The Preposition

A Preposition is that part of Speech in English Grammar which precede a Noun or a Pronoun to show its relationship to another word in the sentence.

Examples:

·         It is a bottle of pickles. ( Of denotes the relationship  between bottle and pickles)

·         The cup is placed over the table

·         The bird soared in the sky,

·         He is the Prime Minister of India.

Prepositions are extremely handy to show the relationship between two words by expressing their location relative to each other. (on, near, behind, under, inside)

Some more frequently quoted examples:

Behind every successful man is a woman.

The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.

Origin:

The word “Preposition’ technically means to position before.

Rules:

1.  A preposition in most cases is followed by an object which is known as the Object of the Preposition.

Example: I left the class in disgust.

2. Sometimes a Preposition is also followed by a Prepositional Phrase in which case it consist of an Object and a modifier. In such cases, the Prepositional phrases either function as an Adjective or an Adverb.

It is a message from Mom.(Adjective)

I am stuck in the elevator. (Adverb)

3.  Though, it is more of an exception rather than a rule, yet there is nothing wrong grammatically speaking to end a sentence with a preposition.

Example:

It is a situation I have not thought of.

(Equally pertinent to note here, is that it makes more sense to replace prepositions at the end of sentences with phrasal verbs which round off the sentence in a smoother manner.

Example: It is a situation I have not considered.

4. The word that follows the preposition is an object, hence the correct form of the object must be used.

Words like – I. She, He, We, They, Who must be changed to their corresponding Object form which is Me, Her, Him, Us, Them, Whom

Example:

It is a gift from my wife and I. (Incorrect)

It is a gift from me and my wife. (Correct)

You went out with who?

You went out with whom?

Between you and I, there must be no secret.

Between you and me, there must be no secret.

5. Removing superfluous words while using Prepositions.

In order to maintain the conciseness and preciseness ofa sentence, one must avoid using superfluous words which do not add anything extra to the meaning, though grammatically there might be nothing wrong.

Example:

I cannot face up to the guilt. (Superfluous)

I cannot face the guilt. (Precise)

Some more Prepositions are above, about, across, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond,by, down, during, except, for , from, in inside, into. Like, near, of, off, soon, since, to, toward, through, under, until, up, upon, with, within.

Some more Examples:

·         The last time I met him he was walking down the stairs.

·         I will meet him in the cafe opposite Gandhi Maidan.

·         It was difficult to cope during the period.

·         It was the worst recession since World War II.

·         Hand that to me.

English Grammar and Composition

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