Preposition

A Preposition is a word placed before a Noun or a Pronoun to show its relation to some word in the word in the sentences. 

For examples:- He works hard in the hope of standing first.

                                The loss of her son kept preying upon her mind.

The Noun or Pronoun before which a Preposition is placed is its object. It is in the Objective Case and is said to be governed by the preposition. 

For examples:- This pen is for him.(not be)

                                He has no belief in me.(not I)

Sometimes a preposition follows the Object. 

For examples:- Here is the pen that you were looking for. (The Relative pronoun that is the object)

                               What are you driving at?          (The Interrogative pronoun what is the object)

Position of a preposition in regard to 'who' or 'whom'.

For examples:- Who are you speaking to?

                                To whom are you Speaking?

Both of these sentences are correct.

When the preposition is used with the Infinitive it is placed at the end of the sentence.

For examples:- This ball is to play with.

                               Do you have a friend to rely on?

                                I have no money to help you with.


KINDS OF PREPOSITION

Preposition are of five Kinds-

1. Simple Prepositions ; as-

              After, at, by, down, in, of, over, to, up, with, through, for, on, off, till, out etc.

2. Compound Prepositions ; as-

             About, across, against, before, beside, into, until, within etc.

3. Double Prepositions ; as-

            From among, from beneath, from under, out of, etc.

4. Participal Prepositions ; as-

            Considering, accepting, notwithstanding, regarding, etc.

5. Phrasal Prepositions ; as-

           Along with,  by way of,  by virtue of,  on behalf of, instead of,  an account of,  in the event of, etc.


COMMON USE OF SOME PREPOSITIONS

1. At, In

(a) 'At' is used with the name of small towns and villages ; similarly 'In' is used with the name of big cities and countries ; as-

Examples:- He was born at Kabirpur in Sonepat.

                        We settle at Delhi in India.

(b)    (i) 'At' is used for a point of time.

          (ii) 'In' is used for a period of time.

     For Examples:- I shall  see you at 6 o'clock in the evening.

                                    I shall return in four days.

Note:- We say in the morning (evening or afternoon), at night, at dawn, at day break, at noon etc.

(c) Both 'At' and 'In' are used in speaking of things at rest.

  For Examples:- I am sitting at my desk.

                                 She is sleeping in her room.

2. After, In

when 'after' and 'in' denote time, the former refers to the past and the latter to the Future.

For examples:- He came back after  year.

                                I shall return your pen in a month.

Both 'After' and 'In' refer to the expiry of the time.

3. After, Behind

After refers to time, order or position, while behind refers to place 

 For examples:- You came after 10 A.M and stood behind the wall.

                                 We ran after the thief.

4.  Between, Among

Between is used for two persons or things ; among for more  than two ; as-

 For examples:- The Father's property was divided equally between the two brothers.

                                 Distribute these mangoes among all the boys.

5. In, Into

In shows rest within, into shows motion/ movement inwards ; as-

 For examples:- There are twenty desks in the room.

                                He jumped into the river.

6. In, Within, Before

'In' shows the end of a period of time ; 'within' shows the period before the end of a period of time ; 'before' refers to the time before a point of time ; as-

 For examples:- I shall write to you in a week.

                                 I shall write to you within a week.

                                 I shall finish this book before March next.

7. On, Upon 

Virtually speaking, there is no explicit difference between 'on' and 'upon'. However, 'upon' is more formal ; as-

For example:- The books are lying on the table.

                              The King sat upon the throne.

'On' shows rest ; 'upon' shows movement ; as 

  For examples:- He felt on the floor.

                                  The cat sprang upon the rat.

8. Since, For, From

'Since' refers to a point of time. 'For' refers to a period of time. They are used in some form of the Prefect Tense only. 'From' is used for a point of time in any Tense ; as-

    If 'Since' joins two Clauses, we use Perfect Tense Tense before it (since) and Simple Past Tense after it (since). However, we must keep in mind that 'since' is not a preposition but a conjuction ; as-

 For Examples:- Mohan has grown fat since he married.

                                I have been ill since Monday last.

                                I have not heard from you for  a long time.

                                He plays from morning till evening.

9. Beside, Besides

Beside means by the side of ; besides means in addition to ; as-

 For Examples:- He was sitting beside his mother.

                                 Besides being punished, he was fired.

10. By, With

By refers to the doer or the agent ; with shows the instrument ; as-

 For examples:- He was stabbed by his enemy with a dragger.

                                 He beat me with a stick.

11. Till, By

'Till' means 'upto'. 'By' means 'not later than'. We also use 'by' for the means of conveyance also ; as-

 For Examples:- I shall wait for you till 5 P.M.

                                 I shall come back by 7 o'clock.

12. Over, Above, Under, Below

'Over' is the opposite of 'under'. 'Over' implies the relation of highest in position or space. 'Above' is the opposite of 'below' and shows rest in a higher position ; as-

 For Examples:- The sky is over our heads.

                                My house is above the road.

                                The bullocks are tethered under a shady tree.

                               He is below me in the class.