English Grammar: Prepositions | Extra Documents, Videos & Tests for Class 10 PDF Download

1. Preposition Definition and Example

A Preposition is a word which is placed before a noun (or a pronoun) to show the relation in which the person or thing denoted by the Noun stands to something else.

Example: The pen is in the pen–stand.

2. Prepositions of Time:

1. At: At is used to indicate when something happens. We use at with clock times, e.g. periods of the year, and periods of the day, festivals, etc. But we don’t use at with ‘morning’, ‘evening’, ‘afternoon’, etc.
Example: The train left at 8 o’clock.

2. In: In is used to indicate the period of time in which something happens. We use ‘in’ with centuries, years, seasons, months, periods of the day ‘morning’, ‘evening’, ‘afternoon’: English literature flourished in the 16th century.
Example: They visited this place in summer.

3. On: On is used with days, dates, birthdays, anniversaries, etc.
Example: We went to see a movie on Tuesday.
Note: We use ‘on’ with ‘morning’, ‘afternoon’, ‘evening’, etc. when they are modified:
Example: They reached here on a hot afternoon.

4. During: During may be used instead of‘in’ with periods of the day, months, seasons, years, decades and centuries to express the idea that something continues throughout the whole of a specified period.
Example: During the war many people were killed.

5. By: By is used to indicate the latest time at which an action will be finished.
Example: He will finish this work by 5 o’clock.

By can be used instead of during with almost the same.
Example: We took rest by day and travelled by night.

6. For: For is used with periods of time to indicate how long an action lasts. It is generally used with the Perfect Tense but is also used with other tenses.
Example: They have lived here for five years.

7. Since: Since is used with a point of time in the past from which some action began and it continues till the time of speaking. It is generally used with the Perfect Tense
Example: He has lived here since 1980.

8. From: From indicates the starting point of action in the past or future. It is always used with ‘to’ or ‘till’.
Example: They lived here from 1980 till/until 1990.

9. Till/Until: Till and Until are used to show something happening or done up to a particular point in time and then stopping.
Example: He is expected to be here until/till the end of the week.

10. Before and After: The preposition before and after are used to relate events to a particular time. Before means earlier than and after means later than something.
Examples: I get up before six.
They came here after 8 o’clock.

3. Prepositions of Place:

1. At: At is used to show the exact point, e.g. houses, stations, small villages and towns.
Example: They lived at Gohana, a small town in Haryana.

2. In: In is generally used when the reference is not to any specific place or to the names of large cities, countries, continents, etc.
Example: Many people in India live in villages.

3. On: On is used to indicate a particular area of land or place where something is.
Example: He spent a few days on an island.

4. Prepositions of Direction:

1. From: From is used with the starting point or point of departure from a place or the point of origin.
Example: She comes from office at 6 p.m.

2. Off: Off means from the surface of and also down from.
Example: He took the hat off the table.  

3. Out of: Out of means from the interior of something.
Example: He went out of the room.

Direction Towards:

1. For: For is used to show direction only when the verb indicates the beginning of a movement.
Example: She left for Japan early in the morning.

2. Against: Against means to have contact or pressure.
Example: The child threw the ball against the wall.

3.To: To is used for a destination or the end-point:
Example: He went from Delhi to Ambala.

4. Towards: Towards is used to indicate the direction of something.
Example: They went towards the airport.

5. Prepositions of Position:

1. Under: Under is used to indicate a position that is below or beneath something. It means vertically below.
Example: The dog was under the table.  
2. Underneath: Underneath has the same meaning as under. It means a position below something.
Example: She found a lot of dust underneath the carpet.

3. Below: Below means in a position lower than something.
Example: They could see the village below them.
4. Beneath: Beneath also means a lower position than something.
Example: They found the body beneath a pile of grass.
Beneath has a sense of directly under something.

5. Over: Over is used to indicate a position vertically above something or somebody or partly or completely covering the surface of something.
Example: She hung the calendar over the fireplace.

6. Above: Above is used to indicate a position higher than something.
Example: There were clouds above us.
Above has the sense of something being directly over something else.

6. Prepositions of Travel and Movement:

1. Across: Across is used to indicate movement from one side of a space, area, the line to the other side.
Example: I walked across the road.

2. Along: Along is used to indicate movement from one end to or towards the other end of something. The place is seen as a line.
Example: We walked along the street.

3. Into: Into is used to indicate movement inside a place seen as a volume. The opposite of into is out of. It is used for entering a place, building, vehicle, etc.
Example: The boys came into the hall. 

4. Onto: Onto is used to indicate movement into a position on an object or surface:
Example: He climbed onto the roof.  

5. Through: Through is used to indicate movement from one end of an opening or a passage to the other. The place is seen as a volume.
Example: The train passed through a tunnel. 

6. Up and Down: Up is used to indicate movement to a higher position and down to a lower position.
Example: We climbed up the hill.  

7. On/In/By (Travel): We may use on, in, or by while using a public or private vehicle. On is used when the vehicle is seen as a surface, in is used when it is seen as a volume. By is used to indicate the means of travel.
Example: We travelled on the horseback/foot/a cycle/a bus/a plane.

7. Between and Among:

Between is used with two persons or things. Among is used with more than two people or things.
Examples: Between you and me, she is very stupid.
He lives in a house among the trees.
But if each individual person is mentioned, between is used even if there are more than two.
Example: The money was divided up between Mohan, Sohan, and Rohan.
If the people are mentioned as a single group, among is used.
Example: I shared out the food among the family.

8. By and Beside: By means close to someone or something. Beside means by the side of someone or something. Both imply nearness.
Examples: She was sitting by the door.
She was sitting beside her mother.