What are Prepositions? Preposition is word that establishes r | Raymond Murphy

What are Prepositions?

Preposition is word that establishes relation between the subject and the object in the sentence.
A preposition usually precedes a noun or a pronoun.
Here is a list of commonly used prepositions: above, across, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, by, down, from, in, into, near, of, off, on, to, toward, under, upon, with and within.
Moving further, let’s discuss about how to use prepositions. This will facilitate understanding on usage of prepositions.

In front of: This is used to denote that something/someone is standing in front of other person/object.
For instance: The lecturer stands in front of the students.

Behind: It is used to express opposite connotation of In front of. It means at the back (part) of something/someone.
For instance: The car was parked behind the gate.

Between/Among/Amidst
Often, we get confused while using these words and end up using the wrong word.

Between is used for two objects or things (or places).

For instance: There are mountains between Chile and Argentina.

Among is used for more than two persons / things.

For instance: The chief guest distributed prizes among the top performers.

Amid or Amidst is used for more than two persons / things (groups)

For instance: Amid her team members

Across From / Opposite
Across from/opposite is similar to conveying that someone (or a place) is on the other side of something.

For instance: The girl lives across from a temple.

5. Next to / Beside
Next to and beside refer to an object or a person that is at the side of another thing.

For instance: A security personnel stands next to the entrance gate.

Near / Close to
Near and close to carry same connotation as next to / beside. The only difference is the distance.

‘Next to’ is used to express a short distance, while ‘near’ is used to highlight a longer distance.

For instance: The bus stop is near the bank.

On
On is used a preposition of time, place and position.
This means it indicates ‘days of the week’.
‘On’ is used to point out the position of a person or an object.
For instance: The bottle is kept on the table. (Indicates position)

The office will be open on Saturday. (This indicates time.)

Above / Over
Above and over mean position higher than a reference point. In other words, ‘above’ or ‘over’ mean at a higher position than other object or person.

For instance: They put an umbrella over the table to avoid heat from the sun rays.

Over can also mean ‘covering the surface of something’

For instance: The mud is spread all over the floor.

Under / Below
Under and below mean at a lower level w.r.t someone/something.

For instance: The boxes are under the table.

A river flows under a bridge.

Sometimes we use the word underneath instead of under and beneath instead of below. There is no difference in meaning those they are less common nowadays.

Of/Off
‘Of’ denotes origin or cause, while ‘off’ denotes separation.

To
After the verbs “Say / suggest / propose / speak / explain / reply / complain / talk / listen / write”, ‘to’ should be used if any object is present.

No preposition
Verbs such as ‘discuss/describe/order/tell/demand’ do not require any preposition. The verbs directly take an object.