T&T 002 What is a Preposition?

T&T 002 TEXT: What is a Preposition? A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. The word or phrase that the preposition introduces is called the object of the preposition. A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence as in the following examples: The book is on the table. The book is beneath the table. The book is leaning against the table. The book is beside the table. She held the book over the table. She read the book during class.In each of the preceding sentences, a preposition locates the noun "book" in space or in time. Prepositions of Time With prepositions of time, the reference is to a position in time, or time duration.

Position in Time

The prepositions of time position, at, in and on answer the question "When?".

Meaning (to show...)	Preposition	Examples
points of time	at	The class will end at eight o'clock.
period	in	I have tea in the evening.
reference to days	on	I go shopping on Sunday afternoon.

N.B.
Reference to night can be viewed as points of time and a period :

Meaning (to show...)	Preposition	Examples
points of time	at	He doesn't go out much at night.
period	in	There were some strange noises in the night.

Time duration

Meaning ( to show...)	Preposition	Examples
how long or duration	for	I have been typing this  for three hours.
from the beginning to the end of a period, the action can be taken place several times / continuously	during, between ...... and	May likes to go swimming during the summer. Chris usually has a meal between six and eight o'clock.
reference to the beginning and ending	from ...... to	The film runs from seven to nine o'clock.
something happens earlier than a particular time or event	before	He received the gift before Christmas.
something happens later than a particular time or event	after	Mandy went home after seven o'clock.
reference to the beginning of a period of time	from	Heidi slept from eight o'clock at night.
something happens at some time or continuously after a particular time or event	since	Cherry has lived here since last year.
something happens and then ends at a particular time	till / until	Carman often goes without eating till the end of the day. the party went on until dawn.
point of time after a particular period or date has passed	beyond	they don't normally allow people to work beyond the age of 60.
throughout the length or duration of time	over	The police carried on the investigation over a long period of time.

Prepositions of Place
Generally, when we use prepositions of place, the reference is to a point, a surface or a containing area.

Reference to a point in space (1) indicating direction Go to A Go away from A Go back to A Go through A We have gone past (beyond) A

Reference to a point in space (2) indicating position Stay at A We are past (beyond) A

Reference to a surface (1) indicating direction Go onto the platform Get off the platform We are driving along the road We are going across the road A is running in front of B A is running behind B A is running beside B Go up the hill Go down the hill Jump over A The plane is flying over A Crawl under A We are flying above the water We are going (a)round the circle

Reference to a surface (2) indicating position Stay on the platform Stay off the platform We live along the road We are safely across the road A is in front of B A is behind B A is beside B A is opposite B We are up the hill We are down the hill It is over A Now we are over A Stay under A We are above the water We have gone all (a)round the circle My belt is (a)round my waist

Reference to a containing area (1) indicating direction Come into (inside) my office Go out (outside) of my office

Reference to a containing area (2) indicating position Stay in (inside) my room Stay out (outside) of my room