Menu
Preposition RulesDid you know there are in the English language? A fun way to remember prepositions is that they are words that tell you everywhere a bunny can run; for example, a bunny can run:. up. down. near. far. by.
Although most prepositions are single words such as 'at', 'on', 'to', 'from', some pairs and groups of words operate like single prepositions, for example 'up to', 'out of' 'in front of' etc. Below is a list of commonly-used propositions with their meaning and a sentence showing how they are used.
at. around. close. alwaysWith some of these popular prepositions in mind, let's look at six important rules for prepositions. Pair Them ProperlyDetermining which preposition to use can be a tricky proposition. It's especially difficult when - expressions in the English language that don't necessarily make sense when taken literally.Idiomatic expressions are expressions you just have to memorize, and when errors are made, they're almost always prepositional errors.
Here are some examples of idioms, along with the correct prepositions:. George would love to attend the party. You're capable of anything you set your mind to. Shelly's been preoccupied with work lately. The teacher is concerned by Janette's consistent tardiness. Employees are prohibited from smoking on company property.Each of the prepositions in bold are the only acceptable prepositions to follow the verbs that precede them. For example, it wouldn't be grammatically correct to say 'love with' or 'capable to.'
For more, enjoy. Watch What Follows ThemPrepositions must always be followed by a. That noun is called the object of the preposition. Note that a can't be the object of a preposition. Let's look at two examples:.
The bone was for the dog.This is correct. The preposition for is followed by the noun 'dog.' .
The bone was for walked.This is not correct. The preposition for is followed by a verb 'walked.' A verb can never be the object of a preposition.This rule may seem confusing at first; you may have seen words that look like verbs following the preposition to. For example:. I like to ski.
These boots are for skiing.However, in these examples, 'ski' and 'skiing' are not acting as verbs.In the first example, to ski is. An infinitive occurs when a verb is used as a noun, adjective, or adverb. Here, to ski is a thing that the person likes doing, not an action they are performing.In the second example, skiing is a.
Although a gerund is created out of a verb, it's actually a noun. Here, skiing is a thing that the boots are for. No one in this sentence is performing the act of skiing. Avoid Using Them at the End of SentencesBecause prepositions must be followed by a noun and have an object, they should rarely be placed at the end of a sentence.
For example, it's generally not correct to say:. The table is where I put my books on.However, there are certain circumstances where it is acceptable to.
These exceptions exist where the preposition isn't extraneous. In other words, the preposition needs to be there, and if it wasn't, the meaning of the sentence would change.In the above example, the use of the preposition 'on' isn't necessary. We could remove 'on' and the meaning would be the same. Therefore, the preposition was extraneous or unnecessary. That said, here's an example where it's perfectly acceptable to use a preposition at the end of a sentence:.I turned the TV on.If you removed 'on' from the end of this sentence, it would change the meaning.
Instead of switching on the set, you would be saying that you turned the TV itself. Alternatively, this could be written as, 'I turned on the TV.' Never Substitute 'Have' for 'Of'Teachers, writers, and grammarians would cringe at this construct:.
I should of come over.Eek. Although it sounds like we say this all the time; we don't really.
We might say, 'I should've come over,' but that's about it. Here's what the above sentence should look like:. I should have come over.' Have' is an important helping verb. The preposition 'of' does nothing here to link or join ideas together, as every preposition should. Don't Confuse 'In' and 'Into'When you want to express motion toward something, use 'into' rather than 'in.'
Reserve 'in' for moments when you want to indicate a location. Here are some examples:. I swam in the lake. (Indicating location). I walked into the pub.
(Expressing motion). Look in the cupboard. (Indicating location).
She drove into the city. (Expressing motion)6. Try Not to Interchange 'Than' and 'From'We'll close with more of a suggestion than a hard and fast rule.
It deals with the word 'different.' Try to avoid this:. You look different than your mother.Instead, opt for:. You look different from your mother.
Get Grammarly What Is a Preposition?“Vampires! Werewolves!”“Where?!”“Behind you!”Thank goodness for prepositions. Imagine not knowing where the danger lay.Prepositions tell us where or when something is in relation to something else. When monsters are approaching, it’s good to have these special words to tell us where those monsters are. Are they behind us or in front of us? Will they be arriving in three seconds or at midnight?Prepositions often tell us where one noun is in relation to another (e.g., The coffee is on the table beside you).
But they can also indicate more abstract ideas, such as purpose or contrast (e.g., We went for a walk despite the rain). Types of PrepositionsPrepositions indicate direction, time, location, and spatial relationships, as well as other abstract types of relationships.Direction: Look to the left and you’ll see our destination.Time: We’ve been working since this morning.Location: We saw a movie at the theater.Space: The dog hid under the table. Preposition ExamplesUnfortunately, there’s no reliable formula for determining which preposition to use with a particular combination of words. The best way to learn which prepositions go with which words is to read as much high-quality writing as you can and pay attention to which combinations sound right. Here are a few examples of the most common prepositions used in sentences. Dan ate lunch withhis boss.You can also use tools like Google Ngrams to see which prepositions most commonly occur with particular words—but remember, this tool can’t explain the difference in meaning between different prepositional phrases like “pay for” (to purchase) and “pay off” (to bribe).
For that, you may want to refer to a list of prepositions that includes the meanings of common combinations. Ending a Sentence With a PrepositionThe old claim that has been utterly debunked. It’s not true and it never was true. Writers who always insist that a preposition can’t end a sentence often end up with stilted and unnatural sentences.