English Grammar Prepositions For Class 9
What are Prepositions in English Grammar?
A preposition is a word which usually precedes a noun, a pronoun or a gerund. The word which follows the preposition is called the object of the preposition. It expresses the relationship between its object and another word or idea in the sentence.
examples:
1. Rachel kept the books on the shelf.
(The preposition ‘on’ expresses the spatial relationship between ‘the books’ and ‘the shelf’.)
2. The bull charged towards the matador.
(The preposition ‘towards’ expresses the directional relationship between ‘The bull’ and ‘the matador’.)
Types of Prepositions
There are five basic types of prepositions:
1. Simple prepositions
2. Compound prepositions
3. Double prepositions
4. Participial prepositions
5. Phrase prepositions
1. Simple Prepositions:
One-word prepositions are known as simple prepositions.
| in | on | under |
| off | till | up |
| out | over | with |
examples of simple prepositions are:
- The girl in the blue dress is smiling at me.
- There is a package for you from Australia.
- I want to go through the papers one last time.
2. Compound Prepositions:
Prepositions formed out of prefixing ‘a-’ or ‘be-’ with a noun or an adjective are known as compound prepositions.
| along | between | beneath |
| above | within | without |
Examples of Compound Prepositions are:
- Manish wants his family to go along with him.
- Place the bolster between the two cushions.
- You should consume two pills after meals.
3. Double Prepositions:
Pairs of prepositions conveying the same idea are known as double prepositions
| away from | along with | apart from |
| down on | up on | from inside |
Examples of Double Prepositions are:
- You have indeed lived up to your reputation.
- The child was lured away from its parents.
- The seer had asked for nothing apart from some water.
4. Participial Prepositions
When verbs ending in –ing or –ed/–en function as prepositions, they are called participial prepositions.
| considering | assuming |
| following | given |
Examples of double prepositions are:
- Considering that he has an immaculate track record, we should give him another chance.
- Assuming that the movie has not begun, we would miss the first 30 minutes even if we were to leave now.
- Notwithstanding her initial dislike towards her husband, Shanti now dotes on him.
5. Phrase Prepositions:
Phrase prepositions are formed when a group of words come together to function as a single unit. There prepositions usually have the Preposition + Noun + Preposition structure
| Preposition | Noun | Preposition | Phrase Preposition |
| in | accordance | with | in accordance with |
Examples of Phrase Prepositions are:
- The rituals were performed in accordance with the traditions.
- For the sake of argument, what if you are wrong?
- The match was postponed owing to the bad weather.
Functions of Prepositions
Prepositions Indicating Place
Some prepositions indicate the spatial (related to space) relationship between the words in the sentence.
| on | in | around |
| by | at | above |
Examples of Functions of Prepositions are:
- There are strange men standing at the door
- A scar could be seen above his left brow.
- Is there an honest man amidst these liars?
Prepositions Indicating Time:
Some prepositions indicate the temporal (related to time) relationship between the words in a sentence.
| On | until | during |
| from | in | since |
Examples of Prepositions Indicating Time are:
- They wed on the 23rd of December.
- The boys sneaked out of the theatre during the interval.
- The company has relied on the support of its investors since its inception.
* More detailed explanation in our PDF
