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PREPOSITIONS
As the name itself suggests these are words, which are pre-
positioned i.e., occur before nouns or pronouns and may be
followed by verb. It is also worth noting that many words
used as prepositions can also be used as conjunctions or
adverbs, e.g.
They arrived soon after (Adverb)
They arrived after us. (Preposition)
They arrived after we had left. (Conjunction)
Simply put, prepositions are words, which show the
relationship between the subject & object of a sentence.
The dog is in the kennel.
The cat is on the mat.
Prepositions can be classified mainly into 2 types
1. Simple Preposition/ Single Word Prepositions in,
on, at, of, by, with, off, up, but, for, from, about,
through, except, after, before, to, etc.
2. Complex Prepositions/Phrasal Prepositions away
from, according to, as for, because of, instead of, in
spite of, along with, except for, on top of, in lieu of, in
view of, in touch with, for the sake of, etc.
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AT & IN WITH REFERENCE TO TIME :
At is used for a definite point of time; whereas, in is used
for a period of time, in which something happens,
He came at dawn.
He went at sunset.
He was born in 1973.
I will return in an hour.
We will start the journey at 5 a.m. in the morning.
AT & IN WITH REFERENCE TO SPACE :
At is used for relatively smaller & insignificant places;
In is used for comparatively largest & important places,
e.g.,
He lives at Naini.
He resides at Jhusi.
She lives in Mumbai.
My brother lives in New York.
I met him at Ashok Nagar, in Allahabad.

BY & WITH ARE USED AS FOLLOWS :

By is used to express the agent or doer of an action;
with is used to show the instrument in an action, e.g.,
The thief killed the businessman with a knife.
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I wrote this essay with a fountain pen.
The tree was cut by the shephered with an axe.

ON & UPON ARE USED AS FOLLOWS :

On is generally used in speaking of things at rest;
Upon is in general used for things in motion, e.g..
We sat on the ground.
The pen was on the table.
The cat sprang upon the ledge.
The tiger pounced upon the deer.

IN & INTO ARE USED AS FOLLOWS :-

In denotes a state of rest or position inside any limit; into
denotes motion towards the inside of any limit or boundary,
e.g.,
He is sitting in the room.
She is in the class.
He jumped into the pool.
She walked into the room.

IN & WITHIN ARE USED AS FOLLOWS :

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In shows the end of some future time period; Within is
used to show, before the end of a time period;
He will return in a week.
He will return within a week.

AFTER & IN ARE USED AS FOLLOWS :

After is used to denote the end of time period in the past;
Whereas, in is used to express the of a time period in the
future, e.g. ,
She came after a week.
She will come in a week.
Since & For are used as follows
Since is used to denote a point of time in the past; for is
used to express a period of time in the present, past or
future. ,
He has been sleeping since 6 Oclock.
He has been sleeping for four hours.
He usually sleeps for seven hour daily.
I dont know how long he will be sleeping for?
Since & From are used as follows
Since is generally used to denote the past time; Whereas
from may be used with any form of time ; e.g. ,
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I havent met her since last week.
He has been ill since Friday last.
He began learning Sanskrit from the age of 5.
She begins school from today.
He will be a regular student from tomorrow.
Before & For are used as follows
Before is used both in negative & positive sentences alike
to denote a point of future time; Whereas for is used in
negative sentences to denote a period of future time, e.g. ,
I cannot be there for an hour.
I shall be there before 6 O clock.
I shall not be there before 6 Oclock.
Between & Among are used as follows
Between is used when talking about 2 persons or things;
Among refers to more than two persons or things; e.g. ,
He stood between two girls.
A quarrel arose between the two brothers.
Slavery still exists among certain tribes.
There is said to be honour among thieves.
Beside & Besides are used as follows
Beside means by the side of; besides means in addition to
My friend sat beside me.
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He was imprisoned besides being fined.
Before & In front of are used as follows
Before is generally used with reference to time, e.g. ,
He came before me.
In front of is generally used with reference to place, e.g. ,
He was in front of me in the queue.
Above & Over are used as follows
Both are used in the sense of height or attitude or limit.
For over the attitude is less (minimum)
For above the attitude is more (maximum)
The cat jumped over the wall.
The plane flew above our heads.
You have to be over 18 to see this film.
She is well above average in intelligence.
Across/ Over/Through are used as follows
Through is used for movement in a 3-D space, i.e., with
things on all sides, e.g.,
The train passed through the tunnel.
We carved a path through the jungle.
Across & Over
Can be used to mean on to the other side of something,
but ,
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Over is preferred for things with attitude,
Why are you climbing over the wall?
Across is preferred when we move on/to, the other side of a
flat area of surface, e.g.,
We drove across the desert.
Against is used to denote in opposition to
This policy is against the poor.
She is swimming against the current.
Against also shows contact with, e.g.,
The ladder is leaning against the wall.
Against also shows comparison, e.g.,
There were 80 murders this year against 90 last year.
Against also shows prevention of something, e.g.,
BCG is effective against tuberculosis.
About & On are used as follows
About is used to talk about ordinary, general, kinds of
communication; whereas on is used for specialized topics
or serious topics, e.g.,
Conversation about money;
A lecture on Economics;
A children book about Africa & its people.
A textbook on African History.
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About is also used in connection with approximate time,
e.g.
Ill meet you about 6 pm.
About is also used to show movement in several directions,
e.g.,
He has been travelling about Europe.
On is also used for a particular time, e.g.,
I reach office on time.
On is also used for a surface, e.g., (stationary)
The pen is kept on the table.
It took them 6 hrs, to row across the lake.
Till & Until
Are now considered equal and are used where two actions
are taking place, one ends and the other starts, e.g.,
Ill wait till/until you come.
He usually sleeps until/till 8 Oclock.
During is used to denote the whole period of time, e.g.,
I stayed in Ooty during the summer.
It is also used to denote, within a period of time mentioned
e.g.,
He had to face a lot of opposition during his tenure as
director.
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It is used to denote, a particular time period, e.g.,
Robbers broke into her house during the night.
Under used to indicate place or position below
something, e.g.
The visitors are sitting under a tree.
The man hid the files under his coat.
It is used to show, below in rank or authority, e.g.
The council of ministers has to function under the P.M.
It is used to denote, below a specified age, e.g.,
Driving is not meant for those under 18.
It is used to express, a state of something or someone, e.g.,
The situation is now under control.
Your case is under consideration.
It is also used to show, according to, e.g.,
Under the rules, you cant get any concession.
Age limit can be relaxed under the new legislation.
Behind is used to show a position at the back of, e.g.,
The hill - tops are behind the clouds.
He was behind me in the queue.
India is not far behind the developed nations in the field of
IT.
It is also used to denote, support, e.g.,
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The whole nation is behind its army.
But and Except- can be used interchangeably, in the sense
of exception, e.g.,
All but Kundan took part in the school sports.
None except him can tackle this problem.
When used for comparison, but is a conjunction.
OFF- can be used in the sense of separation, e.g.,
Take the curtain off their hooks.
The child is eating off the plate.
Off is used in the sense of afar, e.g.,
Keep off the grass.
He jumped off the horse.
He lives two miles off the main road.
TO - Can be used for showing a direction, e.g.,
The school tour is going to Jaipur.
To can be used in the sense of as far as, e.g.,
The water came to our knees.
To can be used in the sense of touch, e.g.,
The dancers were dancing cheek to cheek.
To can be used in the sense of addition, e.g.,
Kindly add lime to my tea.
To also shows honour / respect, e.g.,
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This drink is to your health.
To shows in accordance with, e.g.,
Your dress is not to my liking.
To also denotes time, e.g.,
It is 5 minutes to 4pm.
To expresses the position of, e.g.,
Nepal is to the North of India.
To also denotes ratio and proportion, e.g.,
Our chances of victory are seven to ten.
Six is to three, as ten is to five.
To expresses a change in state of being, e.g.,
When heated, ice turns to water.
To show a purpose, e.g.,
I invited him to dinner.
To also denotes a sense of between, e.g.,
Her age is 30 to 35.
THAN - used to denote a comparison of difference, e.g.,
More than 50 boys were there.
Tom is taller than Mathew.
Students other than those belonging to OBC need not
apply.
ON - is used with names of days / dates, e.g.,
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He will come on the 5th of May.
Kindly help me on Sunday.
On shows contact with stationary things, e.g.,
The two friends sat on the sofa.
On expresses a condition or situation, e.g.,
That poor man is on the verge of starvation.
On denotes a time period, e.g.,
They came back on Monday.
On denotes, by the means of, e.g.,
A car runs on petrol.
He lived lavishly on his fathers money.
On is also used in the sense of content, e.g. ,
Ramesh was on the committee.
Do you have any money on you?
On also expresses, cause of an action, e.g.,
He acted on his lawyers advice.
On, can also be used in the sense of nearness or
immediately, e.g.,
On thinking about the idea I decided against it.
Varanasi is on the bank of the Ganges.
FOR - is used to show a period of time, e.g.,
I have been studying English for several years.
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For, is used to show support, e.g.
We shall vote for you.
We should fight for the weak.
For also shows distance and destination, e.g.,
The train is bound for Delhi.
For miles and miles, there is not a house to be seen.
For expresses purpose and reason, e.g.,
Gopal did it for me.
I read for pleasure.
He will suffer for his evil habits.
FROM - is used to denote a particular time or date, e.g.,
Exams begin from the 9th of Dec.
Shops will open from 9 a.m.
From also denotes source of origin, e.g.,
The Ganga starts from Gangotri.
Many evils flow from fear.
Sudha played the music from memory.
From expresses a cause, e.g.,
She is suffering from fever.
He died from cancer.
From also shows separation, e.g.,
The mango fell from the tree.
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Some complex or phrasal prepositions
Because of/ due to/ for the reason of / on account of /
owing to
By the virtue of all are same in meaning, e.g.,
I couldnt attend office today because of illness.
He has been promoted by virtue of his seniority.
I was late for college due to a punctured tyre.
For the sake of / for the benefit of / for the advantage of /
in favour of :-
For the sake of peace at home he maintains a friendly
behaviour.
We held this seminar for the benefit of the students.
We are not in favour of going on a picnic this Sunday.
On behalf of / from his or her side / on his or her
service :-
I am attending this meeting on behalf of my President.
May I congratulate you for your success on behalf of my
brother.
In lieu of / instead of / in place of :-
In lieu of coffee, you may take tea.
Instead of a card game, we shall play badminton.
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In place of the usual house maid, a young girl came to
work.
Despite / inspite of / yet / still / it maybe so :-
Inspite of the hard work, he failed.
Despite stiff competition, she stood first.
With a view to / with a particular result in mind :-
With a view to standing first in class, he studied upto eight
hours daily.
By dint of / by means of / with the help of :-
She passed the entrance examination by dint of hard work.
Anyone can achieve success in life by means of effort.
In consequence of / consequent to / consequent upon / as
a result of :-
In consequence of our promotion, we were given a better
office.
Consequent to his frequent transfers, he changed his strict
nature.
Consequent upon his becoming Vice Chancellor of the
Allahabad University, Prof.Harshe, opened ten new
departments.
In addition to / over and above :-
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Over and above supper the host asked us to stay back for
dinner.
The hostess served to the guests a variety of snacks in
addition to coffee.
In order to / so as to :-
I felt embarrassed when she came to the office in order to
give me a gift.
In the event of / if it happens :-
In the event of my illness the other trainer will take your
class.