The Use of Prepositions of Time and Peace in English
Definition: Prepositions are words used in front of nouns or pronouns. They show the relationship between the pronoun or noun and other words in the sentence.
English prepositions include prepositions of time, place and others. It also includes prepositional phrases. Prepositions of time include words such as: in, at, since, for, ago, before, past, to, till, until, by. Prepositions of place (position and direction) include words such as: in, at, on, by, next to, beside, under, below, over, above, across, through, to, into, towards, onto, from.
Other important prepositions in English include words such as: from, of, by, on, in, off, out of, by, at, about. Prepositions are important because they are vital markers to the structure of a sentence.
- They show relationships between objects, people, and locations.
- They are essential in bringing up the meaning of the sentence.
- They provide a connection between parts of a sentence that allows one to share their scientific research professionally and more precisely.
- They also show a spatial, temporal or logic relationship between their object and other parts of the sentence or their object with another word.
What is a preposition phrase?
A prepositional phrase is a group of words which contains a preposition followed by a noun or a pronoun followed by any other modifiers of the object of the preposition.
An object of the preposition is a noun, a pronoun or a noun phrase that follows the preposition to complete the meaning of the sentence and it is on the objective case.
Examples of prepositional phrases include:
–As well as
- It means in addition to
- An example in a sentence will be:
- The pupils, as well as their teachers, went on a trip.
-In addition to
- It is used to show an extra person or thing
- An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- They were given traveling allowances in addition to their salary
-Because of
- It means as a result of
- An example in a sentence will look like this:
- He was sent home because of his rudeness
-Out of
- It indicates the source of something
- An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- I paid for the school fees out of my savings.
-Instead of
- It means an alternative or a substitute
- An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- He bought coffee instead of tea.
-With respect to
- It means concerning or as regards
- An example in a sentence will look like this:
- They came with respect to the invitation
List, application, and examples of prepositions
It includes prepositions of time and place.
The following is a list of prepositions of time, when to use and examples in a sentence:
- On
Application: It is used to show the days of the week
An example in a sentence will look like this:
- He came on Tuesday evening
- In
Application: It is used to show months/seasons, time of the day, year and after a certain period (when?)
Examples in sentences will be as follows:
- My birthday is in August
- She will come in the evening
- He was born in 2000
- She will arrive in an hour
- At
Application: It is used to state a night, a weekend and to state a certain point in time (when?)
Examples in sentences will be as follows:
- She arrived at night;
- She will visit at the weekend
- The meeting will start a half past ten
- Since
Application: It shows from a certain point of time that is, past till now
An example in a sentence will look like this:
- I have not seen him since 2005
- For
Application: It shows over a certain period that is, past till now
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- They have been married for 6 years
- Ago
Application: Used to show a certain time in the past
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- We stopped talking 3 years ago
- Before
Application: It shows earlier than a certain point of time
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- The publication was done before1996
- To
Application: Used to tell the time
An example in a sentence will be:
- The meeting will start from noon to 6 p.m.
- Past
Application: It is used to tell the time
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- They arrived past 6 p.m. so they missed the train.
- Till/until
Application: It is used to show the sense of how long something is going to last
Examples in sentences will be as follows:
- He will not be going to work until Friday;
- He will stay till Tuesday morning
- By
Application: It is used to show
– the sense of at the latest
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- She will arrive by 7 p.m.
-up to a certain time
An example in a sentence will look like this:
- By noon, I had finished my homework
- To/ till/ until
Application: It is used to mark the beginning and the end of a period of time
Examples in sentences are as follows:
- He will be working from Monday to Friday
- He did his assignment from Tuesday till Thursday noon.
- I will visit her next week from Monday until Wednesday
Prepositions of place
These are prepositions that are used to refer to a position where someone or something is located. The following is list of prepositions of place, when to use and examples:
- In
Application: It is used to show a building, room, street, town, country, book, paper, car, picture etc.
Examples in sentences will be as follows:
- He is in the dining room
- He left his book in the car
- Her biography was well explained in the book
- He was smiling in the picture
- He is in Kenya
- At
Application: It shows meaning next to by an object,
An example I a sentence will be as follows:
- He was standing at the door;
- He was at the airport
– for table
An example is:
- The book is at the table
– for events
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- Jane was at the party yesterday
– a place where you are to do something typically
An example will be as follows:
- I will be at work tomorrow at noon.
- On
Application: Used to show where something is attached
An example in a sentence is as follows:
- The portrait is on the wall
-for a place with a river
An example will look like this:
- Egypt lies on the River Nile.
-For a particular side, that is, left or right
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- The kitchen is on the left side of the building
-For a floor in a house
An example in a sentence will look like this:
- She left her bag on the first floor
-For a bus or a plane
An example in a sentence will look like this:
- He called me while on the bus.
- He left his bag on the plane
-To show radio or a television
An example is as follows:
- The speaker is on the radio;
- The presenter is live on television
-Being on a surface
An example in a sentence will look like this:
- The book is on the table
- Below
Application: It is used to show a position lower than something else but above the ground
- Under
Application: It shows a position on the ground lower than something else or covered by something else
An example in a sentence will look like this:
- The ball is under the table.
- By, beside, next to
Application: It shows a position left or right of something
Examples in sentences will be as follows:
- She is sitting next to a car
- She is standing by the classroom
- She is reading next to a hall
- Over
Application:
– It shows a position covered by something
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- He put a sweater over the shirt while dressing the baby.
-Used to mean more than
An example in a sentence will look like this:
- They were registering people over 60 years of age.
-Shows getting to the other side or across
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- He rode the bicycle over the bridge.
-To overcome an obstacle
An example in a sentence will look like this:
- He climbed over the wall while being chased by the dog.
- Across
Application:
Shows getting to the other side
An example will be as follows:
- She swam across the lake while fishing.
- Through
Application: It is used to show a position where there is something with limits on the bottom, top, and the sides
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- He drove through the tunnel.
- Into
Application: It shows to enter a building or a room
An example in a sentence will look like this:
- She went into the washroom
- Towards
Application: It shows movement in the direction of something but the movement is not directly to it
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- I went six steps towards the classroom
- Onto
Application: It shows movement to the top of something
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- She jumped onto the table
- To
Application: It shows movement to a person or something-Example: go to the classroom
Also shows movement to a country or a place -Example: go to Europe
Or for bed -Example: She went to bed
- From
Application: It shows a place in the sense of where from
Example: a banana from the garden
Other important English prepositions include the following:
- From
Application: It is used to show who gave it
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- She received a birthday present from her mother.
- Of
Application: It shows what/who it belongs to
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- A book of Gloria’s
- A page of a novel
-What it shows
An example in a sentence will look like this:
- I saw a portrait of the president
- by
Application: It shows the person who made it
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- He read a book by John Miles
4.On
Application: It is used to state
– walking or riding on a horseback
An example in a sentence will look like this:
- He rides on the horse in the evenings
-entering a vehicle
- She got on the bus after school
- In
Application: It shows entering a vehicle
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- He got into the car and drove home.
- Off
Application: It is used when leaving a train or a public transport
An example in a sentence will be as follows:
- He got off the train at noon as expected.
- Out of
Application: It shows when leaving a car or a taxi
An example in a sentence will look like this:
- He got out of the car at the police’s command
- By
Application: It is used when
-showing a rise or fall of something
An example in a sentence will be:
- The price of sugar has risen by 10 percent
-Traveling and this is other than horse riding or walking
Examples in sentences will be as follows:
- She came to school by bus.
- He went to the mall by car
- At
Application: It is used when stating for age
An example in a sentence will look like this:
- She started walking at two years
- About
Application: It is used for topics and to explain meaning that is what it is about
An example in sentences will be as follows:
- The lecturer taught about Family Planning
- They were talking about how to solve peer problems.
You are guaranteed to understand preposition of place and time from this guide. You are now set to go.
