Prepositions [id] [ww]
STEP 1: DEFINITION
Prepositions are words that show the relationship or position to other words in a sentence. Many prepositions define place, time, and direction.
Here is a brief list of some common prepositions:
- about
- above
- across
- after
- against
- along
- among
- around
- at
- before
- behind
- below
- between
- beneath
- by
- concerning
- down
- during
- except
- for
- from
- in
- like
- near
- of
- on
- over
- through
- to
- with
Prepositions can never be used alone; they are always followed by nouns or pronouns. The groups of words that contain the prepositions and their objects (nouns or pronouns) are called prepositional phrases.
- according to the text
- amid the confusion
- as a result
- at a standstill
- for instance/for example
- from experience
- in a minute
- into the woods
- up the hill
- to the class
- within limits
- without an excuse
Many prepositions form set expressions and idioms:
- at a glance
- at night
- by bus/car/train/plane
- for example/instance
- from here to there
- in terms of
- in tune
- in/on time
- in the morning/afternoon/evening
- without a doubt
Errors with prepositions occur when the wrong preposition is used, when prepositions are deleted (or added unnecessarily), or when words that are part of a prepositional phrase are misidentified as the subject or verb of a sentence, causing subject-verb agreement problems.
Incorrect: He arrived to China at May 6th.
Correct: He arrived in China on May 6th.
Incorrect: We emphasized on the importance of following directions.
Correct: We emphasized the importance of following directions.
Incorrect: The rules of the game is explained here.
Correct: The rules of the game are explained here.
Practice
1 - Recognizing preposition errors in sentences
Practice
2 - Recognizing preposition errors in paragraphs
STEP 3: LEARNING MORE
For more information on prepositions, follow these links:
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/prepositions.htm
http://www2.actden.com/writ_den/tips/sentence/preposit.htm
http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/preposit.html