It goes without saying that language is the dress of thought. As such, we express our feelings and thoughts through words. The words we use in a sentence need to be precise, accurate and forceful. So to say, prepositions are such forceful, nay powerful words which govern the entire sentence. Therefore, a thorough practice of using correct prepositions is needed for the learner.
Prepositions:
A Preposition is a word such as in, on, at or beside that is used before a noun or a noun phrase or a pronoun to show a link with another word or phrase. Study the prepositions under lined in the following sentences:
1. Vaccination protects us from many diseases.
2. A man is known by the company the keeps.
3. Foundation of a house lies below the ground level.
4. Srinidhi has no appetite for sweets.
The words from, by, below and for are prepositions.
Kinds Of Prepositions:
Prepositions have different functions: to indicate time, place, movement, direction, means, manner, purpose, source, concession, etc.
Examples:
1. The train arrived on time. (Time)
2. I met Sahithi at the theatre. (Place)
3. Shirisha went to the market for fruits. (Purpose)
4. Rishita drove along the main road in a hurry. (Direction)
A. Simple Prepositions:
in - on - at - to - for - from - of - off out - by - till - with - through, etc.
Study the following sentences and observe the prepositions used in each sentence and note the function of the prepositions given in the brackets.
1. Vaishnavi waited for the doctor till he returned. (Time)
2. Naveen left Boath for Dubai. (Place)
3. Inspite of the hurdles, Kavya succeeded in her efforts. (Concession)
B. Compound Prepositions:
about - above - across - along - amidst - among - around - before - behind - below - beneath - beside - between - beyond - inside - out side - within - with out.
Examples:
1. A narrow path ran in between the two houses.
2. The moon moves around the Earth.
3. Inside the box was a diamond studded watch.
4. I cannot allow the work to continue beyond the end of December.
Exercise - 1
Fill in the blanks with suitable Simple Prepositions.
1. Nithin is fond ............. eating sweets.
2. English is quite different ............. Telugu.
3. Malavika fell ... her bicycle and broke her leg.
4. Ashwini drove her car ........... the side gate.
5. I'll return your book .............. a week.
Exercise - 2
Fill in the blanks with suitable Compound prepositions.
1. Apple and banana are ....... the most popular fruits.
2. Moiz usually sits ......... Saikumar in the class.
3. There is something special ............. our Headmaster.
4. A new bridge is being built ............ the river.
5. She looks nice ................. make-up.
C. Compound Prepositional Phrases:
Compound Prepositional Phrases consist of two or more words, such as due to, because of, together with, etc,
Examples:
1. The rowdy was arrested according to IPC 420.
2. I cannot see the film because a tall man is sitting infront of me.
3. Vijayendra Prasad goes to school along with Vamsi Krishna daily.
4. Ring the alarm bell in case of emergency.
Study the following compound Prepositional Phrases and note the meanings given to each of them
Examples:
1. The thief entered the house by means of a broken window.
2. Shruthi attends special classes on Sundays in addition to regular practice.
3. We postponed our trip to Ramoji Film City due to bad weather.
4. Inspite of being rich, my neighbour is not happy.
Exercise - 3
Fill in each blank with the correct Compound Prepositional Phrases from
those given under each sentence.
1. ............... his injury, Umesh will play in Sunday's match.
a) Due to b) For the sake of c) In spite of
2. He sent me some flowers ......... an apology.
a) by way of b) in case of c) apart from
3. Is there parking space ................. the hotel?
a) ahead of b) in front of c) along with
4. She lost her way when she went into the jungle ........ firewood.
a) for the sake of b) in addition to c) in search of
Answers:
Ex-1: 1) of 2) from 3) off 4) through 5) in
Ex-2: 1) among 2) beside 3) about 4) across 5) without
Ex-3: 1-c 2-a 3-b 4-c.
