Prepositions: An Introduction

By Matthew, 5 November 2010 - 5:36pm
5
 
 
Grammar name (English): 
Prepositions
Grammar name (日本語): 
前置詞

Prepositions are words which show relationships. They can show a relationship in space or time. They can also show direction. English has many prepositions. The most common prepositions are "of", "in", "on", "to" and "for".

Prepositions are words which show relationships between things. They can say where (in the car), when (on Monday) or show some other relationship (Give it to me).

Prepositions are used before the word they are talking about. We use prepositions in English before nouns. A preposition with a noun is called a "prepositional phrase". These are some prepositional phrases:

  • from Japan;
  • in the book;
  • on TV.

English has many prepositions—about 100 to 150. These are the most common prepositions used in English:

of
   The United States of America
in
 in Japan  
on
   on the table
to
 to Tokyo  
for
   for my brother  
from   from London
 
by   by the tree
at at the bottom of the mountain

Create an Image

Many prepositions are spatial: they show a relationship in space. They are used to create an image of how things relate in space. So, they are easy to draw. For many prepositions you should be able to draw an image that helps you to understand. This is the key to understanding prepositions. Try to use a visual image when you are learning prepositions.

Your goal should be to remember prepositions in English: do not translate them into your native language. This can confuse you. In your mind, you should try to think, "'For' is 'for'. 'In' is 'in'." (This is often possible, but in some cases it will be hard to visualise!) Many times, your image will help you.

Let's use "in" as an example. It is easy to do this when you are talking about physical locations or directions—things you can see. When you are thinking about ideas and concepts it is a little more difficult. You need to use your imagination:

Physical things
A penguin in the sea
A cloud in the sky
Concepts and Ideas
In the afternoon
In my life

For English speakers, time is a space; Life is also a space. So, "in" is very natural when you think about it that way.

Each time you learn a prepositional phrase, see if you can draw a picture of the relationship. Your picture will help you make sense of English. It will make understanding and using prepositions much easier. Try it!

>> A list of English Prepositions

Notes: 

Some extra points to remember:

  1. It is important to find your own images. This will help you remember the words to use easily.
  2. English has about 150 prepositions. However, some are not very common. Also, less common words have narrow definitions and are easier to understand and use.
  3. Some languages use postpositions. Postpositions come after the words they are talking about. If your first language uses postpositions (like Japanese for example) then prepositions in English can be difficult, and you might say the opposite of what you mean. Look at this example:

     

    English Japanese
    to Shinjuku 新宿へ
    → ←

    In English, "to" points to the word after. In Japanese "へ" points to the word before. Sometimes a Japanese person speaking English will say "Sushi is rice on fish". This is because in Japanese the word order is:　お寿司はご飯の上に魚です。 (essentially "Sushi rice on fish is")

  4. Prepositions are used to show these relationships:

    • They can show a relationship or location in space or time:
      in the car; in the afternoon.
    • They can also show direction and movement:
      to       the station; towards the tree.
    • Prepositions show tools that are used:
      with       a pen; by boat.
    • They can show ownership or possession:
      the book of mine.
    • They are used to compare:
      as       big as a house.
    • Prepositions also show content:
      a book of short stories.