In the sentence “Lisa placed her hand on the desk,” the word on shows the relationship between the hand and the desk. Omitting the word on makes no sense.
The hand may be on the table, under the table, or above the table. The relation between hand and table is not known until some preposition is inserted. The word on is, therefore, a preposition.
Preposition Definition and Examples
A preposition is a word placed before a noun or noun equivalent to show its relationship to another word in the sentence. Following are some important examples of prepositions.
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- I put my keys on the table.
- The plane flew over the mountains.
- I will cook dinner with my mom tonight.
- Trains pass through the tunnel.
- The river flows under the bridge.
Simple Preposition Definition and Examples
Simple Prepositions are at, after, by, for, from, in, of, on, out, over, through, till, up, under, with, off, till, over, etc.
- I will meet you at the park.
- I will call you after the meeting.
- The project needs to be completed by Friday.
- I bought a gift for my sister’s birthday.
- I put my keys on the table.
Double preposition Definition and Examples
When a single preposition is not sufficient to express the sense, two simple prepositions are combined to express the sense completely.
Some Double Prepositions are into, from among, from within, from behind, over against, out of, etc.
- The dog ran into the house.
- One person will be selected from among them.
- I jumped into the pool and swam to the other side.
- He was chosen from among a group of talented musicians.
- The cat emerged from within the bushes.
Compound Preposition Definition and Examples
Compound prepositions are formed by combining two or more words to form a new proposition. Compound prepositions are usually formed by prefixing a preposition with a noun, an adjective, or an adverb.
Some examples of Compound prepositions are as follows:
- across (= on + cross),
- amidst (= on + middle),
- behind ( = by + hind),
- about (= on + by + out),
- above (= on + by + up),
- before (= by + fore)
- beneath (= by + neath),
- between (=by + twain),
- beyond (= by + yonder),
- but (= by + out, except)
Participial Preposition Definition and Examples
Some present or past participles such as considering, concerning, regarding, pending, notwithstanding, etc. are used as prepositions. These words are known as Participle Prepositions.
- Considering your experience, I hire you for the job.
- Concerning the recent burglary, the police have made no arrests.
- Do you know anything regarding his business venture?
- Notwithstanding her boss’s criticism, the employee submitted her report.
- Pending the results of the investigation, Ms Lee will continue as the interim CEO.
Phrase Preposition Definition and Examples
When a phrase begins and ends with a Preposition (of, at. by. with, from, over etc.) it is called a Prepositional Phrase.
Some common Phrase Prepositions are – On the eve of, In consequence of, In the place of, In company with, At enmity with, In keeping with, In prospect of, Because of, By force of, In pursuit of, With an eye to, By the side of, By means of, etc.
- He left the room in the middle of the discussion.
- In comparison with her previous job, her new position had better benefits.
- In connection with the investigation, the police questioned several witnesses.
- He always worked in the interest of the entire family.
- In order to succeed you have to work hard.
Disguised Preposition Definition and Examples
When the prepositions ‘on‘ and ‘of‘ are changed, into ‘a‘ and ‘o‘ respectively they are called Disguised prepositions; as
This fair is held once a year” – “A” is used here as a shortened form of “on,” indicating that the fair is held on a yearly basis.
“It’s ten o’clock now” – “O” is used here as a shortened form of “of,” indicating that the time is ten hours of the clock.
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Also, Read
Preposition
Prepositions of Location
Figures of Speech
Conjunctions
Helping Verbs
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