Prepositions: The Little Words That Matter
What are prepositions?
Prepositions are small words that show the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and another word in a sentence. They can tell us about location, time, direction, and even how something is done.
Common Prepositions
Here are some of the most common prepositions in English:
- Location: in, on, at, under, next to, between, behind, in front of
- Time: in, on, at, before, after, during
- Direction: to, from, toward, away, into, out of
- Others: with, by, for, about, of
Examples in Sentences:
- Location:
- The book is on the table.
- The cat is sleeping under the bed.
- We live in a big city.
- Time:
- My birthday is in April.
- The meeting starts at 2 o’clock.
- I haven’t seen him since yesterday.
- Direction:
- We walked to the park.
- The train is going from Paris to London.
- She jumped into the pool.
- Others:
- I went to the concert with my friends.
- The book was written by a famous author.
- We talked about our plans for the weekend.
Preposition Pairs
Some prepositions always work together as a pair:
- in front of — behind
- above — below
- next to — between
Let’s Practice!
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Fill in the Blanks:
- The ball is _________ the box. (in)
- I will see you _________ the morning. (in)
- She went _________ the store to buy some milk. (to)
- The dog is hiding _________ the sofa. (behind)
-
Correct the Mistakes:
- I was born on Japan. (in)
- We live at a small apartment. (in)
- The keys are next the door. (to)
Challenge!
Write a short story about your dream vacation. Use as many prepositions as you can to describe where you would go, what you would do, and when it would happen.
Remember, prepositions are little words with big meanings. They help us understand the relationship between things, making our sentences more precise and interesting. Keep practicing!