Prepositions

🗺️ Prepositions: The Little Words That Show WHERE, WHEN & HOW Things Move!

Imagine you have a magic GPS that tells exactly where things are, when things happen, and how things move. That’s what prepositions do!

🎯 The Big Picture

Prepositions are tiny helper words that connect things together. They answer three big questions:

1. WHERE is something? (on the table, under the bed)
2. WHEN does something happen? (at noon, in summer)
3. HOW does something move? (through the tunnel, across the bridge)

Think of prepositions as BRIDGES 🌉 between words. They connect a noun to the rest of the sentence!

📍 Prepositions of PLACE — Where Is It?

These prepositions tell us the location of something.

The Three Main Ones: IN, ON, AT

🎪 The Location Family

ABOVE → higher than ☁️
  "The bird flies above the trees."

BELOW → lower than 🌊
  "Fish swim below the surface."

BETWEEN → in the middle of two 🥪
  "I sit between my mom and dad."

BEHIND → at the back 🔙
  "The dog hides behind the sofa."

IN FRONT OF → at the front 🔜
  "The teacher stands in front of the class."

NEXT TO / BESIDE → at the side ↔️
  "My house is next to the park."

NEAR → close to (but not touching)
  "The store is near the school."

🧠 Memory Trick

• IN = you can go INSIDE it (in the room, in the box, in the water)
• ON = you can stand ON TOP of it (on the floor, on the grass, on the roof)
• AT = you can point AT it (at the corner, at the door, at the station)

⏰ Prepositions of TIME — When Does It Happen?

These prepositions tell us WHEN something happens.

The Three Time Friends: IN, ON, AT

⏳ The Time Family

BEFORE → earlier than ⏪
  "Wash your hands before dinner."

AFTER → later than ⏩
  "We play after school."

DURING → while something happens 🔄
  "Don't talk during the movie."

UNTIL / TILL → up to a point ⏸️
  "Wait until I come back."

FOR → how long 📏
  "I studied for two hours."

SINCE → from a starting point 📍
  "I've lived here since 2020."

BY → not later than ⚡
  "Finish your homework by 8 PM."

🎯 Quick Rule

• AT = clock times, meals, night, weekend (at 3 PM, at lunch, at night)
• ON = days, dates, specific days (on Friday, on July 4th, on my birthday)
• IN = months, years, seasons, centuries (in March, in 2024, in winter)

🏃 Prepositions of MOVEMENT — How Does It Move?

These prepositions show direction — where something is GOING!

🚀 The Movement Gang

graph TD
    A["START"] --> B["TO = toward a destination 🎯"]
    A --> C["INTO = entering inside 📥"]
    A --> D["OUT OF = exiting from 📤"]
    A --> E["THROUGH = passing inside 🚇"]
    A --> F["ACROSS = going from one side to the other ➡️"]
    A --> G["ALONG = following a path 🛤️"]
    A --> H["OVER = above and across ⬆️"]
    A --> I["UNDER = beneath and through ⬇️"]

📝 Examples That Make Sense

💡 TO vs INTO — What’s the Difference?

• TO = you arrive at a place (I went to school)
• INTO = you enter inside something (I went into the classroom)

🧩 Complex Prepositions — The Power Combos!

Sometimes we need MORE than one word to show a relationship. These are complex prepositions (also called compound prepositions).

🔧 Common Complex Prepositions

🎪 Think of Them as TEAM WORDS

These words ALWAYS work together. You can’t split them up!

✅ “I sat in front of the TV.” ❌ “I sat in of front the TV.” (WRONG!)

🎭 Prepositional Phrases — Prepositions + Friends

A prepositional phrase = Preposition + Noun (or Pronoun)

It’s like a mini sentence inside your sentence!

🔍 Anatomy of a Prepositional Phrase

[Preposition] + [Object] = Prepositional Phrase

on + the table = ON THE TABLE
in + the morning = IN THE MORNING
with + my friends = WITH MY FRIENDS

📚 Examples in Action

💡 Find the Phrase!

Look for the preposition, then find what comes after it until the next verb or subject. That’s your prepositional phrase!

“The cat under the bed is sleeping.”

Preposition: under Object: the bed Prepositional Phrase: under the bed

🔗 Dependent Prepositions — Words That Need Partners

Some verbs, adjectives, and nouns ALWAYS need a specific preposition. They’re best friends!

🤝 Verbs + Their Preposition Partners

💎 Adjectives + Their Preposition Partners

🎯 Nouns + Their Preposition Partners

⚠️ Warning!

These are NOT interchangeable! You MUST memorize which preposition goes with which word.

❌ “I’m good in drawing.” (WRONG!) ✅ “I’m good at drawing.” (CORRECT!)

🎤 Prepositions at the End — Breaking the “Rule”!

Old grammar books said: “Never end a sentence with a preposition!”

But in modern English, it’s totally okay — and often sounds MORE natural!

🆚 Formal vs Natural

✅ When It’s Perfect to End with a Preposition

1. Questions starting with question words:

• What are you looking for?
• Where did you come from?
• Who should I give this to?

2. Relative clauses:

• This is the book I was talking about.
• That’s the chair you’re sitting on.
• He’s someone I can depend on.

3. Passive sentences:

• The baby needs to be looked after.
• This topic has been talked about.
• The room was broken into.

🎯 The Golden Rule

If ending with a preposition sounds natural and clear, DO IT!

If it sounds awkward, rearrange the sentence.

Natural: “What are you waiting for?” Awkward: “For what are you waiting?”

🌟 Quick Summary — Your Preposition Cheat Code!

🎮 Remember This!

Prepositions are like GPS coordinates for your sentences. They tell us:

• 📍 WHERE → The Location
• ⏰ WHEN → The Timing
• 🏃 HOW → The Direction

Master these little words, and your English will be crystal clear!

“Prepositions may be small, but they’re the glue that holds sentences together!” 🧩✨