Prepositions

 Links

Grammar Lessons Home
Grammar Tests Home
Grammar Chat Forum
About This Site
FAQs
Contact Us
Grammar Entertainment

 

Download

Download off-line version

for your own desktop reference tool.
 
[more details...]
 

What are prepositions?
1.    The following are all prepositions:
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, on, since, to, toward, through, under, until, up,
       upon, with and within.

2.   Prepositions are important when constructing sentences.  A preposition sits before a noun to show the noun's relationship to another word in the sentence. 

Examples:
It is a container for butter.
       (The preposition "for" shows the relationship between "butter" and "container".)
The eagle soared above the clouds.
       (The preposition "above" shows the relationship between "clouds" and "soared".)
  


 EXCEPT AND ACCEPT

Some writers confuse the words except and accept.  The word except is a preposition.  It has a meaning similar to "not including".
 I know everybody except Tony.
       (The preposition "except" shows the relationship between "Tony"
       and "everybody".)

The word accept, on the other hand, is a verb.  For example:
 I accept.
She will accept the decision.

 PAST AND PASSED

The word past can be used as a preposition; whereas, passed cannot.  The word passed is a verb that relates to the action of passing. For example:
 Jennifer passed the exam.
She passed the salt.

The word past on the other hand can be used as:
 a preposition. e.g. It went past the post.
an adjective. e.g. He believes he was a prince in a past life.
a noun. e.g. It's all in the past.

Whether preposition, adjective or noun, the word past usually relates to either time or distance.

 INTO, ONTO AND UP TO

The word into is a preposition.  It is written as one word.    
 She turned everything she touched into gold.

However, on occasion, the words in and to appear next to each other in a sentence, and writers are unsure whether to use into or in to.  This happens when the verb in the sentence includes the word "in" (e.g. hand in, step in, turn in).
 Paul wanted to hand the purse in to see if there was a reward.
       (In this example, the word "to" is from "to see". When a verb is
        preceded by "to", it is said to be in its infinitive form.)
  Paul wanted to hand the purse in to the Police.
       (In this example, the word "to" is a preposition in its own right.)

More confusion arises with verbs like "drive in", "put in" and "fall in". This is because "drive into", "put into" and "fall into" are equally valid alternatives.
Put the fruit in the basket.
        ("put in" - okay)
Put the fruit into the basket.
        ("put into" - okay) 
 Put the fruit in to the basket.
dive in the water
       dive into the water (alternative to above)
       dive in to the water
       dive in to test the water

Writers should be wary of "turn into" because it has two meanings. 
The car turned into a garage.
       (Was this a magic trick, or did the car drive into a garage?)

Therefore, to avoid ambiguity, it is normal to use "turn in" and "to" as a preposition in its own right.
 The car turned in to a garage.

The guidelines above apply equally to onto.  It is noteworthy, however, that "onto" can imply "on top of". When this causes a problem, use "on to".
 After seeing the sheep, we moved onto the cows.
After seeing the sheep, we moved on to the cows.

Finally, the easy one: "up to" is never written as one word.
 I can afford upto 400 pounds.

3.    For native English speakers, grammatical errors involving prepositions are rare.  However, there are several points of which to be aware; these are covered in the Sections 2, 3 and 4 below.

Top   


Try to avoid ending a sentence in a preposition.

1.     As a rule, a sentence should not end in a preposition. (However, as shown later in this section, there are several factors to consider.)

 Examples:
That is a situation I have not thought of.
      (The word "of" is a preposition. Writers should avoid ending sentences in
       prepositions. This is because, as covered in Section 1, a preposition should sit
       before a noun.)
She is a person I cannot cope with.
      (The word "with" is a preposition.)
It is behaviour I will not put up with.
      (This example ends in two prepositions: "up" and "with".)

2.    Where possible, you should avoid ending a sentence in a preposition.  However, after shuffling the words so that the preposition is not at the end, the re-structured version often sounds contrived and unnatural.

 Examples:
That is a situation of which I have not thought.
      (This version is technically better than the one above.  In this example, the
       word "of" sits before "which" (a type of noun; see lesson "Pronouns".)
She is a person with whom I cannot cope.
It is behaviour up with which I will not put.
      (This example sounds extremely contrived.)

3.    Often, the best solution is to re-word the sentence:

 Examples:
That is a situation I have not considered.
      (There are no prepositions in this sentence, and it has the same meaning.)
 It is behaviour I will not tolerate.

 YOUR CHOICE 

In summary, if you cannot find an alternative without a preposition, you have a choice whether to leave the preposition at the end or to re-structure your sentence.  The first example below is technically incorrect, because the sentence ends in a preposition.  The second example sounds, for many people, too contrived.
She is a person I cannot cope with.
 She is a person with whom I cannot cope.

Either can be used.  There are no hard and fast rules on this subject.  However, most grammarians would select option 1 when speaking but option 2 when writing.  

Top   


Decide whether a preposition is necessary with the verb.

1.    Some verbs, like "to face up to", have unnecessary prepositions (highlighted).  For more succinct sentences, omit the prepositions.

 Examples:
I cannot face up to this problem. /  I cannot face this problem.
      (Both are correct, but the second version is more succinct.  The
       prepositions "up to" do not add anything.)
Try this new garlic dip out. / Try this new garlic dip.
Heat the soup up. / Heat the soup.
Give up the chase. / Give the chase.
      (Often, the preposition is required.  These two versions have different meanings.)
She will not stand for shoddy work. / She will not stand shoddy work.
Where are you going to? / Where are you going?

Top   


What follows a preposition?

1.    The words after a preposition are said to be the "object of the preposition".

 Examples:
The cat ran under the car.
       (The words "the car" are the object of the preposition "under".)
Can you give this parcel to him tomorrow?
       (The word "him" is the object of the preposition "to".)

2.       Section 1 above states that a preposition must sit before a noun (a word like "dog", "man", "house", "Alan").  However, a preposition can also sit before a pronoun (a word like "him", "her", "which", "it", "them").  This is important because the object of a preposition is always in the "objective case", and pronouns change.  (In general, native English speakers have little trouble forming the objective case.)

 Examples:
Can you give the parcel to him?
       ("He" changes to "him" in the objective case.)
I went to the cinema with them.
      ("They" changes to "them" in the objective case.) 

3.    However, the word "whom" is the objective case of "who", and this pairing causes some confusion.  (This is covered more in the lesson "Who and Whom".)

 Examples:
Andy saw the scouts, at least one of whom was armed, through the mist. 
      ("Whom" - objective case after the preposition "of")
Against whom did you protest if there was nobody present? 
      ("Whom" - objective case after the preposition "against")
 

 WHOM AFTER A PREPOSITION 

Summary: Always use "whom" after a preposition.
  [picture 1]  [picture 2]
 


 YOU AND I / MY WIFE AND I

Many people always use "I" in expressions like "you and I" or "my wife and I" when, in some instances, they should be using "me".
 It is a present from my wife and me.
       ("me" - objective case of "I" after the preposition "from")
 It is a present from my wife and I.
       (This is as wrong as saying "from I".)
 Keep this between you and I.
       (This is as wrong as saying "between I and the post".)
As covered above, prepositions govern the objective case. Therefore, the word "I" must change to "me" when it is the object of a preposition (i.e. follows it). The fact that it is preceded by "you and" or "my wife and" is irrelevant. 

In fact, you should only use "I" in an expression like "you and I" when it is the subject of the verb. For example:
 You and I argue on this subject on a daily basis.
       ("You and I" - subject of the verb "to argue")
My husband and I accept your apology.
       ("My husband and I" - subject of the verb "to accept")

If the terms "objective case" and "subject of a verb" are confusing, then there is a neat trick to determine whether to use the "you and I" form or the "you and me" form.  Simply remove everything apart from the "I" and try your sentence again. You will naturally use the correct version.
 It was proposed by my husband and I/me. 
       Question: I or me?
       Step 1: Remove "my husband and".
       Step 2: Try the sentence again.
       Step 3: It was proposed by I.
                   It was proposed by me.
       Therefore:
 It was proposed by my husband and me.
It was proposed by my husband and I.
 

 WHETHER AFTER A PREPOSITION 

Some writers are unsure when to use "whether" and when to use "if".  After a preposition, only "whether" can be used:
A decision about whether the elections were legal is pending.
Will you raise the question of whether we are investing in the
       system or withdrawing?  
 
 MORE ABOUT WHETHER AND IF 

(Whilst the remainder of this hot tip is not about prepositions, it fits in well with the hot tip above.)

In an indirect question (see "Glossary of Terms"), writers have a choice; both "whether" or "if" can be used. For example:
Ask him whether it was built before the war.
Ask him if it was built before the war.

In business writing, "whether" should be used:
We must be informed whether the account is active or not.

Use "whether" after the verb "to discuss":
 We must discuss whether we should continue or cut our losses. 

Top