PREPOSITION

A Preposition is a word placed before a noun or a pronoun, that tells the relation
between that noun or pronoun with something else; e.g.
1. Your shoes are under the table.
2. The cat jumped off the chair.
3. I do not agree with you.
4. She is fond of coffee.
[In the first sentence the word UNDER is a preposition that is telling the relation
between two nouns SHOES and TABLE. In the second sentence the word OFF is a
preposition that is telling the relation between the verb JUMPED and the noun
CHAIR. In the third sentence WITH is a preposition that is telling the relation
between the verb AGREE and the pronoun YOU. And in the last sentence the word
OF is a preposition telling the relation between the adjective FOND and the noun
COFFEE.]
The noun or Pronoun used after the preposition is called its Object. In the first
sentence above THE TABLE is the object of the preposition UNDER.
NOTE-I: A preposition may also have two or more objects; e.g.

The road runs over hill and plain.

[In this sentence the preposition OVER has two objects HILL and PLAIN.]

If we see the above sentences the word after the preposition is either a noun or a
pronoun. TABLE, CHAIR and COFFEE are nouns whereas YOU is a pronoun.
NOTE-II: Sometimes the object of a preposition is a PHRASE that does the work of
an adverb, means its not a noun or pronoun; e.g.
1. The noise is coming from ACROSS THE RIVER. (here ACROSS THE RIVER is an
adverbial phrase)

2. I sold my motor cycle for UNDER ITS HALF COST.

3. Each article was sold at OVER A DOLLAR.
4. I did not see him till A FEW DAYS AGO.
5. She was thinking about HOW TO AVOID HIM.
NOTE-III: Sometimes the object of a preposition is a clause; e.g.
1. There is no meaning in WHAT HE SAYS. (WHAT HE SAYS is a clause)
2. Pay careful attention to WHAT SHE IS GOING TO SAY.

POSITION OF PREPOSITIONS
Prepositions normally come before their nouns or pronouns. In the following
constructions, however, it is possible to move the preposition to the end of the
sentence, but informally only; e.g.
In questions beginning with a preposition +
WHOM/WHAT/WHOSE/WHICH/WHERE
1. To whom was she talking?
2. On which table are your books.
[Here, you cannot take the preposition to the end of the sentence, means you
cannot write these sentences as WHO WAS SHE TALKING TO? And WHICH
TABLE ARE YOUR BOOKS ON? This use of the preposition is informal and
therefore its wrong in formal English.]
Other such examples:
1. In which house do you live? (not WHICH HOUSE DO YOU LIVE IN?)
2. About what is he talking? (not WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT?)
3. From where do you come? (not WHERE DO YOU COME FROM?)

In relative clauses, a preposition placed before WHOM/WHICH cannot to be

moved to the end of the clause.
1. They are the persons with whom I was running. (not THEY ARE THE PERSONS
WHOM I WAS RUNNING WITH.)
2. This is the shop from which I bought my computer. (not THIS IS THE SHOP
WHICH I BOUGHT MY COMPUTER FROM.)
NOTE: But if the relative pronoun is removed from the sentence, the preposition
moves at the end of the clause. This use of the preposition is formal. If this is done,
the above sentences will be:
1. They are the persons I was running with.
2. This is the shop I bought my computer from.
NOTE: But when the object of the preposition is the relative pronoun THAT, the
preposition is always placed at the end of the clause; e.g.
1. Here is the book that you were looking for.
2. This is the man that I lived with.
NOTE: If THAT is the relative pronoun, it can be removed from the sentence
altogether. On removing the relative pronoun THAT these sentences will be:
1. Here is the book you were looking for.
2. This is the man I lived with.
If its an infinitive sentence we use the preposition at the end; e.g.
1. She does not have a pen to write with. (here TO WRITE is an infinitive and WITH
the preposition)

2. I have a very small house to live in. (here TO LIVE is an infinitive and IN the
preposition)
NOTE: In passive voice we use the preposition at the end; e.g.
1. My mother has been operated on.
2. That case has been enquired into.

OMISSION OF THE PREPOSITIONS TO AND FOR

Some verbs, in a sentence, have two objects. When such is the case one of the
objects is always a person and the other a thing. The object referring to the thing
is called DIRECT OBJECT and the object referring to the person is called
INDIRECT OBJECT. See this sentence:

Mohan teaches me English.

In the sentence the verb TEACH has two objects namely ME and ENGLISH. Here
we see the object ME is referring to a person and the object ENGLISH is referring
to a thing. Therefore we can say that ENGLISH is the direct object and ME is the
indirect object of the verb TEACH.
Such a sentence can be written in two ways, either by putting the direct object with
the verb or by putting the indirect object with the verb. If the indirect object is
placed just after the verb, a preposition is not used with that indirect object, but if
that object is written after the direct object it does take a preposition before that;
e.g.

She gave Rahul the book.

You see that the indirect object Rahul is not preceded by a preposition here as it
has been used straight after the verb GAVE. But if you move its position after the
indirect object THE BOOK, the sentence will be written as She gave the book TO
Rahul. Here you see the indirect object RAHUL is preceded by a preposition TO.
You cannot write SHE GAVE TO RAHUL THE BOOK.

Some other examples:

1. I showed Mohan the map. OR I showed the map to Mohan.
2.She sent Raju a gift. OR She sent a gift to Raju.
3.I bought the baby a doll. OR I bought a ball for the baby.
4. Shell make you tea. OR Shell make tea for you.
NOTE-I: When the direct object is a phrase or clause we put the indirect object
with the verb itself and no preposition is used; e.g.
1. Tell me the whole story. (here you see that the direct object THE WHOLE STORY
is a phrase, so you cant say TELL THE WHOLE STORY TO ME.)
2. Show her what you have got in your hand. (here you see that the direct object
WHAT YOU HAVE GOT IN YOUR HAND is a clause, so you cant say SHOW WHAT
YOU HAVE GOT IN YOUR RIGHT HAND TO HER.)
NOTE-II: When the indirect object is a phrase or clause we put the direct object
with the verb itself; e.g.
1. They kept seats for everyone on their list. (here you see that the indirect object
EVERYONE ON THEIR LIST is a phrase, so you cant say THEY KEPT EVERYONE
ON THEIR LIST SEATS.)
2. They kept seats for everyone who had paid. (here you see that the indirect object
EVERYONE WHO HAD PAID is a clause, so you cant say THEY KEPT EVERYONE
WHO HAD PAID SEATS.)
When the direct object is IT or THEM, its put immediately after the verb; e.g.
1. He made it for Ritu. (not HE MADE RITU IT)
2. He sent them to her. (not HE SENT HER THEM)

NOTE: But if the direct object is any other pronoun except IT or THEM, we can put
it anywhere; e.g.
1. She showed me something. (here the direct object is the pronoun SOMETHING,
so you can also say SHE SHOWED SOMETHING TO ME.)
2. He gave Rahul some. (here the direct object is the pronoun SOME, so you can
also say SHE GAVE SOME TO RAHUL.)
3. He bought Reena one. (here the direct object is the pronoun ONE, so you can
also say He bought ONE FOR REENA.)

USE AND OMISSION OF THE PREPOSITION TO WITH VERBS OF

COMMUNICATION
Verbs of command, request, advice and invitation, e.g. ADVISE, ASK, BEG,
COMMAND, ENCOURGE, IMPLORE, INVITE, ORDER, RECOMMEND, REMIND,
REQUEST, TELL, URGE, WARN if followed by the person addressed are directly
followed by the person addressed + infinitive, and that person is not preceded by
the preposition TO; e.g.
1. He advised me to wait.
2. She urged her to try again.
NOTE-I: The person addressed (without TO) can be used after ADVISE, REMIND,
TELL, WARN even if there is no infinitive after the verb; e.g.
1. She reminded me that there were no buses after 6 pm.
2. I warned her that the ice was thin. OR I warned her about the ice being thin.
NOTE-II: If the verb RECOMMEND is followed by an object other than a person we
use the preposition TO before the person appearing after; e.g.

She recommended it to me.

NOTE-III: When the verb ASK is not followed by an infinitive, the person addressed
is optional, and the preposition TO is not used ever; e.g.
1. He asked me my name. OR He asked my name.
2. She asked me if I knew Mohan. OR She asked if I knew Mohan.
3. He asked his boss for a day off. OR He asked for a day off.
Verbs call (=shout), complain, describe, explain, grumble, murmur, mutter, say,
shout, speak, suggest, talk, whisper need the preposition TO before the person
addressed, but its not mandatory to mention this person; e.g.
1. Rahul complained to her about the tea. OR Rahul complained about the tea.
2. She said nothing to her parents. OR She said nothing.
3. He said to me that he was ill. OR He said that he was ill.
4. I spoke French to her. OR I spoke French.
NOTE: SHOUT AT is used when the subject is angry, but SHOUT TO is used when
the subject raises his voice because someone is at a distance; e.g.
1. She shouted at me to get out of her way. (Means she was angry with me.)
2. She shouted to me to get out of her way. (Means she shouted because I was at
some distance.)

PREPOSITIONS NEEDING SPECIAL NOTICE

IN, AT & ON
A) We use IN when we are talking about a place as an area; we use AT when we
see a place as a point.

1. I arrived AT New Delhi Station at 7.30. (place as a point. If someone is at the

station he could be in the street outside, or in the ticket-office/waiting
room/restaurant or on the platform)
2. We were waiting AT the far end of the room. (place as a point)
3. We stayed IN Mumbai for five days. (here the city Mumbai refers as an area)
4. Our plane stopped at Mumbai on the way to England. (here the city Mumbai
refers as a point; Mumbai = Mumbai airport)
5. How long have you lived in this village? (a place as an area)
B) We use AT to talk about an event where there is a group of people and
shop/workplaces.
1. Did you see Sarla AT the party? (an event where there is a group of people)
2. There werent many people AT the meeting. (an event where there is a group of
people)
3. We last met AT the conference IN Delhi. (CONFERENCE = an event where there
is a group of people. DELHI = a place as an area)
C) We use IN with the names of streets and AT when we give the house-number.
1.He lives in Church Street. (Church Street = street)
2. He lives AT 45 Church Street. (45 Church Street = house number)
D) We use ON to talk about a position touching a surface, or on something we
think of as a line such as a road or river.
1. The dog is lying ON the floor. (position touching a surface)
2. Put this wall ON the wall. (position touching a surface)

3. She owns a house ON the Yamuna River. (river thought as a line)

TILL/UNTIL & TO
TO is used of both time and place, whereas TILL/UNTIL is used of time only, TILL
and UNTIL mean same thing; e.g.
1. I sleep till/until 7 0clock. (not to 7 oclock)
2. She walked to the end of the street. (not till the end of the street)
NOTE: The preposition TO can be used of time in FROM - TO construction only,
otherwise TO is never used of time; e.g.

She worked from six to eleven.

NOTE: The preposition TIL/UNTIL can always replace TO in this construction; e.g.

She worked from six till eleven. OR She worked from six until eleven.

NOTE: In the following sentences TILL/UNTIL is used as conjunction, not a

preposition; e.g.
1. Ill study till/until you play games on computer.
2. Go on till/until you come to the level of crossing.
[You can omit YOU COME TO here, TIL/UNTIL then will be replaced by the
preposition TO and re-written as GO TO THE LEVEL OF CROSSING.]
WITH & BY
We used WITH when its an instrument and BY when its the agent (performer of
the action); e.g.
1. I killed the bird with a gun.
2. He was stabbed by the robber with a knife.

AFTER & AFTERWORDS

AFTER is a preposition whereas AFTERWARDS an adverb.
AFTER always is followed by a noun, pronoun or gerund (ING form of a verb); e.g.
1. We ate in a restaurant after the film. (FILM is a noun.)
2. Dont have a meal and bathe immediately after it. (IT is a pronoun.)
3. After seeing the film, we ate in a restaurant. (SEEING is a gerund.)
NOTE: AFTER can be used as a conjunction also; e.g.
1. After I left him a message, he phoned me immediately. (AFTER is a conjunction as
its adding two clauses I LEFT HIM A MESSAGE and HE PHONED ME
IMMEDIATELY.)
2. She did voluntary work in a hospital after she graduated. (AFTER is a conjunction
as its adding two clauses SHE DID VOLUNTARY WORK IN A HOSPITAL and SHE
GRADUATED.)
AFTERWARDS is generally not followed by a noun, pronoun or gerund, rather its
used alone or takes another type of word; e.g.
1. We went to the cinema and afterwards we ate in a restaurant.
(NOT and after we ate in a restaurant)
2. She had an operation on her leg and afterwards was unable to walk for at least a
month. (NOTand after was unable to walk for at least a month
NOTE-I: AFTERWARDS can be replaced here by THEN or AFTER THAT.
Sometimes it can also be replaced by EVER AFTER, So we can say
1. We went to the cinema and then we ate in a restaurant. OR We went to the
cinema and after that we ate in a restaurant

2. She had an operation on her leg and then was unable to walk for at least a month.
OR She had an operation on her leg and after that was unable to walk for at least a
month.
3. They lived happily ever after. (means for ever)
NOTE-II: AFTERWARDS cab be used both in the beginning and in the end of the
sentence, and can also take SOON, IMMEDIATELY, NOT LONG, etc. before it; e.g.
1. Afterwards I got the ticket. OR I got the ticket afterwards.
2. Soon afterwards I got the ticket. OR I got the ticket soon afterwards. OR I got the
ticket not 2. long afterwards.
IN & WITHIN
IN is used before a noun denoting a period of time referring to AT THE END OF
whereas WITHIN is used before a noun denoting of time referring to BEFORE THE
END OF; e.g.
1. She will leave in two hours. (means after the period of two hours has ended)
2. She will leave within two hours. (means before the period of two hours has
ended)
BESIDE & BESIDES
BESIDE
BESIDE = next to or at the side of something/somebody. It is also means
compared to
It is used only as a preposition, which means there is always a
noun/pronoun/gerund following it. The first meaning, next to, is more common.
1. She sat beside (= next to) me during dinner. ( .)

2. These problems seem unimportant beside (= compared to) the potential benefits
of the new system. ( .)
3. We camped beside (= at the side of) a lake. ( .)
4. Sit here beside me.
BESIDES
BESIDES can work either as a preposition or an adverb
BESIDES (preposition) = in addition to something/somebody or except. As a
preposition, therefore, it precedes a noun/pronoun/gerund
1. Theres no one here besides (= except) me. ( .)
2. She wants to learn other languages besides (= in addition to) English and Hindi.
( .)
3. Besides (= in addition to) its famous cakes, the bakery also makes delicious
breads and cookies
4. We have lots of things in common besides music.
5. I do all the cooking and besides that I help Rajat.
6. What other sports do you play besides hockey?
7. Besides doing cooking I help Rajat.
8. Besides working as a doctor, he also writes novels in his spare time.
9. I have got no family besides my parents
BESIDES (adverb) = in addition/also
As an adverb it is used to introduce additional information to add to what has
already been said. It can then be placed either before the additional information

or after it. When its placed before the new information, a comma should be
inserted after it.
1. They serve pasta and many other foods besides. (
.)
2. Im not ready to get married yet. Besides, I enjoy living alone. (
. .)
3. The play is excellent, and besides, the tickets dont cost much.
4. I do the cooking and help Rajat besides.
5. I have a lot of work to do. Besides, I dont really like parties.
6. I cant go now; Im too busy. Besides, my passport is out of date.
7. I dont really want to go. Besides its too late now.
NOTE: MOREOVER could replace BESIDES here in formal English; but ANYWAY
or IN ANY CASE cant as they can only be used in informal English in this sense.
WRONG: She likes football. Besides she likes tennis and cricket.`
[Here the use of BESIDES is wrong as the information is entirely new; means it has
no relation to the earlier information i.e. SHE LIKES FOOTBALL.]

PREPOSITIONS WE USE WITH FORMS OF TRANSPORT

When we talk about means of transport or a route we use BY+NOUN, not
A/AN/THE or a possessive adjective (my, our, your, his, etc.); e.g.
1. He went to Mumbai by train. (not BY A TRAIN or BY THE TRAIN)
2. He goes to school by bicycle.

3. It takes 2 hours when one goes to Mumbai by air.

4. Have you traveled ever by sea?
5. By scooter
6. By helicopter
7. By steamer
8. By boat
But when its a particular bicycle, cycle, motorcycle, car, train, bus, etc. we do not
use BY, rather its some another preposition or a possessive adjective (my, our,
your, his, etc.); e.g.
1. My brother came home in a taxi yesterday.
2. Vijay went to the market on my bike.
3. Shell go to Delhi on the 8.30 bus.
NOTE: we use the preposition ON for a particular bus, bicycle, train, ship or
plane/aeroplane, and IN for a specific taxi, car, van, jeep, lorry or ambulance.
For foot we say ON FOOT (not BY FOOT); e.g.

I go to my office on foot.

Other uses of ON:

on horseback

on a horse

on a camel

USING PREPOSITIONS IN TIME PHRASES

IN
1. main parts of the day
In the morning/afternoon/evening; e.g.
In the morning we went for a walk along the Marine Drive.
NOTE: We say AT NIGHT, not IN NIGHT; e.g.
I dont like driving at night.
2. months, years, seasons, centuries
a) Shell be coming back home in March.
b) In 1989 he decided to join the army.
c) Theyre getting married in the autumn.
d) In the twentieth century there have been two World Wars.
3. at the end of a stated period
a) Ill be back in a couple of minutes.
b) In two weeks time shes going on leave.

ON
specific days/dates/ mornings/afternoons, etc
a) on Tuesday
b) on 3rd April

c) on Monday night
d) on New Years Day
e) on the day of my arrival

AT
1. clock times
a) The shops open at 9 oclock.
b) Her flight is due in at 6.35.
2. main points of time in the day
at midnight/noon/dawn/lunchtime, etc; e.g.
a) We usually go to bed at midnight.
b) He turned up in my office at noon, expecting a free lunch.
3. weekend
WEEKEND when singular we use the article THE before it, but when its in the
plural does not take any article; e.g.
a) What are you doing at the weekend?
I spent the weekend at home.
Did you have a good weekend?
b) I never do any work at weekends.
The beach gets very crowded at weekends.
NOTE-I: A weekend consists of a Saturday and the Sunday that comes after it.
Sometimes Friday evening is also considered to be part of the weekend. The

weekend is the time when most people in Europe, North America, and Australia do
not go to work or school.
NOTE-II: When the word WEEKEND is preceded by an adjective it does not take
the preposition AT, rather we use DURING, OVER, but we do not use any
preposition before THIS WEEKEND; e.g.
a) Will you be visiting relatives during the holiday weekend?
b) Ill call you over the weekend.
c) My birthday was this weekend.
d) We might be able to go skiing this weekend.
NOTE-III: WEEKEND also means a trip or a visit at a weekend, in that case we use
the article A with it, but no prepositions; e.g.
a) How much would a weekend for two in New York cost?
b) They own a weekend retreat in the country.
4. the holiday period around Christmas, Easter, Ramadan, etc
a) We like to stay at home at Christmas.
b) At Ramadan the roads tend to be very quiet.
NOTE: When these words are followed by a noun like DAY, SUNDAY, etc. we use
the preposition ON, not AT; e.g.
a) Im going to my uncle on Christmas Day.
b) on Easter Sunday
5. phrases with time
a) Im afraid that at the present time were out of stock .

b) Youve come at a bad time.

INCORRECT: In the present time the situation is getting worse.
CORRECT: At the present time the situation is getting worse.
INCORRECT: We both left the building in the same time.
CORRECT: We both left the building at the same time.
INCORRECT: Most families get together in Christmas time.
CORRECT: Most families get together at Christmas time.
INCORRECT: He was born in the right time and in the right place.
CORRECT: He was born at the right time and in the right place.
NOTE-I: BUT note the idioms:
a) in lime
b) on time
c) about time
NOTE-II: IN, ON, AT, etc are not used before time phrases beginning with THIS,
EVERY and LAST/NEXT; e.g.
a) We cant afford a holiday this year.
b) Where did you go last weekend?
c) My exams finish next Tuesday afternoon.
Note also that THE is not used in these phrases.
COMPARE: The meeting is to be held on the last Friday in one April. (In this
sentence we used THE because LAST does not mean the one that has just gone.)
NOTE-III: IN, ON, AT, etc are not used before phrases ending with AGO; e.g.

a) He left the office five minutes ago.

b) I first met her in Mumbai about two years ago.

GERUNDS AFTER PREPOSITIONS

Verbs placed immediately after prepositions must be in the gerund (ING form of a
verb) form:
EXAMPLES
1. He left without paying the bill. (WITHOUT: preposition; PAYING: gerund)
2. I apologize for not writing before. (FOR: preposition; WRITING: gerund)
3. She insisted on paying for herself. (ON: preposition; PAYING: gerund)
4. Before signing the contract, read the small print. (BEFORE: preposition;
SIGNING: gerund)
5. Have you any objection to changing your working hours? (TO: preposition;
CHANGING: gerund)
EXCEPTIONS TO ABOVE

The only exceptions to the above rule are EXCEPT and BUT (preposition),
which take the bare infinitive i.e. first form of a verb without the word TO
preceding.

EXAMPLES
1. What could I do but accept his condition? (BUT here is a preposition; and
therefore is following the bare infinitive ACCEPT)
2. He did nothing but complain. (BUT here is a preposition, and therefore is
following the bare infinitive COMPLAIN)

However, if BUT is used as a CONJUNCTION, it should be followed directly by

either full infinitive or gerund:
EXAMPLES
1. Being idle sometimes is agreeable, but being idle all the time might become
monotonous. (BUT here is a conjunction joining the two clause BEING IDLE
SOMETIMES IS AGREEABLE and BEING IDLE ALL THE TIME MIGHT BECOME
MONOTONOUS, and therefore is following the gerund BEING; not the bare
infinitive. Full infinitive is not possible here as the first clause begins with a gerund
i.e. BEING.)
2. To be idle sometimes is agreeable, but to be idle all the time might become
monotonous. (BUT here is a conjunction joining the two clause TO BE IDLE
SOMETIMES IS AGREEABLE and TO BE IDLE ALL THE TIME MIGHT BECOME
MONOTONOUS, and therefore is following the full infinitive TO BE; not the bare
infinitive. Gerund is not possible here as the first clause begins with a full infinitive
i.e. TO BE.)

PREPOSITION AFTER THE VERB SPEND

We use ON when we say spend your time/money, etc (not FOR) e.g.
1. I spend about half my salary on food.
2. You should spend more time on your homework.
INCORRECT: They dont have any money to spend for luxuries.
CORRECT: They dont have any money to spend on luxuries.
INCORRECT: He spends everything he earns for his children.
CORRECT: He spends everything he earns on his children .