20 Prepositions

At the end of this chapter, students will be able to:

€€ identify the prepositions used in sentences.
€€ use prepositions correctly in your writing.
€€ distinguish between prepositions of position, place and time.

Look at the pictures. Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct option.

1. The kitten is sitting __________ the table. (in/under)

2. The laptop is placed ______ the table. (on/near)

3. The giraffe is standing ________ the house.

(in front of/behind)

4. Rajni is jumping _______ the puddle. (under/over)

5. The mouse is ________ the two boxes. (beside/between)

6. There was a rabbit ________ the hat. (outside/inside)

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Read the following sentences:
1. My book is on the table.
2. The players are in the hall.
3. The pencil box is kept inside the cupboard.
4. We were sitting around the fire.
In the above sentences, the highlighted words are prepositions. They show the relationship
between two nouns or pronouns. For example, the word on shows the relationship between
the book and the table.

A preposition is a word used before a noun or a pronoun (thing/person)

to show its relation with other words in a sentence.

Some of the commonly used prepositions are—in, on, at, under, above, behind, beside,
between, across, near, to, into, except, until, till, over, by, from, etc.
A. Underline the prepositions in the following sentences.
1. There is a fish in the bowl.
2. Radha lives in Delhi.
3. The dog jumped over the hurdle.
4. I sat near the door.
5. The rat is coming out of the hole.
6. The aeroplane is flying above the house.
7. The lamp is on the table.
8. The painting is behind the sofa.
9. The table is in front of the sofa.
10. Two girls sat beside each other on the bus.
Different Kinds of Prepositions
Let us have a look at three different types of prepositions.

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Prepositions of Position
Read the following sentences:
1. The boy is sitting under the tree.
2. My father sat beside me.
3. There is a hanging bridge over the river.
4. They built a wall between the two buildings.
5. The plane was flying above the clouds.
In the above sentences, the highlighted prepositions indicate where something or someone
is located in relation to something else. They are prepositions of position.

A preposition that indicates where something is located in relation to

something else is called a preposition of position.

Prepositions of Place
Now, read the following sentences:
1. His house is located at the corner of the road.
2. Our dog is playing in the garden.
3. A beautiful butterfly is sitting on the flower.
In the above sentences, the highlighted prepositions tell us about the place where a person
or a thing is located. They are prepositions of place.

A preposition that refers to the specific place where someone or something

is located is called a preposition of place.

Prepositions of Time
Read the following sentences:
1. My appointment with the doctor is at 6 p.m.
2. I met him on 7 January 2018.
3. My match is in the evening.
4. We will have our food during the break.
5. My father will be home by 7 p.m.
6. My mother wants me to complete my homework before 8 p.m.
In the above sentences, the highlighted prepositions tell us about a specific time period
or the actual time when something takes place. They are prepositions of time.

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 A preposition that tells us about the specific time period when something
happened/happens/will happen is called a preposition of time.

B. Fill in the blanks by choosing the most suitable option from the brackets.
1. Birds were chirping ____________ the garden. (on/in)
2. The thief was hiding ____________ the wall. (over/behind)
3. She carried the umbrella ____________ her head. (over/at)
4. Who is knocking ____________ the door? (at/to)
5. The program starts ____________ three hours. (in/at)
6. Zaid always reaches ____________ time. (in/on)
7. The train went ____________ the tunnel. (through/between)
8. The boat went ____________ the bridge. (under/through)
9. We sat ____________ the bonfire, as it was terribly cold. (over/near)
10. There were clouds ____________ the mountains. (over/above)
Look at the table given below.
in on at
My birthday is on the 3rd The party begins at 5
My birthday is in May.
of May. o’clock.
My parents bought this They bought the house They decided to buy the
house in 2010. on New Year’s Eve. house at Christmas.
The assembly was held We have a meeting on We have a meeting at
in the morning. Thursday. noon.
The table given below will help you understand the use of prepositions of time—in, on,
and at.

in on at
In is used with the name of On is used on a particular At is used with a
a month, season, a year or day or date. specific time.
part of day. For example, For example, For example,
Months: in May/in Days of the week: on Specific time: at 5
December Thursday o’clock
Seasons: in summer/in Date: on 3rd of May Festivals:
winter at Christmas

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 in on at
Years: in 2022/in 2001 Special days: on my Short periods: at
Part of the day: in the birthday noon/at night
morning/in the evening
Longer periods of time:
in the 2010s/in the past/in
the holidays
Centuries: in the 21st
century
C. Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions from the brackets.
1. We often go to a hill station ____________ May. (in/on/at)
2. My sister sat ____________ me in the movie hall. (beside/in/on)
3. My father is going to retire ____________ Friday. (in/on/at)
4. ____________ 2020, I was in Class I. (In/On/At)
5. I have known him ____________ 2020. (in/since/during)
6. We will need warm clothes ____________ December. (in/on/at)
7. Aishwarya returned ____________ the USA. (for/from/by)
8. I go to school ____________ bus. (at/by/from)
9. Have you ever travelled ____________ a plane? (under/on/in)
10. He lives ____________ Delhi ____________ Karol Bagh. (in/on/at)
11. I will wait for you ____________ the bus stop. (in/on/at)
12. She has been studying ____________ three hours. (at/for/to)
13. She stayed here ____________ a week. (until/for/by)
14. I have been working here ____________ 2020. (for/since/until)
15. It generally rains here ____________ the month of August. (in/on/at)
16. Shreya lives ____________ Pune. (in/on/at)

D. Underline the prepositions in the following sentences and state their types.
1. The fan is above the table. ________________________
2. Dia is sitting between Jia and Ria. ________________________

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 3. Jane is waiting for you at the bus stop. ________________________
4. I have a meeting at 9 a.m. ________________________
5. There are people inside the house. ________________________
6. Do you live in Delhi? ________________________
7. Where will you be on New Year’s Eve? ________________________
8. Jupiter is a planet in the solar system. ________________________
9. My friend lives across the street. ________________________
10. In Shimla, it often snows in December. ________________________
11. My apartment is on the first floor. ________________________
12. A small stream runs below the bridge. ________________________

Leadership & Responsibility

Imagine you are the class discipline monitor.

You are asked to frame new rules for the overall discipline of the class.
Write those rules using the prepositions you have learnt in this chapter. Use prepositions
of position, place and time.
Remember the time allocated to complete this activity will be only 15 minutes.
Once you have written the rules, show them to your teacher. The teacher may select one
of your rules to implement for the class.

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