Preposition of Time
Category : 7th Class
A number of prepositions may be used to denote time such as on Monday, before night, during the night, till tomorrow, after lunch, etc. In most cases, it is easy to know which preposition to use.
Uses of Preposition of Time
At, on, in
(A) At usually denotes a definite point of time but can also be used for definite periods:
Definite points of time
at 3 o'clock, at midnight
at the beginning of the class
at the end of the meeting
Indefinite periods of time
at dawn, at night
at Christmas, at Diwali
(B) On is used with days and dates:
On Monday, on 10th August
On the Diwali day, on Christmas eve
On the evening of the 8th April
(C) In is used with parts of the days, month, year, and season:
In the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening
In summer, in winter
In March, in 1988
(D) In is also used with the future tense to show the period in which an action
will take place:
In two hours, in a few minutes, in a fortnight.
Note: In = at the end of
Within = before the end of
I shall be back in a week. (when a week is over)
I shall be back within a week. (before a week is over)
By
It denotes the latest time at which an action will be over:
The show will be over by 6 p.m. (It may be over before itis6am but the latest time at which it can be over is 6).
From
It denotes the starting point of an action. It is almost always used with to or till / until:
The examination will be held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
He was absent from 11/10/2010 to 12/10/2010.
Preposition of Position
At
At has idea of an exact point; it is used with villages, small towns. At Cedar Avenue, At CP.
At conveys the idea of general neighbourhood; in conveys the idea of something contained.
Between, among
Between is used with two persons or things, among is used with more than two persons or things.
On, upon
On is used in speaking of things at rest; upon is used with things in motion.
Above, over
Both above and over mean higher than. Sometimes we can use either of them.
Below, under
Both below and under mean lower than. Sometimes we can use either of them.
But under also means vertically below. It also has the idea of contact.
Preposition of direction towards: to, towards, into, at, for, against
(A) To has the sense of destination, towards gives sense of direction.
(B) Into denotes movement towards the interior of something.
(C) At has the idea of hitting.
She threw the stone at the dog.
For suggests the beginning of a movement.
(D) Against shows pressure or contact.
He threw the bag against the wall.
Prepositions of direction from: from, off, out of
(A) From is used with the point of departure.
She has already gone from the office.
(B) Off shows separation. It is used in the sense of from the surface of, down from
He fell off the cycle.
The ball rolled off the table.
(C) Out of is the opposite of into. For example: The bird flew out of the cage.
Other prepositions showing movement are: through, over, along, across, round, up, down.
We travel by car, by bus, by train, by air, by boat, by sea,
We walk on foot, we ride on horseback, we go on a bicycle.
See the uses of few more prepositions:
By, with
By is used to express the agent or doer of an action; with relates to the instrument with which the action is done: The old man was beaten by some strangers with a stick. The lawn was mown by the gardener with a mower.
After, in
After is used to denote some period of time in the past; in is used to show some period of time in the future: She came back home after an hour. We will come back home in an hour.
Beside, besides
Beside means by the side of; besides means in addition to: Please put this bag beside the box. Besides giving me books, she gave me her notes. Verbs such as command, request, invitation, advice normally do not take the preposition to after them. Such verbs are : advice, ask, beg, command, encourage, invite, tell, request, warn:
She advised me to wait. (and not advised to me ___ __ )
I requested the teacher to explain the poem again.
She invited all her friends to her sister's wedding.
On time, in time
On time = at the arranged time; not before, not after In time = not late, with a comfortable margin: We reached the station in time for the train. The train started on time.
Fill in the blanks with suitable preposition.
I will leave _____________ Paris tomorrow.
(A) By
(B) For
(C) At
(D) All of these
(E) Abstract Noun
Answer: (b)
Explanation: I will leave for Paris tomorrow.
____________teacher he is a good lawyer also.
(A) After
(B) With
(C) Beside
(D) Besides
(E) Abstract Noun
Answer: (D)
Explanation: Besides teacher he is a good lawyer also.
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