Prepositions: Answering When and Where

Is the ball in, on, or at the table? If it’s confusing for you, this article will help clear things out. Let’s learn about prepositions!

What is a Preposition?

A preposition is a part of speech that tells us the position of a noun or pronoun in relation to another word in the sentence. It’s a word that usually answers the questions when and where. 

• The teacher is on his way to the classroom. He has been in the office since this morning. 
• Madeline hid under the bed until her brother found her.
• He left his keys in the car. 
• She will be here on Monday morning.
• The ball is on the table. 

NOTE: A change in preposition can change the relationship between words in a sentence. 

Related Reading: Pronouns – Substitution Over Repetition

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Commonly Used Prepositions

aboard	behind	except	out	until
about	below	for	outside	up
above	beneath	from	over	upon
across	beside(s)	in	past	up to
after	between	inside	regarding	with
against	beyond	into	since	within
along	but	like	through	without
amid	by	near	throughout
among	concerning	of	to
around	despite	off	toward
at	down	on	under
before	during	onto	underneath

Compound Prepositions

according to	in spite of
as well as	on account of
because of	out of
instead of	with regard to
in front of	with respect to

Here are more examples of sentences using prepositions.

• She drove to the mountains despite the rain. 
• Pamela cannot attend the party because of work.
• He always sleeps during our Math class.
• The typhoon victims were still recovering from trauma when the earthquake hit. 

What is a Prepositional Phrase?

A preposition is always followed by a noun or pronoun. You may recall the word pre- meaning before. The noun or pronoun that the preposition connects to another word is also called an object. Hence, it’s called an object of the preposition. The preposition, the object, and the word/s that may come in between them altogether constitute a prepositional phrase. You can have one or more prepositional phrases in one sentence.

Examples of sentences using a prepositional phrase.

• He is swimming across the vast ocean. [The prepositional phrase includes the preposition across, its object ocean, and modifying adjectives the vast.]
• Lawrence likes listening to old music. [The prepositional phrase includes the preposition to, its object music, and the adjective old which modifies the object.]
• He died during his prime years. [The prepositional phrase includes the preposition during, its object years, and the adjectives his prime which modify the object.] 

NOTE: Do not confuse prepositions with adverbs. Remember that prepositions are followed by a noun or pronoun and relates the noun or pronoun to another word in a sentence, while adverbs modify verbs. 

Adverb: The wounded soldiers fell behind. [the adverb behind modifies the verb fell]
Preposition: The wounded soldiers fell behind the troupes. [the preposition is behind and its object is troupes]

Adverb: The examinees are seated inside. [the adverb below modifies the verb written].
Preposition: The examinees are seated inside the boardroom. [the preposition is inside and its object is boardroom.] 

Practice:

Underline the preposition and encircle the prepositional phrase in each of the following sentences. 

1. The birds flew to our neighbor’s roof. 
2. He likes reading about World War II. 
3. Everyone except the teacher can hear the choir singing. 
4. She found inner peace amid the chaos.
5. With his creativity he painted a masterpiece.

Answers:

1. The birds flew to our neighbor’s roof. 
2. He likes reading about World War II. 
3. Everyone except the teacher can hear the choir singing. 
4. She found inner peace amid the chaos.
5. With his creativity he painted a masterpiece.

Thank you for reading. We hope it’s effective! Always feel free to revisit this page if you ever have any questions about prepositions.

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Adverb: A Word that Modifies Another Word

Verb Tenses: When an Action Occurs