Prepositions are words that show the relationship between a noun or a pronoun and another word in a sentence. They can indicate direction, time, location, and many other types of relationships. For example:
- She went to the market. (direction)
- He arrived after noon. (time)
- The book is on the table. (location)
There are some rules for using prepositions correctly in English grammar. Here are some of the most common ones:
- A preposition must have an object. The object is usually a noun or a pronoun that follows the preposition. For example:
- I put the pen in the drawer. (the drawer is the object of the preposition in)
- She gave it to me. (me is the object of the preposition to)
- A preposition usually comes before its object, but sometimes it can come after it, especially in questions or relative clauses. For example:
- Who did you talk to? (the preposition to comes after its object who)
- This is the book that I was looking for. (the preposition for comes after its object that)
- A pronoun that follows a preposition should be in the object form, not the subject form. For example:
- This is for you and me. (not you and I)
- He went with her. (not she)
- Prepositions can be one word or more than one word (complex prepositions). For example:
- She lives near the park. (near is a one-word preposition)
- He works according to his schedule. (according to is a complex preposition)
- Do not confuse the preposition to with the infinitive marker to. The preposition to is followed by a noun or a pronoun, while the infinitive marker to is followed by a verb. For example:
- I went to the library. (to is a preposition followed by the noun library)
- I want to read this book. (to is an infinitive marker followed by the verb read)
- A verb cannot be the object of a preposition. If you want to use a verb after a preposition, you have to use the gerund form (-ing form) of the verb. For example:
- She is good at singing. (not sing)
- He apologized for being late. (not be)
For more examples and explanations of prepositions, you can check out these web pages: Six Preposition Rules, Preposition Examples and How to Use Them, Rules of Prepositions in English Grammar with Examples, and Rules of Prepositions in English Grammar with Examples. I hope this helps you understand how to use prepositions correctly in English grammar. 😊
