Prepositions
Over
• Over means on top of something else but not touching. E.g.:
We need a roof ____ our head.
• Is used for something covering something else whether or not it is in
contact. E.g.:
The bridge was built ____ the river.
Put a blanket ____ the baby.
Over/Under
• Over and under are used to indicate vertical positions. E.g.:
There is a fan ____ your head.
A cat is sitting ____ the table.
In/Into
• In is used for static while into is used for dynamic action. E.g.:
We are sitting ____ the classroom.
The boy jumped ____ the river.
Note 1: don’t use anything for enter and use in for throw. E.g.:
He entered ____ the room.
He threw the ball ____ the well.
Note 2: Enter into alliance/agreement and enter on/upon (to
undertake) are correct.
On time/In time
• Exactly on time.
Done in time. E.g.:
We reached the examination centre ___ time.
The examination started ___ time.
We thought that the train would be late but it arrived exactly ___
time.
By/With
• By for doer of action.
With for an instrument. E.g.:
The paper was signed ___ him ___ a parker pen ___ black ink.
The snake was killed ___ him ___ a stick.
You cannot catch a big fish ___ a small rod.
Before/In front of
• Before is used for coming ahead in time or position.
Before can also be used for facing someone or in the presence of.
In front of is used for physical position. E.g.:
I came ______ you.
India raised the issue of cross-border terrorism ______ the U.N.
I stand here ______ you.
Don’t park your car ______ my gate.
At/In
• At for smaller places and in for larger places relatively. E.g.:
I live ___ Scheme 140 ___ Indore.
In spite of/Despite
• Similar in use. E.g.:
______ working hard, he failed.
______ being rich, he is not happy.
Note: Despite of is incorrect.
By/In
• I am sitting ___ the car.
I am going ___ car.
Note: By + vehicle but on foot. E.g.:
I go to school ___ foot.
At/In/On
• At for exact time; In for month; In for year; On for day; On for date.
E.g.:
I reached there ___ 7 o’clock.
___ May.
___ 2005.
___ Monday.
___ 7th September.
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At/In/On
• At is used with dawn, dusk, day break, sunrise, noon, sunset, night,
midnight.
Note: in with morning/evening but on if date/day is mentioned. E.g.:
___ the morning.
___ the evening.
___ Sunday morning.
___ the evening of May the 2nd.
At/In/On
• Today, tomorrow, yesterday, the following day, the next day,
yesterday evening, yesterday afternoon, last night, this morning, this
afternoon, tonight, tomorrow morning, tomorrow evening are not
preceded by a preposition. E.g.:
He will go there on tomorrow.
They arrived here on last night.
After/Before
• After means later in time.
Before means earlier in time. E.g.:
He returned to India ____ a long time.
He left for America ____ Christmas.
Till and Until
• Used with a point of time. E.g.:
The government will not pass any bill ____ next session.
By
• As a preposition of time is used with a point of time. E.g.:
We shall have finished the syllabus ___ the end of forty days.
During
• Used when talking about duration or a period of time. E.g.:
_____ the strike, many people died.
Up/Down/Up to
• Up and down talk about vertical directions.
Up to means to that point or time. E.g.:
He climbed ___ the tree.
He ran ___ the stairs.
Children can get free education ___ the age of 14.
Except
• Means but. E.g.:
Everyone came to the party except Rohan and Shyam.
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