PREPOSITIONS

A preposition is a word placed before a noun (or a pronoun) to show its relation with other words in the same
sentence. They are called "the biggest little words” in English because they have very important functions.

Kinds of Preposition

1) Simple Prepositions :​ They are the simple words used as prepositions.

For example, at, by, for, from, in, of, off,on, out, over, through, till, to, under, up, with.
2) Compound Prepositions :​ They are generally formed by prefixing a preposition (usually a = on or be = by) to a
noun, an adjective or an adverb.
For example,about, above, across, along, amidst, among, around, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between,
beyond, inside, outside, underneath, within, without.
3) Phrase Prepositions : ​When a group of words is used with the force of a single preposition, it is known as a
phrase preposition.
For example, He succeeded in spite of obstacles.
4) Participial Prepositions:​ When the present participle of a verb acts as a preposition, it is known as a participle
preposition.
For example, There have not been too many celebrations in recent times barring those happened after Diwali.

Rules based on frequent asked questions

Rule1 ​: In is used with names of countries and large towns; at is more often used when speaking of small towns and
villages.
Incorrect: He lives at Germany.
Correct: He lives in Germany.

Rule2 ​: In and at are used in speaking of things at rest; to and into are used in speaking of things in motion.
Incorrect : This week the song jumped at the top of the charts.
Correct: This week the song jumped to the top of the charts.

Rule3 ​: Till is used of time and to is used of place.

Incorrect: The office will remain open to six in the evening.
Correct: The office will remain open till six in the evening.

Rule4 ​: With often denotes the instrument used by the agent.

Incorrect: The ball was hit by the bat.
Correct: The ball was hit with the bat.

Rule5 ​: Both since and from are used before a noun denoting some point of time. However, while since is preceded
by a verb in the perfect tense, from is used with the
non-perfect tense.
Incorrect: India has been playing Test cricket from 1932.
Correct: India has been playing Test cricket since 1932.

Rule6 ​: While since or from is used with a point of time, for is used with a period of time.
Incorrect: The parcel has been lying here since 10 days.
Correct: The parcel has been lying here for 10 days.

Rule7 ​: Beside means by the side of while besides means in additions to.
Incorrect: He sat besides the chair.
Correct: He sat beside the chair.

Rule8 ​: Between is used for only two things or persons while among is used for more than two.
Incorrect: You have to choose among tea and coffee.
Correct: You have to choose between tea and coffee.

Rule9 ​: Above and below merely denote position while over and under also carry a sense of covering or movement.
Incorrect: The bird flew above the lake.
Correct: The bird flew over the lake.

Rule10 ​: During is used when we are talking about the time within which something happens. For is used when we
are talking about how long something lasts.
Incorrect: There were few incidents of irregularity for the Emergency years.
Correct: There were few incidents of irregularity during the Emergency years.

Rule11​: The preposition “off” denotes “separation”, “at a distance from” or “far from” whereas the preposition “of”
denotes cause, origin, quality, possession.
Incorrect: He put of his coat.
Correct: He put off his coat. (Separation)
Incorrect: He died off cancer.
He died of cancer. (Cause)

Rule12 ​: The word compare is followed by to when it shows that two things are alike. It is followed by with when
we look at the ways in which two things are like and unlike each other.
Incorrect: Sanath Jayasuriya's batting may be compared with the sales of a useful book: they score fast right from the
beginning.
Correct: Sanath Jayasuriya's batting may be compared to the sales of a useful book: they score fast right from the
beginning.

Rule13 ​: When we simply speak of a thing having got better, we talk of an improvement in it. When we compare
two things, the second of which is better than the first, we talk of an improvement on the first thing.
Incorrect: There has been an improvement on the weather.
Correct: There has been an improvement in the weather.

Rule14 ​: In means at the end of, while within means before the end of, the said time duration.
Incorrect: We left at 5 o'clock expecting to come back in an hour and watch the 6 o'clock movie.
Incorrect: We left at 5 o'clock expecting to come back within an hour and watch the 6 o'clock movie.

​Some important points about prepositions

1. The words “superior”, “inferior”, “senior”, “junior” etc. take the preposition “to” with them.
Incorrect: Ram is senior than Mohan.
Correct: Ram is senior to Mohan.

2. The words “prefer”, “preferrable”, “preferred” also take the preposition “to” with them.
Incorrect: I prefer tea than coffee.
Correct: I prefer tea to coffee.

3. The words “inspite of” and “despite” share the same meaning. The only difference is that inspite takes the
preposition “of” whereas despite does not take any preposition.
Incorrect: Despite of bad weather, he went to school.
Correct: Despite bad weather, he went to school.
In the same way, the word “consist” takes the preposition “of” whereas “comprise” does not take any preposition.
Incorrect: The classroom comprises of twenty students.
Correct: The classroom comprises twenty students.

COLLOCATIONS

Accustomed of
● He was ​accustomed of ​working hard in his youth. (used to)

Accused of
●  The man ​accused of ​stealing was sent to jail. (blamed of)
Acquainted with
● Please introduce him to me if you are ​acquainted with ​him. (know)
Afraid of
● Don’t get ​afraid of ​that dog. It won’t bite. (fear from)
Agree to (idea)
● The president ​agreed to ​the resolution and passed it. (accept)
Agree with (person)
● If you ​agree with ​me please support me. (have same opinion)
According to
● He was acquitted as he was innocent ​according to ​the jury. (in the opinion of)
Adapted to
● Man easily gets ​adapted to ​new environments. (change)
Along with
● The Prime Minister ​along with ​his retinue entered the hall. (together with)
Associated with
● He had long been ​associated with ​the organization before he retired. (worked with)
Averse to
● Initially people are ​averse to ​accepting their weakness, but with the passage of time they start realizing
and correcting themselves. (unwilling to)
Believe in (faith)
● I believe in ​God. (have faith in)
Belong to
● As this country ​belongs to ​us, we ​belong to ​this country. (have a right over)
Clever at
● She is ​clever at ​painting and playing mu sic, but I am ​at ​mu sic. (skilled at)
Congratulate on
● I congratulated ​her ​on ​her great success. (greeted)
Cure for
● As man conquers a disease and find a ​cure ​for it, another pops up. (remedy for)
Depend on
● High rate of employment depends on ​growth of ​economy. (is related with)
Derived from
● Many English words are ​derived from ​Greek and Latin. (came/originate from)
Details of
● This new book contains ​de tails of ​her extensive journey. (description of)
Different from
● Village life is quite ​different from ​city life. (not same)
Divide into
● The property was ​divided into ​two parts and given to the two sons. (break into)
Dream of
 ● The henpeck husband could never ​dream of ​op pos ing his wife. (think of) Frightened of Those ​frightened
of ​obstacles never proceed ahead for success. (having fear of)
Famous for
● The city of Benaras is ​famous for ​its teeming ghats. (known for)
Good at
● He is quite ​good at ​convincing people in his favour. (skilled at)
Ignorant of
● Being ​ignorant of ​the consequences, thenaives easily fall into bad habits. (not knowing)
Increase in
● There has been a tremendous ​increase in ​the multi-nationals in our country. (rise in)
Insist on
● The shopkeeper could not deny when she ​insisted on p​ aying later. (said forcefully)
Interested in
● Work hard if you are ​interested in ​your progress. (want to)

Lack of
● Lack of ​money brings poverty and ​lack of ​knowledge ignorance. (devoid of, not having)
Fond of
● The mother was very ​fond of h​ er youngest child. (loved/liked very much)
Aim at
● The shooter ​aimed at ​the tar get and shot accurately. (fix at the tar get)
Laugh at
● Don’t ​laugh at ​those who are deprived of God’s blessings. (ridicule, make fun of)
Listen to
● Hello! Please ​listen to ​me. (lend your ear, heed, pay attention to)
Look at
● What are you ​looking at​? (see)
Look after
● The nurse ​looked after ​the child better than the mother. (to take care of, to rear)
Look for
● Have you lost anything? What are you ​looking for ​under the table. (to search for)
Look into
● I have requested the police commissioner ​to look into ​the matter of increasing crime in our locality.
(investigate, to probe, exam

​Prepositions of Time / Place at, in, on

​At​ for a PRECISE TIME

In​ for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS
On ​for DAYS and Dates

At In On

At 4:30 pm in March on Monday

At 3 o'clock In Winter On 6 March

At noon In the summer On 22 Dec.2012

At dinnertime In 1990 On Christmas Day

 In the next
At bedtime On your birthday
century

At the moment In the future On New Year's Eve

Notice that use of the prepositions of time ​in​ and ​on​ in these common expressions è
In​ the morning /​On​ Monday morning
In ​the mornings / ​On​ Sunday mornings
In​ the afternoon(s) / ​On ​Sunday afternoons
In​ the evening(s) / ​On ​Friday evenings

Note : ​When we say ​next, last, this, every​ we do not use ​at,in,on.​
I went to New York last June (​not​ ​in last​ June)
She is coming back next Monday. (​not​ ​on next​ Monday)
I go home every Easter . (​not​ ​at every​ Easter)
We'll call you this afternoon. (​not​ ​in this​ afternoon)

Place: at, in, on

In General:
At​ for a POINT (dog, money, love)
In ​for an ENCLOSED SPACE
On ​for a SURFACE

At In On

At the bus stop In London On the wall

At the corner In the garden On the ceiling

At the entrance In a box On the floor

At the crossroads In a building On the carpet

​SPOTTING THE ERRORS (PREPOSITIONS)

1. That Brutus, who was his trusted friend (a) / had attacked on him (b) / and caused heartbreak to Julius Caesar. (c)
/ No error (d)
2.Rajesh was (a) / blind with (b) / one eye. (c) / No error (d)
3. The father brought the fruits (a) / and distributed them (b) / between his five children. (c) / No error (d)
4. The senior doctor (a) / attended to the patient (b) / very quietly. (c) / No error (d)
5.I was shocked to hear (a) / that his parents (b) / died of an accident. (c) / No error (d)
6. I must start (a) / at dawn (b) / to reach the station in time. (c) / No error (d)
7. I will put on (a) / a note in this regard (b) / for your consideration (c) / and necessary decision. (d) / No error (e)
8.None could (a) / dare to encroach (b) / on his rights. (c) / No error (d)
9.Rakesh developed the (a) / habit for sleeping late (b) / when he was (c) / staying in the men’s hostel. (d) / No error
(e)
10. It is the duty of every right thinking citizen (a) / to try to make the whole world (b) / a happier place to live. (c) /
No error(d)
11.The top-rankers in the entrance test (a) / will be appointed in (b) / senior jobs in good companies. (c) / No error
(d)
12. My sister has been (a) / married with (b) / the richest man of the town. (c / No error (d)
13.He has been working on (a) / the problem from a long time (b) / but is still not (c) / able to solve it. (d) / No error
(e)
14. The venue of examination (a) / is one mile further up (b) / the hill. (c) / No error (d)
15. The doctor referred (a) / the patient for the O.P.D. (b) / without examining him. (c) / No error (d)
16. The widely advertised manifesto (a) / of the new political party (b) / is not much different than ours. (c) / No
error (d)
17. This watch (a) / is superior and (b) / more expensive than that. (c) / No error (d)

18. It was apparent for everyone present (a) / that if the patient did not receive (b) / medical attention fast (c) / he
would die (d) / No error (e)
19. In urban society (a) / the social circle is limited with the family (b) / but in the villages (c) / it encompasses the
entire village. (d) / No error (e)
20. The committee appointed to investigate into (a) / the said murder (b) / will convene next week (c) / to further
discuss their strategy. (d) / No error (e)
21. Kishore’s habit of (a) / delaying his work (b) / put his colleagues (c) / to lot of trouble. (d) / No error (e).
22. He knows very well (a) / what is expected from him (b) / but he is not able to fulfil all the expectations. (c) / No
error (d).
23.My brother (a) / has ordered (b) / for a Laptop. (c) / No error (d)
24. A man who always (a) / connives on the faults (b) / of his children (c) / is their worst enemy. (d) / No error (e)
25. I do not understand (a) / why she is (b) / so angry at me. (c) / No error (d)
26. I am hearing (a) / a lot about (b) / the problem of ragging these days. (c) / No error (d)
27. Because of his innocence (a) / he cannot (b) / distinguish a trickstar (c) / for an honest person. (d) / No error (e)
28. As the meeting was about to end (a) / he insisted to ask (b) / several questions. (c) / No error (d)
29.Man needs (a) / security and leisure (b) / of free thinking. (c) / No error (d)
30. The watchman was kind enough (a) / to inform us about the conspiracy (b) / but declined to name (c) / the
person behind it. (d) / No error (e)
31. Vishnu is (a) / one year junior (b) / than Madan (c) / in our office. (d) / No error. (e)
32.They walked (a) / besides each other (b) / in silence. (c) / No error (d)
33. Our Physics teacher (a) / often emphasises on (b) / the end for a lot of practice. (c) / No error (d)
34. Please put away (a) / the candle (b) / before you leave. (c) No error (d)
35. All the doctors were (a) / puzzled on the (b) / strange symptoms (c) / reported by the patient. (d) / No error (e)

36. The captain and his wife (a) / were invited (b) / for the Birthday function (c) / at my home. (d) / No error (e)
37. The chief engineer came out (a) / to a novel solution (b) / which may even reduce (c) / daily energy
consumption. (d) / No error (e)
38. Most of the Andhra Pradesh (a) / is an extremely fertile plain (b) / between which the river Krishna flows. (c) /
No error (d)
39. On a holiday (a) / Sruthi prefers reading (b) / than going out visiting friends. (c) / No error (d)
40. After opening the door (a) / we entered into the room (b) / next to the kitchen. (c) / No error (d)