Learning a new language, such as English, can be a challenge, especially when it comes to understanding the grammatical rules that govern its use. One of the fundamental aspects of English are prepositions, small but essential words that allow us to express relationships of place, time, cause, among others. In this FunTalk article, we will teach you what prepositions are, their importance and some of the most common uses of them in the English language.
What are prepositions?
Prepositions are words that serve to connect other terms within a sentence, usually a noun, pronoun or nominal group, with other parts of the sentence. These words allow us to establish a dependency relationship between the main term and the context of the action or state being described. For example, in the sentence“The book is on the table“, the preposition “on” indicates the relationship of location between “the book” and “the table”.
There are several types of prepositions depending on the context in which they are used, such as prepositions of place, time, direction, cause, etc. Here are some of the most common uses of prepositions in English.
Prepositions of place
One of the most frequent types of prepositions in English are the prepositions of place, which serve to indicate the location of something in space. These prepositions are essential when we want to talk about the position of objects, people or places in relation to others.
Some of the most common prepositions of place in English include:
- In: It is used to talk about something that is inside an enclosed or limited space. Example: “The keys are in the drawer”.
- On: Used to indicate that something is on a surface. Example: “The book is on the table”.
- At: Used to indicate a specific point in space. Example: “I am at the door”.
- Under: Indicates that something is under something else. Example: “The shoes are under the bed”.
- Next to: To indicate that something is next to something else. Example: “The bank is next to the supermarket”.
These prepositions are not only useful to describe the location of objects, but also to talk about events, as in the case of “The party is at my house”.
Prepositions of time
Another important use of prepositions is to indicate time. Prepositions of time allow us to specify when something happens, either at a precise moment or over a longer period.
Some of the most common prepositions of time are:
- In: Used to talk about months, years, centuries and periods of time. Example: “She was born in December”.
- On: Used for specific days or dates. Example: “The meeting is on Monday”.
- At: Used to indicate specific times of the day. Example: “The bus arrives at 7 o’clock”.
- Since: Used to talk about a time in the past up to the present. Example: “I have known her since 2010”.
- For: Used to express duration. Example: “We’ve been waiting for two hours”.
These prepositions are essential to organize and coordinate our activities in time and to talk about past, present and future events.
Prepositions of direction and movement
Prepositions are also used to to express movement or direction. These indicate where or how we move in space.
Some of the prepositions that indicate direction are:
- To: Used to express movement toward a place. Example: “She is going to the park”.
- Into: Used when something or someone enters a closed place. Example: “He walked into the room”.
- Out of: Indicates movement out of a place. Example: “She came out of the house”.
- Onto: Used to express movement toward a surface. Example: “He jumped onto the table”.
These prepositions are fundamental to talk about actions that imply displacement or changes of location.
Prepositions are an essential component of English grammar, as they allow us to construct coherent and expressive sentences. Learning how to use prepositions correctly in English is crucial to be able to communicate clearly and accurately. As we have seen, there are different types of prepositions that cover aspects such as place, time and direction. Becoming familiar with them will allow you to improve your language skills and become more fluent in the language.