Kinds of Prepositions

Dear friends, we have seen what is a preposition and its role in a sentence. Now, we are going to study the different kinds/classes of prepositions.

I. Simple prepositions:

At, by, from, for, on, in, of, off, to, till, out, through, up, with etc. are simple prepositions.

1. The cat sat on the wall.
2. The child is looking at the bear with fear.
3. He is coming from London.
4. She is searching for a good job.
5. The monkey climbs up the tree.
6. The students travelled by train.
7. The old man is lying under a tree
8. My mind is filled with pleasant events.
9. The scientist is in his study room.
10. Portia was full of hope.

II. Compound prepositions:

They are formed by prefixing - usually a, be; sometimes 'in' and 'out'. above, across, about, along, around, before behind, below, beneath, beside, beyond, inside, outside, within, without etc.

1. The water pot is behind the door.
2. We cannot swim across the river.
3. The children walked along the road.
4. The players ran around the ground.
5. I found the book beneath the newspapers.

III. Phrase prepositions:

They are groups of words used with the force of a single preposition. along with, according to, away from, because of, by means of, for the sake of, in addition to, on behalf of, in consequence of, in front of, in favour of,  instead of, on account of, in spite of, in the event of, owing to, with reference to.

1. The father went along with his child to the park.
2. He participated in the programme in spite of his illness.
3. We acted according to the advice of the principal.
4. There is a rice mill in front of the clock tower.
5. We can hire a taxi instead of waiting for bus.
6. She thanked the guests on behalf of her parents.
7. He is unable to practice regularly because of his ill health.
8. In spite of her old age, she worked hard.
9. With reference to your circular, I write this letter.
10. He sacrificed his life for the sake of his country.

IV. Participal prepositions:

Some present participles of verbs can be used as prepositions for practical purpose.

1. Please, don't ask questions concerning my personal matters.
2. Considering her sincerity she should get the promotion.
3. We could see the human values during the floods.
4. Notwithstanding her poverty, she is helping the poor.
5. Regarding his project, the commission will decide.

V. Adverbs / Prepositions

There are some words that can be used sometimes as adverbs and sometimes as prepositions.

Adverb	Preposition
The children ran about.	He told me about it
We have met before.	I studied here the year before last year.
She opened the door and went in.	The book is in the shelf.
Please, take your coat off.	The painter fell off the leader.
If you have the Bible read it on.	Put your bag on the table.

VI. Some prepositions are used with verbs to form new verbs.

1. The old man overcame the problems with will power.
2. The teacher overlooked the mistakes with sympathy.
3. They outlined their proposals to the management.
4. You should not overact like this.
5. The river overflowed its banks.
6. She has to undergo an operation.
7. We must not underpay the workers.
8. The CID officers undertake murder cases in a secret way.
9. We have under estimated the cost of the project.
10. She has to withdraw all her savings from the bank.

Exercises

a) Name the prepositions in the following sentences:

1. The cow is grazing under the bridge.
2. The dog is sitting by the baby.
3. He could not submit his thesis papers on account of his illness.
4. Concerning the accident, we cannot say anything.
5. The child is sitting behind the armchair.
6. She will understand everything in course of time.
7. A herd of sheep went across the road.
8. The reporter asked a lot of questions concerning the bank robbery.
9. Barring high tides, the fisherman will return safely.
10. There was a big lake in front of the palace.

b) Choose the correct answer:

1. They went _______ the boat. (at/near)
2. She hoped _______ the best.(for /in)
3. Viola is quite different ______ her other friends. (with/from)
4. Wilson worked hard ________ win the case. (in order to/because of)
5. We learned a lot _____ the summer course conducted _______ may.(on/during); (on/in)
6. The Problem created was _________ our imagination. (behind/beyond)
7. She failed in the examination _________ her carelessness. (on account of / inspite of)
8. ___________ your doubts, we are unable to convince you. (Regarding/during)
9. _______ his honesty we will give him another chance. (Thinking/considering).
10. There is a quarrel _________ the two. (between/among)

Answers:

a) Name the prepositions in the following sentences:

1. The cow is grazing under the bridge. - Simple.
2. The dog is sitting by the baby.    - Simple.
3. He could not submit his thesis papers on account of his illness. - Phrase pre.
4. Concerning the accident, we cannot say anything - participal pre.
5. The child is sitting behind the armchair. - Compound pre.
6. She will understand everything in course of time - phrase prep.
7. A herd of sheep went across the road. - Compound pre.
8. The reporter asked a lot of questions concerning the bank robbery. - Participal prep.
9. Barring high tides, the fisherman will return safely. - participal prep.
10. There was a big lake in front of the palace. - phrase prop.

b) Choose the correct answer:

1. They went _______ the boat. (at/near)
2. She hoped _______ the best. (for /in)
3. Viola is quite different ______ her other friends. (with/from)
4. Wilson worked hard ________ win the case. (in order to/because of)
5. We learned a lot _____ the summer course conducted _______ may. (on/during); (on/in)
6. The Problem created was _________ our imagination. (behind/beyond)
7. She failed in the examination _________ her carelessness. (on account of / inspite of)
8. ___________ your doubts, we are unable to convince you. (Regarding/during)
9. _______ his honesty we will give him another chance. (Thinking/considering).
10. There is a quarrel _________ the two. (between/among)