Prepositions

Prepositions

A preposition is a word that normally goes before a pronoun, noun, or noun phrase.
It gives more information about the pronoun or noun, such as the location, or time.

There are a few types of prepositions:


(a)		Prepositions of place/position
(b)		Prepositions of time
(c)		Prepositions of direction

11.1

Prepositions of Place/Position

Prepositions	Explanations
At	Is used when no specific point of a place is being referred to. Examples: (a) ...at the clinic... (b) ...at the school...
In	1. Is used to refer to an enclosed area. Examples: (a) ...in the library... (b) ...in the office... 2. Is used for large territories such as continents, countries, states, etc. (For smaller areas, at is used) Examples: (a) ...in Malaysia... (b) ...in Kampung Buluh...
At and In	Both can be used for buildings. The difference is that 'at' refers to a building as an institution while 'in' refers to the building as a structure. Examples: (a) Jenny works at a publishing house. (b) Jenny works in a publishing house.
On	Is used to show that a particular place is located along a road, river, coastal line, etc. Examples: (a) ...on Jalan Semarak... (b) ...on Sungai Rajang...

11.2

Prepositions of Time

	Usage	Examples
at	at + a specific time on the clock at + night	(a) We have a class at eight o'clock. (b) We sleep at night.
in	in + periods longer/shorter than a day	(a) My birthday is in August. (b) I was born in 1995.
on	on + a specific day of the week on + a specific date	(a) I have badminton training on Saturday. (b) I was born on August 16, 1995.
from... to	from (a specific time) to (a specific time)	(a) We have an extra class from 1.05 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. (b) I have a piano lesson from 8.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m.
before	Used when the first event mentioned happened first.	(a) Siti took off her shoes before entering the house.
after	Used when the first event mentioned happened next.	(a) We had lunch after the meeting.

11.3

Prepositions of Direction

	Usage	Examples
from	Used to show the place where someone or something starts.	The wind is coming from the North.
through	From one point to the next.	The river runs through the woods.
into	To the inside or middle of a place, container, area, etc.	Let's go into the garden.
towards	In the direction of, or closer to someone or something.	She stood up and walked towards him.
up	Towards a higher position.	Put those books up on the top shelf.

11.4

Phrasal Verbs

	Phrasal verbs are pairs of words consisting of either:

	verb + preposition or verb + adverb

Examples:

Phrasal Verbs	Meaning
Break into	Force an entry
Break down	Get into a mechanical problem
Beat up	Hurt
Call at	Go to a place for a small purpose
Bring up	Raise children
Call on	Pay a short visit
Carry on	Continue
Cut down	To reduce
Fill in	Complete a form
Gave up	Stopped