REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY

Bayambang Campus
COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION
Bayambang, Pangasinan

A Paper Presentation in EL 102 – Structures of English

Name: Alvarez, Trisha Grace

Carillo, Ella Marie C

Delos Santos, Jessa U.

Solomon, Mary Ann P.

Taluban, Jan Ivy A.

PREPOSITION

I. INTRODUCTION

Some of us may not know what a preposition is or others are not aware that they
usually used prepositions while communicating with one another. Some may know what a
preposition means but doesn’t know what types of it is. Studying preposition will help us
enhance and deepen our knowledge on how we apply it in sentences and to effectively
communicate with others. For prepositions are words governing, and usually preceding, a
noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause.
Prepositions are words which link nouns, pronouns, and phrases to other words in a
sentence. Prepositions are important because they act as vital markers to the structure of a
sentence; they mark special relationships between persons, objects, and locations.

II. OBJECTIVES

At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

1. State the definition of a preposition and object of a preposition.

2. Recognize prepositions and their objects.
3. Distinguish prepositions of time and place from each other and from other
prepositions.
4. Use prepositions and prepositional phrases in sentences.
III. CONTENT

DEFINITION OF PREPOSITION

What are Prepositions?

Preposition is word that establishes relation between the subject and the object in the
sentence. A preposition is a word or group of words used before a noun, pronoun, or noun
phrase to show direction, time, place, location, spatial relationships, or to introduce an
object.

Here is a list of commonly used prepositions: above, across, against, along, among,
around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, besides, between, by, down, from, in, into, near,
of, off, on, to, toward, under, upon, with and within.

Moving further, let’s discuss about how to use prepositions. This will facilitate
understanding on usage of prepositions.

1. In front of: This is used to denote that something/someone is standing in front of another

person/object. For instance: The lecturer stands in front of the students.

2. Behind: It is used to express opposite connotation of in front of. It means at the back
(part) of something/someone. For instance: The car was parked behind the gate.

3. Between/Among/Amidst: Often, we get confused while using these words and end up
using the wrong word.

 Between is used for two objects or things (or places). For instance: There are
mountains between Chile and Argentina.
 Among is used for more than two persons / things. For instance: The chief guest
distributed prizes among the top performers.
 Amid or amidst is used for more than two persons / things (groups) For instance: Amid
her team members

4. Across From / Opposite is like conveying that someone (or a place) is on the other side
of something. For instance: The girl lives across from a temple.

5.  Next to / Beside refer to an object or a person that is at the side of another thing. For
instance: A security personnel stands next to the entrance gate.
6. Near / Close to carry same connotation as next to / beside. The only difference is the
distance. ‘Next to’ is used to express a short distance, while ‘near’ is used to highlight a
longer distance. For instance: The bus stop is near the bank.

7. On

 On is used as a preposition of time, place, and position.

 This means it indicates ‘days of the week’.
 ‘On’ is used to point out the position of a person or an object.
 For instance:
 The bottle is kept on the table. (Indicates position)
 The office will be open on Saturday. (This indicates time.)

8. Above / Over mean position higher than a reference point. In other words, ‘above’ or
‘over’ mean at a higher position than another object or person. For instance: They put an
umbrella over the table to avoid heat from the sun rays. Over can also mean ‘covering the
surface of something’ For instance: The mud is spread all over the floor.

9. Under / Below mean at a lower-level w.r.t someone/something. For instance: (1) The
boxes are under the table or (2) A river flows under a bridge. Sometimes we use the word
underneath instead of under and beneath instead of below. There is no difference in
meaning those they are less common nowadays.

10. Of/Off: ‘Of’ denotes origin or cause, while ‘off’ denotes separation.

11. To: After the verbs “Say / suggest / propose / speak / explain / reply / complain / talk /
listen / write” ‘to’ should be used if any object is present.

12. No preposition: Verbs such as ‘discuss/describe/order/tell/demand’ do not require any

preposition. The verbs directly take an object.

PREPOSITION OF TIME

Prepositions of Time

 A preposition that allows you to discuss a specific time.

 Prepositions of Time are used to help indicate when something happened, happens, or
will happen. It shows the relationship of time between the nouns to the other parts of a
sentence.
 On, at, in, from, to, for, since, ago, before, till/until, by, etc. are the most common
preposition of time. For example:
 Juanito Alfonso was born on October 21st, 1982.
 Juanito Alfonso was born in 1982.
 Juanito Alfonso was born at exactly 3am.
 Juanito Alfonso was born two minutes before Carmelita.
 Juanito Alfonso was born after the Great War ended.

To make it easier, there is a set of guidelines that can help decide which preposition to use:

1. For years, months, seasons, centuries, and times of day, use the preposition in:

 I first met Evo in 2017.

 It’s always cold in January
 Easter falls in spring each year.
 The Second World War occurred in the 20th century.
 We eat breakfast in the morning.

2. For days, dates and specific holiday days, use the preposition on.

 We go to school on Mondays, but not on Sunday

 Christmas is on December 25th.
 Buy me a present on my birthday.

3. For times, indicators of exception and festivals, use the preposition at:

 Brad usually eats lunch at 12:00 noon.

 I work faster at night.
 We visit our family and friends at Christmas.

4. Before and after should be much easier to understand than the other examples of
prepositions of time. Both are used to explain when something happened, happens, or will
happen, but specifically in relation to another thing.

 Before I discovered this bar, I used to go straight home after work.

 We will not leave before 3pm.
 David comes before Bryan in the line, but after Louise.

5. Other prepositions of time could include during, about, around, until and throughout.

 The concert will be staged throughout the month of May.

 I learned how to ski during the holidays.
  He usually arrives around 3pm.
 The store is open until midnight

PREPOSITION EXPLANATION EXAMPLE

During Used when something happens We stayed at a student

within the time something else is hostel during the
happening conference.

For Used with a period of time I’m just going to bed for two
hours or so.

Until/till Up to a certain time We’ll wait till/until half past

six for you.

Since Refers back to a point when Forty years have passed

something began away since they met.

From…to To show when something begins Her visit will extend from
and ends Monday to Thursday.

Ago Refers to how back in time He left the house over an

something happened hour ago.

before Refers to any time previous to a She’s always up before

specific point in time dawn.

By Not later than He had promised to be back

by five o’clock

After Used when we want to say “later in I felt fairly relaxed after
time than” taking the medicine.

To Telling the time, when referring to It’s a quarter to two.

the number of minutes before the
hour.

Past Refers to the amount of time past It’s five past ten.
the hour

Between…and To talk about time that separates They lived in New York
two points. between 1998 and 2004.

Within Refers to any span of time during You should receive a reply
which something may occur within seven days.
 PREPOSITION OF PLACE AND DIRECTION

Preposition of Place/Location

These are words that are used to describe the place where a certain object is at a certain
time. It answers the question ‘where?’

Three Main Preposition of Place/Location

On – Indicates a position that is open and on the surface. The object being described
must be in contact with the surface.
 The bird is on the roof of the house.
 The baby is sleeping on the bed.
 Sit on the sofa.
In – Indicates something to be present in a place or enclosure. It does not state the
specific location of an object, but it tells us that the noun is covered everywhere by
something hence inside.
 He lives in Australia.
 Carmela sleeps in Carmelita’s room.
 The ball is in the box.
At – Is used to specify the exact location of an object at the moment.
 The baby was eating in the dining room.
 The accident occurred at the flyover.
 The police officers are waiting at the junction.

Other examples of the preposition of place/location are:

Above, Over, Under, Below

Above – Describe a position that is higher from a particular surface (higher than
preposition ‘on’)
 The plane flew above the clouds.
 Hold your hands above your head.
 Stars are above the sky.
Over – A position between ‘on’ and ‘above’ that is not touching.
 There are clouds over the hills
 A bird flew over my head.
 My flat is over that shop.
Under – Located below the surface of something.
 The carpet under my feet is very soft.
 She hides under her bed.
 Juanito is sleeping under a mango tree.
Below – Indicates something at a slightly lower position than what ‘under’ indicates.
 I have a scar just below my right eye.
 Do you see the line below the paper?
 Please, don’t write below this line.

Beside, In Front Of, Behind, By

Beside – An object is at the side of/next to something.
 The car beside the tricycle is mine.
 He is standing beside the shop.
 I will always be beside you.
In Front Of – A position facing someone or something.
 He parked his car in front of my house.
 I have a pool in front of my rest house.
 He was nervous in front of me.
Behind – Describes a position at the back of something. Opposite of ‘in front of’.
 The rude boy was hiding behind the main house after beating his friend.
 Go behind that tree.
 He parked his car behind my car.

Between, Among
Between – Indicates something or someone to be in the middle of two other things or
persons.
 The baby crawled in between her legs.
 This matter is between you and him.
 The cat is between the two boxes.
Among – Indicates something or someone to be in the middle of three or more things or
persons.
 Alex is sitting among the patients.
 He is the best among them.
 Among all the people, John has the courage to speak up.
Preposition of Direction

Words that are accompanied in front of nouns and pronouns indicate the direction in which
something moves. To describe a direction, one needs to relate it with movement.

Examples of the preposition of direction are:

To, From
To – Is used to show movement, action, or condition suggesting motion in the direction of
a place, a thing, or a person.
 We are going to Mexico.
 He went to college.
 The engineer travels to the site every morning to check the project’s progress.
From – Indicates the point of a place at which a motion, journey, or action starts.
 Avocado from Mexico.
 He drove here from Atlanta.
 That gift is from Emmanuel.

Into, Onto (Out Of)

Into – Indicates movement into an enclosed place or object.
 The police broke into the bar.
 Parents usually do not entertain children who move into their room without knocking.
 The student walked into the cave to study history.
Onto (Out Of) – Used to mean a surface and not an enclosed place. It is the opposite of
‘into’.
 Get out of my house.
 The cat got onto the sofa when we arrive.
 The luggage was packed onto the awaiting truck.

Question: What is the difference between ‘into’ and ‘in to’? How about ‘onto’ and ‘on to’?

Into vs. In To

Into indicates movement or action and it means to the interior of something. It

answers the question, where? (Ex. After dinner, she walks into her room.)

On the other hand, in the preposition in to, ‘in’ is a verb phrase and therefore
act as an adverb whereas ‘to’ is the preposition. (Ex. You are either in to lose or win.)
Onto vs On To

Onto is used to mean upon or something landed on. (Ex. The cat jumped
onto the floor.)

On the other hand, on to comes with a different meaning altogether because

‘on’ is used as an adverb. (Ex. The driver held on to the steering wheel when the car
started skidding.)

Up, Down
Up – Indicates vertical movement from the ground in whichever elevation.
 We climbed up the mountain during our hike in Mt. Everest.
 Lift your hands up.
 John is going up to London.
Down – This is the opposite of ‘up’. This preposition is used to show the comedown
direction which something is going.
 I prefer riding down the hill because it’s less tiresome.
 Go down the stairs.
 He got an accident while running down the valley.

Off, Over, Past, Through, Towards

Off – Indicates away from something.
 The police asked the manager to get the car off the road due to its condition.
 The students were asked to get off the train before it overturned.
Over – Used to show two directions at the same time; that is moving up and in a forward
direction.
 The horse jumped over the fence when a fire started.
 For you to reach the chief homestead you need to cross ever the bridge to the next
village.
Through – Is used to describe the action of passing an enclosed region.
 We had to pass through the tunnel to reach the safety room.
Towards – This is a preposition of direction that specifies the destination that is one
heading to.
 I had to run towards the shelter when it started raining.
 The network of communication improves as you get towards the city.
Question: Which is correct, toward or towards?

Towards and toward are both correct and are a preposition. However, toward
is used in the American English language. On the other hand, towards is used in the
British language.

Compound Preposition

Compound prepositions are prepositions that have prefixes. Some examples of

directional preposition such as along, across, and around are considered compound
prefixes. From these three examples, we can see that prefix ‘a’ is added to the noun.

Examples of Compound Preposition

Along – Indicates movement of something or somebody in a certain line. Along is used
while describing a certain length that something covers in a line.
 The cattle graze along the road.
 Cassava is planted along the river to obtained sufficient water for development.
Across – To use this preposition, there has to be a crossing somewhere. There must be
two points that are beside each other so that it comes in as the bridging for the two.
 When you travel to the highlands you need to get a boat to take you across the ocean.
 The zebra crossing is usually white paintings across the road.
Around – Indicates movement in a circular direction.
 The matatu must move around the city picking passengers.
 The tourist had a walk around the park with the help of the guides.

PREPOSITION OF AGENTS OF THINGS

Prepositions of agents or things indicate a causal relationship between nouns and

other parts of the sentence. Of, for, by, with, about, etc. are the most used and common
prepositions of agents or things.

Examples:

 This article is about smartphones.

 Most of the guests have already left.
 I will always be here for you.
 He is playing with his brothers.
 PREPOSITION OF PHRASE

A phrasal preposition is a group of words or phrases that follow a noun or pronoun in a

sentence. When two or more words are together with any preposition and function, it is
called a phrasal preposition. It joins a noun, a pronoun, or a phrase. That connects a noun,
pronoun, or phrase. It is merely a sentence fragment that does not stand alone to construct
a coherent notion. It is used to communicate a single thought as a unit.
It can be tough to remember the correct preposition combination at times. The
following combinations can be troublesome.

Phrasal Preposition

Wrong Revised

apologize about apologize for

bored of bored with

capable to capable of

concerned to, on concerned about, with

in search for in search of

independent independent of

interested about interested in

outlook of life outlook on life

puzzled on puzzled at, by

similar with similar to

List of Phrasal Preposition

 On behalf of  In favor of
 In front of  Owing to
 In any case  According to
 For the moment  By means of
 In love with  In addition to
 In the end  On the floor
 For a while  On-time
 Up the hill  To the fact that
 Considering  In spite of
 On account of  Concerning

Examples of Phrasal Prepositions in Sentences

1. There is a lake in front of my house.

2. She made pizzas in spite of making burgers.
3. As for him, he knows everything about astrology.
4. Tomorrow is your holiday on behalf of Christmas.
5. He has proven guilty, according to the statements of the victim.
6. I was not present at the meeting because of illness.
7. I am working from home instead of going to the office.
8. She told me that in addition to all the tasks done, I also cover these topics.
9. They could not win the match in spite of the hard work.
10. Stop behaving like a child in front of me.
11. He failed in the interview, owing to his poor body language.
12. The jury members gave their decision in favor of the opponents.
13. He doesn’t want to come in any case because he wasn’t invited.
14. We must pass the exam for the sake of scholarships.
15. The friends and family came together in the end. 
16. You must communicate in English just for a while.
17. According to philosophy, this is not true.
18. He climbed up the hill.
19. We are coming to the fact that public opinion is right.
20. Considering the demand, I will increase production.
IV. Exercises

Test A. Read the following sentences and identify what type of preposition is used.

1. Scientists seek clues about the past.

2. They have found dolls in their special searches.

3. These dolls were made from corn cobs.

4. Paul found it on the shelf.

5. My kite dropped near them.

6. Ivy’s house is at the end of the street.

7. I had anxiety a few weeks ago.

8. Trisha found it under the shelf.

9. The objects had been buried for centuries.

10. He had promised to be back by six o’clock.

Test B. Underline and identify the prepositional phrase in the following sentences. Write
POT if it’s time, POP if it’s place, POM if it’s movement, and POPH if it’s phrasal preposition.

1. I was born on March 06, 2003.

2. There is a store in front of my house.

3. I met him at the bus stop.

4. Ella went into the bathroom.

5. We will meet at the café.

6. Jessa went up the hill.

7. The boys play in the garden.

8. I would like to have lemon juice instead of coffee.

9. Jessa work faster at night.

10. Five years have passed away since they met.

Test C. Complete the following sentences using phrasal prepositions.

1. _________ his hard work, he failed the test.

2. ________ doctors, smoking can cause cancer.
3. I am standing here ________ my colleagues.
4. The buses arrived late ______ heavy rains.
5. I stayed in bed all day ________ going to work.

Test D. Identify what types of prepositions are inside the box. Put your answer in the column
below.

After On Before In addition to Through Across

Outside By means of Into According to
Down Over Owing to In Since
At Inside Ago Until On the floor

Prepositions of Prepositions of Prepositions of Phrasal

Time Place Movement Prepositions

Key Answers

Test A Test B Test C

1. about 1. On - POT 1. In spite of
2. in 2. In front of - POPH 2. According to
3. from 3. At - POP 3. on behalf of
4. on 4. Into - POM 4. because of
5. near 5. At - POP 5. instead of
6. at 6. Up - POM
 7. ago 7. In -POP
8. under 8. Instead of - POPH
9. for 9. At – POT
10. by 10. Since -POT

Test D
Prepositions of Prepositions of Prepositions of Phrasal
Time Place Movement Prepositions
After On Across Owing to
Since In Through According to
Ago At Into By means of
Before Inside Over In addition to
Until Outside down On the floor

V. Summary

Preposition is word that establishes relation between the subject and the object in
the sentence. A preposition is a word or group of words used before a noun, pronoun, or
noun phrase to show direction, time, place, location, spatial relationships, or to introduce an
object.

Types of Prepositions

Preposition of Time

 Are used to help indicate when something happened, happens, or will happen. It shows
the relationship of time between the nouns to the other parts of a sentence. On, at, in,
from, to, for, since, ago, before, till/until, by, etc. are the most common preposition of
time.

Preposition of Place and Direction

 Preposition of place are used to describe the place where a certain object is at a certain
time. It answers the question ‘where?’ Examples of Preposition of Place are on, in, at,
above, over, under, below, besides, in front of, behind, by, among, between, etc.
  Preposition of Direction indicates the course in which something moves. To describe a
direction, one needs to relate it with movement. Examples of this are to, from, into, onto,
up, down, off, over, through, towards, along, across, around, etc.

Preposition of Agents or Things

 Indicates a causal relationship between nouns and other parts of the sentence. Of, for,
by, with, about, etc. are the most used and common prepositions of agents or things.

Preposition of Phrase

 Refers to two or more words that are joined with any preposition and function. It is
merely a sentence fragment that does not stand alone to construct a coherent notion. It
is used to communicate a single thought as a unit. On behalf on, in front of, in any case,
for the moment, in love with, and in the end are some examples of preposition of phrase.

VI. References

Beare, K. (2019, March 13). How to Use Prepositions of Time and Date in English.
ThoughtCo. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-use-prepositions-
date-time-4589178

E. (2021a, February 24). Prepositions: A Complete Grammar Guide (with Preposition

Examples). . 7ESL. Retrieved from
https://7esl.com/prepositions/#Prepositions_of_Time

Grammar: Prepositions. Academic Guides. (n.d.). Retrieved March 14, 2022, from
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/grammar/prepositions

Phrasal preposition: Definition, examples, and list " onlymyenglish. OnlyMyEnglish. (2021,
November 16). Retrieved March 23, 2022, from https://onlymyenglish.com/phrasal-
preposition/

Phrasal Prepositions. (n.d.). University of Houston-Victoria. http://surl.li/bnbxp

Preposition: Definition and Types.(n.d). Retrieved March 23,2022 , from

https://www.learngrammar.net/english-grammar/preposition

‌Prepositions | Definition, Examples, And Exercises– Ginger Software. (n.d.). Grammar

Rules. Retrieved from
https://www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/preposition/
Preposition of direction: To in(to) on(to). (n.d.). A Research Guide for Students.
https://www.aresearchguide.com/prepositions-of-direction.html?fbclid=IwAR3RDicvm
wUwkKKAzUtgRS7qlTt_8GVnbePyvQoP5NIeJ909iJpyocdN7P8

Prepositions of location and their usage in english language. (n.d.). A Research Guide for
Students. https://www.aresearchguide.com/prepositions-of-location-usage.html?fbclid
=IwAR2HRq5_Iuk-f4wFS47c-RMthPbowUN2oNbmmMJFR4vrIsLB6gRKdezScpw

Prepositions of places and direction usage. (n.d.). Learn English.

https://www.learngrammar.net/english-grammar/prepositions-of-places-n-direction-us
age?fbclid=IwAR2nQRf-d-Q5bdlVamMznAvNMKcbrPcAds70TcL-hUfRsi0suSVAVZr
RE1I

Www.facebook.com/clrocks. (2018, February 21). 12 most commonly used prepositions in

English grammar. Career Launcher. Retrieved March 14, 2022, from
https://blog.careerlauncher.com/12-commonly-used-prepositions-english-grammar/