PREPOSITION

A preposition is a word used to link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words within a sentence. They act to connect the people, objects, time and locations of a sentence.  Prepositions are usually short words, and they are normally placed directly in front of nouns. 

EXAMPLES

• I prefer to read in the library.
• He climbed up the ladder to get onto the roof.
• Please sign your name on the dotted line after you read the contract.
• Go down the stairs and through the door.
• He swam across the pool.
• Take your brother with you.

Prepositions of Time

Basic examples of time prepositions include: at, on, in, before and after. They are used to help indicate when something happened, happens or will happen. It can get a little confusing though, as many different prepositions can be used.

Prepositions of time examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.

For example:

• I was born on July 4th, 1982.
• I was born in 1982.
• I was born at exactly 2am.

Prepositions of Place

To confuse matters a bit, the most common prepositions to indicate time – on, at, in – are also the most common prepositions to indicate position.

• The cat is on the table.
• The dogs are in the kennel.
• We can meet at the crossroads.
• The sculpture hangs on the wall.
• The images are on the page.
• The specials are on the menu, which is on the table.
• The cat is under the table.
• Put the sandwich over there.
• The key is locked inside the car.
• They stepped outside the house.

Prepositions of Movement

Prepositions of movement are quite easy to understand as they are less abstract than prepositions of place and time. 

• He has gone on vacation to France.
• She went to the bowling alley every Friday last summer.
• I will go to bed when I am tired.
• Mike travelled across America on his motorcycle.
• Rebecca and Judi are swimming across the lake.
• James went into the room.
• They stare into the darkness