WRITING CENTER "INFORMATION PICK-UP" (S.S.C.C.)
PREPOSITIONS
at in for above to over
under from on through of
with by about inside
outside beside between behind
• WHAT ARE PREPOSITIONS?
• WHAT IS A PREPOSITIONAL
PHRASE?
• HOW ARE THEY USED IN ENGLISH?
• WHEN DO YOU USE CERTAIN
PREPOSITIONS?
• ALPHABETIZED LIST OF COMMON
PREPOSITIONS:
• PRACTICE
• WHAT ARE PREPOSITIONS?
Prepositions are a member of a class of words which are typically used before nouns, pronouns, or other substantives to form phrases:
• with adverbial (modifying a verb) function,
• nominal (pertaining to, functioning as, or producing a noun) function,
• or adjectival function (describing a noun).
Prepositions connect nouns and noun phrases to a sentence. They provide information about the relationships between nouns in a sentence.
Prepositions are used to create adverbial modifiers which are used to give information about
1) place or location of something in relation to another (spatial) or
2) time or when something occurred (temporal)
Examples:
The Satterwhite brothers usually arrive at school an hour earlier than their classmates.
The food bank volunteer placed the empty cardboard boxes on the table.
All participants must arrive on time in order to compete in the race.
Most of the students performed at the median in the standardized national test of basic skills.
"Work usually begins at 9 a.m. at this company," said the trainer.
IN, ON, and AT for TIME
MEANINGS
RULE EXAMPLES
________________________________________________________________
IN is the most general I was born in 1965.
and is usually used with The 16th president was assassinated
the year or month. in 1865.
Christmas falls in December.
________________________________________________________________
ON is more specific than IN. He was born on November 10, 1910.
This is usually used with The first meeting was held on June 10,
specific days. 1986.
I will go to the quilting work shop on
Monday.
The grand finale will fall on the 8th.
________________________________________________________________
AT is the most specific. The infant was born at 9:10 a.m. on
This is usually used with a fine Sunday morning.
a specific time down to the The clock will strike at midnight.
hour and minute.
IN, ON, and AT for SPACE
MEANINGS
RULE EXAMPLES
________________________________________________________________
IN is the most general We live in Seattle.
The earthquake occurred in the
Oakland or Bay Area.
________________________________________________________________
ON is more specific than IN. The Joneses live on 110th S.E.
The industrial district begins on
Lander Street.
________________________________________________________________
AT is the most specific. The school is located at 6000 16th
Avenue S.W. in Seattle,
Washington.
You need to go to the bus stop at
the corner of 4th and Pine
in downtown Seattle.
________________________________________________________________
The order usually goes from We work at 5500 140th N.E. at
more specific to the the Municipal Golf Course
general. The name of the at the Pro Shop.
town or city can be given first.
The number and the name I work at 1131 140th N.E. on
of the street should remain Mercer Island.
together as a unit.
The training on funding the first-
time purchase of a house
will be held at Seafirst
Bank on Broad Street.
Prepositions may explain the relationship of a noun to the rest of the sentence.
Examples:
He broke the ice with a chisel.
(This means that the chisel was the tool used to break the ice.)
He cleaned the disk with the Virex software program.
(This means that the disk was the instrument used to clean the
disk of a computer virus.)
Yasutake commutes to work by the bullet train.
(This means that the bullet train was the method used to get to
and from work.)
A prepositional phrase is a combination of a preposition with its object. Some examples are listed below:
in a minute on the floor
above the doorway beside the chair
for the nurse into the night
with his head in his hands of the gold
with the dagger from the foreign country
to the asphalt at the rock concert
at 6 p.m. to the store
in the book between the pillars
inside the cave between the friends
within the church outside on the street
below the cliff throughout the film
without the money on his face
during the holdup along the road
near the fire place up the chimney
in the safe deposit box among his peers
on her way out toward the pier
upon the horse around the ice cream freezer
before the stage past the arcade
beneath the land bridge except the largest wrapped
package
below the market value from the stables
and others
• WHAT IS A PREPOSITIONAL
PHRASE?
A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition, its object (usually a noun or pronoun) and any modifiers of the object.
Examples:
during the after-show party
in the line of fire
from off the top of your head
from the airport
to the football arena
• HOW ARE THEY USED IN ENGLISH?
• WHEN DO YOU USE CERTAIN PREPOSITIONS?
RELATIONSHIP MEANINGS FOR PREPOSITIONS:
(Categories identified by Byrd and Benson)
AGENT: BY in passive sentences: Who or what did this action?
Examples:
The houses were leveled by the earthquake.
The students were lectured at by the principal.
The papers were blown all over the lawn by the sudden wind.
Mrs. Thompson was scolded by the store clerk for her clumsiness.
MEANS OR
METHOD: BY and ON: How was this done or achieved?
Examples:
The computer printer runs on a rechargeable battery.
The symphony members arrive at each new city by train.
Today's mail will arrive by truck because of the snow storm.
Santa will swing by on a sleigh.
The children will recite the poems by memory during the assembly today.
The professional skater won fame on the strength of his speed and grace.
Cherelle goes to work at the downtown bank on foot daily.
SOURCE: FROM:
Where did it originate or come from?
Examples:
The package came from Malaysia and was post-marked July 7,1996.
New years greetings from the mayor arrived in the mail boxes.
Flight 200 from Macao landed safely at Hong Kong (H.K.) International Airport.
The newspaper got the crucial tip from an anonymous caller.
TOGETHER: WITH:
Who or what accompanies the subject?
Examples:
Pat and Mario like to party with friends at the local discotheque.
Eat this hamburger with the special sauce.
You should take the English 101 course with Ms. Andrea Thomas.
Ted showed up at the concert with(out) his ticket.
The home inspector crawled under the house with her flash light, pencil and clip board.
TOOL OR
INSTRUMENT: WITH: What tool was used to achieve something?
Examples:
The captive pried open the door with his pen knife.
She spread the cement putty with a plastic implement.
The sous chef stirred the mushroom soup with an aluminum dipper.
Psychologists often make their clients comfortable with small talk during the first meeting.
The librarian mended the hard-cover books with glue and a book press.
Mr. George Taylor, the politician, spoke with aplomb.
TO HELP
SOMEONE: FOR: Who is the recipient of a certain action?
Examples:
She opened the door for the man in the wheel chair.
The lawyer held a small party for his victorious clients and their families.
The governor and his staff hosted a party for his main campaign contributors.
The students performed the play for the local schools.
Catholic Community Services--Homecare provided free in-house cleaning and cooking and shopping services for their impoverished clients.
TO
REPLACE SOMEONE or SUBSTITUTE FOR: FOR
Examples:
Thanks for taking the scolding for me.
The wife completed the grant writing for her sick husband and submitted it under deadline.
The secretary started the coffee for his boss.
Humiliated and saddened, the father took the legal punishment for his errant under-age son.
Because Annette was in the hospital for child birth, her sister stood in for her at the awards ceremony.
In the film, the dutiful boyfriend took the fall for his girlfriend and claimed he committed the bank robbery.
TO INDICATE POSSESSION: OF (especially with inanimate nouns)
Examples:
The dental assistant placed her cup of coffee on the top of her car.
While playing soft ball, Andrew accidentally broke the window of the church.
At the dormitory, the students heard the sounds of music and merry-making.
The siblings attend the University of Nebraska.
Joe dropped the pot of stew on his foot.
TO INDICATE A CERTAIN DIRECTION OR DESTINATION: TO
Examples:
Maria and her father will be going to the mall to purchase some clothes.
To her grandmother's house went Little Red Riding Hood.
The out-of-towners went to the Empire State Building.
Note: Be careful not to
confuse the infinitive (to + root verb form) with the use of "to" as
a preposition (to + location, to + gerund, to + a person).
To is also used as a preposition with certain frequently used verb phrases such as the following:
be adjusted to object to get used to
be accustomed to be used to look forward to
be opposed to be looking forward to feel used to
listen to happen to talk to
add to belong to consent to
invite (someone) to get back to refer to
admit to claim to
• ALPHABETIZED LIST OF COMMON PREPOSITIONS:
aboard below in through
about beneath inside throughout
above beside into to
across besides like toward
after between near under
against beyond of underneath
along by off until
among down on up
around during out upon
as except over with
at for past within
before from since without
behind
(Courtesy of Patricia Byrd and Beverly Benson's Applied English Grammar)
• PRACTICE
Directions: Read the sentences below. Fill in the proper preposition in each blank below. Have a Writing Center tutor read over your answers for correctness. Feel free to discuss the answers.
1. The school bus will be turning ___________ the corner any minute now according ___________ my watch.
2. "Look ___________ the dictionary ___________ the new words' definitions," instructed the 5th grade teacher.
3. Firefighters must constantly be aware ___________ the changing situation around them during a fire call.
4. Adults must apologize ___________ their mistakes even ___________ young children when the situation calls ___________ that.
5. Many foreign students are interested ___________ sampling the American lifestyle, which includes dining out, movies, dancing, driving fast ___________ the freeways, shopping ___________ clothing ___________ malls, and partying ___________ friends.
6. The King County Council may decide to support the proposal ___________ improved transit ___________ the county ___________ the north ___________ the south, __________ the east and ___________ the west.
7. Deciding to get a hair treatment, Solange called the salon and made an appointment ___________ the next Wednesday afternoon.
8. Come ___________ me to go shopping ___________ the local farmer's market. We can go pick ___________ some fruit to dry ___________ the winter.
9. The camaraderie ___________ the two friends was apparent even ___________ outsiders.
10. Katrice chose a new major after talking ___________ her counselor as well as ___________ her parents and friends.
11. A new governor was chosen ___________ the handful ___________ candidates who ran ___________ the public office.
12. The person ___________ whom you were talking is an acquaintance ___________ mine.
13. Please return this bag ___________ flour ___________ the neighbor ___________ whom you borrowed it.
14. ___________ the Buckingham Palace walls, there were many secrets that were observed and later told ___________ the tabloid press and ___________ the waiting public.
15. The janitor placed the mop ___________ the bucket ___________ warm soapy suds.
16. Most people tend to be quite selfish especially when it comes down ___________ money.
17. Diane Carey's The Way ___________ the Warrior is part ___________ the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" series ___________ adventure/science fiction (sci-fi) novels.
18. The school superintendent resolutely held his ground ___________ the fight ___________ curriculum ___________ the school board and the PTA.
19. Armed ___________ a rifle, the distraught man barricaded himself ___________ his apartment and refused to negotiate ___________ the police who were standing ___________ ___________ the street.
20. The chemistry professor demonstrated one way to tell the difference ___________ a balloon filled ___________ helium and one filled ___________ hydrogen.
Sources:
Byrd, Patricia and Beverly Benson. Applied English Grammar. Boston:
Heinle & Heinle Publishers, 1992.
Raimes, Ann. How English Works: A Grammar Handbook with Readings.
New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990.
Steer, Jocelyn M. and Karen A. Carlisi. The
Advanced Grammar Book.
Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers, 1991.
(Revised 1998)