Week of Sept. 2, 2012 - Grammar: Prepositions

By Joan Whetzel

Prepositions illustrate the relationship between two parts of a sentence including spatial relationship, the relationship of the subject to something or someone else, direction, and pinpointing events in time. They are used in prepositional phrases containing the preposition along with a noun or pronoun. The noun or pronoun acts as the object of the preposition. Prepositional phrases don't contain verbs, so do not form a complete sentence.

Spatial Location

Spatial Prepositions: above, at, below, in, on, over, under, and underneath

Prepositions used for special location describe the location of a stationary object in relation to everything else around it. For instance, the sky is above  or over us; the ground is below or under us; children play in the sandbox while at the playground; and the pot of soup was on the stove.

Relation to Something Else

Prepositions in Relation to Something Else: among, behind, between, beside, in front of, in the middle of, next to, and with

To show relationship to something else  a preposition must explain the meaning of a sentence by describing the relationship between the subject and the other objects in the sentence. For instance,  "The cobra's enclosure was placed among the poisonous snakes, between the rattlesnakes and the copperhead snake." or  "The venomous snake exhibit was placed in front of the constrictor exhibit but behind the non-venomous snake exhibit."

Showing Direction

Directional Prepositions: by, into, onto, over, past to, toward, and under

A sentence subject that is moving requires directional prepositions, those prepositions that describe the subject's movement from one place to another. In this case, the preposition describes a travelling object or person rather than a motionless object or person. For example, the cow jumped over the moon; the fish swam under the sea; the children walked to school; the cars raced toward the finish line and past the guy waving the checkered flag.

Locating Something in Time

Prepositions to Locate Something or Someone in Time: after, at, before, between, beyond, for, from, from…to, in, on, since, until, and use.

These prepositions that place objects, people, and events along a timeline in comparison with other objects, people, and events. For example, a Emmy Awards starts at 7:00PM; it runs from 7:00 to 10:00 PM; it starts after the evening news and ends before News at 10:00PM.