence, prepositional phrase plays role of adjectives, adverbs, or adverbial complement.
Preposition phrase as object complement
- She kicked the ball in the ground.
- In this example, “in the ground” is prepositional phrase placed immediately after the direct object.
Why should one focus on most used prepositions
In our day to day English communication, we hardly use each and every prepositions in our normal conversation. There are certain prepositions that we use intensively like: at, in, on, from, with, between, for, before, due to, because of etc. If we focus on such prepositions, we can easily master theirs correct usages quickly. After all, our purpose is to ease the exchange of knowledge and information not store cumbersome data.
Understanding Most used 20 prepositions in different types
There are around seven types of preposition in English grammar. Time, place, direction, cause, purpose, instrument, manner, etc. These types of preposition are used to show similar relationship with different grammatical elements in sentence. Preposition of place shows spatial relationship while preposition of cause expresses causal relationship. Let’s see important preposition one by one.
1. Preposition of place: in, on, at, over, between, etc.
Apart from above, there are number of other preposition used to show spatial relationship like: by, near, away, close to, next to, in front of beside, behind, above, over, below, under, off, out of, underneath, beneath, up, down, by, standing about, around, inside, outside.
But here, I’m going deal with most used preposition of place: in, on, at, from, between, among, etc. In order to describe the fixed location or specific position of a object in relation with others, preposition of place is used.
Prepositions of place are words that help us to describe the location or position of something in relation to another object or place. They provide crucial information about where something is located or how it is positioned. In English, there are several prepositions of place that are commonly used.
- The book is on the table.
- The cat is eating in the bowl.
- She has taken seat between her friends.
- I am waiting you at the college gate.
- The bird is hovering over the tree.
“In” Preposition
Use “in” when expressing about being inside a place or enclosed space.
We are in the AC coach. I’m not going to live in the forested region.
- In USA
- In Asia
- In the Australia
- In the newspaper
- In the house
- In the office
- In the garage
- In the garden
- In the swimming pool, etc.
“On” Preposition
Use “on” when speaking about being in contact with a surface.
She kept teapot on the table. I an not going to drive on the highway.
- On the chair
- On the table
- On the ground
- On the mountain,
- On the top of the hill, etc.
“At” Preposition
Use “at” when talking about a specific point or location.
The courier boy is waiting at the library.
- At the tower
- At a house
- At a hotel
- At a restaurant, etc.
“At, on, in” prepositions are important among all as they play different functions. “At” Prepositions is used to show smaller location, “on” Preposition speaks about larger location, and “in” Preposition is used to show largest location like country and continent.
- At the corne: point
- On the ground: larger surface
- In the forest: enclosed area.
Importantly, “in, on, at” Prepositions are also used to show temporal relationship with other grammatical elements in sentence.
“Between ” Preposition
Use “between” when talking about something being in the middle of two or more things
- She is sitting between her two friends.
“Over” Preposition
Use “over” when talking about something being higher or covering something else.
- The plane is flying over the city.
Confusing prepositions of place
There are certain pair of prepositions of place that create confusion while using. Here, I’m going to provide clear cut difference through examples.
Between” and “among” Prepositions:
Between is used when we are talking about two things or persons. We can also use between for more than two things or persons when we know their exact number. On the contrary, among is used for more than two things or persons.
Examples of “between” and “among” in sentences:
- You have to be quick between the wickets.
- Umpires resolved the dispute between two teams.
- Price money will be distributed equally between winning team members.( more than two but known number )
- Differences are created deliberately among various classes of society during the election period.
- Cops identified offenders among passengers.
In” and “within” Prepositions
Both are prepositions of time. In suggest at the end of specific time and within indicates before the end of given time
Examples of “In” and “within” in sentences:
- I will pay the premium in this month. (at he end of this month)
- Results will be declared within a week. (anytime before end of the week)
“In” and “into” prepositions
“In” Preposition is used for enclosed surfaces , area or volume Whereas into shows movement from outside to inside of something
Examples of “in” and “into” prepositions:
- He kicked the ball into the goal post.
- Car plunged into the bushes suddenly.
- Jackal ran away into the forest.
- Burglars broken into the bank.
2. Preposition of time: At, on, in, between, during, after, before
Preposition of time indicates the time or duration of the given action. At, on, in, for, from, since, during etc. are the most important and frequently used prepositions of time. They allow us to provide specific information about the timing of an event or the duration of an action.
Useful Examples of Prepositions of Time
“At” Preposition for time
We use ‘at’ to indicate a specific time or point in time. For example, ‘we have a meeting at 9 am.’
- At noon,
- At night,
- At midnight,
- At 8 o’clock,
- At the time of origin,
- At the time of birth,
- At breakfast,
“In” Preposition for time
In’ is used to indicate a period within which something happens. For instance, They will finish the project in a week.’
- In the five minutes
- In the morning
- In the afternoon
- In the evening
- In 2003
- In the last year
- In the winter
- In the rainy season
- In the medieval times, etc.
“On” Preposition for time
It is used to specify days and dates.
He has a doctor’s appointment on Monday.’
- On Monday
- On 26th January
- On the eve of Christmas,
- On my birthday,
- On the independent day, etc.
“During preposition
It is used to express when something happens within a particular period.
He studied during the summer vacation.’
“For” Preposition
It is used to indicate the duration or period of an action.
- ‘she has been waiting for two hours.’
- We have been in Las Vegas for ten years.
- Audience are listening him with pin drop silence for two hours.
“Since” Preposition
It is used to show or describe specific point of time.
- He is in pain since last night.
- The have been waiting for you since 10 o’clock.
Some confusing preposition of time
Since” and “from” prepositions: point of time and duration of time
Both are prepositions of time.
Since indicates point of time, on the other hand, from shows starting point of time and duration of time of any action or activity.
- I am waiting for you since morning.
- The seminar will be organized from next month.(starting point)
- The exam time would be from 09.00 am. to 11.00 am.(duration of time)
3.Preposition of direction or movement: from, across, through
Preposition of movement and direction are used to show or describe “How does a person moving and where does he going.” They describe path, destination and way of movement.
To, from, under, over, along, around, across, through, into, out of, towards, away from, onto, up, down, off, are examples of preposition of movement and direction.
Among these, I’m going to explain some important: form, across, through and away from etc.
“From” Preposition
Use this preposition to describe a point of movement.
- He regularly runs from house to ground.
- Migratory birds fly from Siberian region to Asia.
“Across” Preposition
Use this to describe or show cross movement from one side to another of a road, river, etc.
- Tiger swims across the river.
- Mahatma gandhi travelled across India to know reality.
“Away from” Preposition
Use this preposition to describe movement from a specific point to much distance away.
- The deer ran quickly away from river.
4. preposition of agent and instrument: with, by
Preposition of agent or instrument are used to describe or show doer and tool in the sentence.
By what means and by whom the action is being performed.
- The house is cleaned by he himself. (By whom)
- The book is written by famous author.( by whom)
- Workers are clearing the snow with spades.(tool as instrument)
- I always write answers with my favourite pen.(tool as instrument)
5. preposition if cause: because of, due to,
There is slight difference between “because of and due to” Preposition of cause. “Because of” Preposition is used to describe or show direct cause for something happened. Whereas, “due to” Is used to highlight cause behind an action or event.
- We are experiencing drought because of climate change.
- He won trophy due to proper training and hard work.
- He recovered from illness due to latest antibiotic.
Apart from these types, there are preposition of manner and connection as well. Preposition of manner describes how an action is done. It is like preposition of instrument.
So far, we have learned about meaning, types, usages, rules of use, and examples of preposition. I have given special focus to most used 20 preposition. Hope, you will get better out of this piece of writing.