Uses of Prepositions -

Prepositions of time show the relationship of time between the nouns to the other parts of a sentence.

Common preposition of time: On, at, in, from, to, for, since, ago, before, till/until, by, etc. are the most common.

AT, ON, IN

AT:

At always indicates an exact and specific time.

Example:

• I started working at 10 AM.
• The movie starts at 6 PM.
• The shop closes at 30 AM.

Note: Exceptions are that we say – at the weekend, at night, at Chrismas, at Easter, at the moment, etc.

On:

On generally indicates a fixed date or a day.

Example:

• I’ll see her on Friday.
• He broke a record on Monday morning.
• I have a meeting on 25 October. 

In:

In generally indicates an indefinite and unspecific time of months, seasons, years, centuries, etc.

Example:

• I will get a holiday in December.
• Murphy was born in 2001.
• I love playing cricket in summer.

Note: Some very common exceptions are – in the morning, in the evening, in the afternoon, in five minutes, in six days, in two years, etc.

FROM....TO ,  UNTIL,  SINCE,  FOR

From....to:

From....to  indicates a fixed time-span with the beginning and the end.

Example:

• I worked there from 2010 to 2017.
• I usually work from Saturday to Thursday.
• I will stay there from 10 AM to 6 PM.

Until/till:

Until/till indicates a specific or unspecific time/event up to a point.

Example:

• They will not return until Friday.   
• Wait for me until I return.
• I do not give up until I am succeeded.
• I will be there until Monday.

Since:

Since indicates a time-span beginning in a time in the past and still continuing in the present (now).

Example:

• Alex has been in the village since Sunday.
• He has been suffering from fever since Friday.
• Robin and Susan have been friends since childhood.

For:

For indicates a period of time (amount of time) in the past, present or future.

Example:

• He stayed there for four days.
• I will be staying there for five months.
• I will work with them for a year.
• He was standing there for a long time.

BEFORE, AFTER, DURING, BY

Before:

Before indicates a prior event/ period of time from a point. 

Example:

• Robin was very nervous before the interview.
• I want to leave before lunch.
• These batsmen should not get out before the tea break.
• Before going, close all the window.

After:

After indicates a following event/period of time from a point. This preposition is the exact opposite of before.

Example:

• Robin felt confident after the interview.
• I want to leave after lunch.
• After playing football, we went home.

During:

During indicates a period of time throughout the course or duration of any event or action.

Example:

• Robert was sleeping during the film.
• They don’t talk during dinner.
• I don’t usually smoke during office time.

By:

By means ‘within the extent or period of; during’ something.

Example:

• I will complete the assignment by Sunday.
• He will return by 6 PM.
• I will submit the list by 11 AM.

Prepositions of Places and Direction Usa Prepositions of place show the relationship of place between the nouns to the other parts of a sentence.

Common prepositions of places & direction:On, at, in, by, from, to, towards, up, down, across, between, among, through, in front of, behind, above, over, under, below, etc. are the most common.

IN, AT

IN:

In indicates something to be present in a place or enclosure. It does not say particularly where but gives an enclosure to the noun it connects with.

Example:

• Your shirt is in the closet. (Does not indicate an exact place)
• He lives in Australia.
• Alex works in that building.

AT:

At indicates an exact place.

Example:

• He is at the door.
• I am standing at 13/4 George Street.
• He is at home.

ON, ABOVE, OVER 

ON:

On indicates a position above but touching the object.

Example:

• The phone is on the table. (Phone is touching with the table)
• He is on the third floor.
• Sit on the sofa.

ABOVE:

Above indicates a much higher position than the preposition on does. It also indicates something out of reach.

Example:

• The sky is above my head.
• Hold your hands above your head.
• Stars are above the sky.

OVER

Over means a position between on and abovewhich is not touching.

Example:

• There are clouds over the hills.
• A bird flew over my head.
• My flat is over that shop.

UNDER, BELOW

UNDER:

Under is the opposite of on and means ‘below the surface of’ something.

Example:

• The cat is under the table.
• The carpet under my feet is very soft.
• That book is under my glasses.

BELLOW:

Below indicates something at a slightly lower position than what under indicates.

Example:

• I have a scar just below my right eye.
• Do you see the line below the paper?
• Please, don’t write below this line.

TO, FROM

TO:

To indicates a motion in the direction of a place.

Example:

• He went to college.
• We are going to Mexico.
• We walked from the farm to the beach.

FROM

From indicates the point of place at which a motion, journey, or action starts.

Example:

• He came from England.
• We walked from the beach to the farm.
• He drove here from Atlanta.

INTO, OUT OF

INTO:

Into indicates a motion towards/going inside something. It has many uses.

Example:

• He came into the house.
• The police broke into the bar.
• My car crashed into a street sign.

OUT OF:

Out of means the opposite of into. It indicates a motion towards outside of something.

Example:

• He is going out of the town.
• Get out of my house.
• Please, remain out of this. (Not indicating a place but an issue)

THROUGH,  ACROSS, BESIDE,  IN FRONT OF,  BEHIND, TOWARDS,  BY

THROUGH:

Through indicates a motion in the middle of something.

Example:

• We drove through the tunnel.
• They came through a forest.
• He came through a wedding gate.

ACROSS:

Across means going to the other side of a river or road or something straight.

Example:

• He went across the river.
• I walked across the road.
• My house is across the bank. (There is a road between the house and the bank)

BESIDE:

Beside means at the side of/ next to something.

Example:

• The car beside the cycle is mine.
• He is standing beside the shop.
• I will always be beside you.

IN FRONT OF

In front of means a position facing someone/something.

Example:

• He parked his car in front of my house.
• I have a pool in front of my resthouse.
• He was nervous in front of me.

BEHIND:

Behind means at the far side of something (might be out of sight). It is opposite of in front of.

Example:

• He parked his car behind my car.
• I have a pool behind my house.
• Go behind that tree.

TOWARDS:

Towards means a motion in the direction of something literary or metaphorically.

Example:

• Take five steps towards the post and stand there.
• They moved towards the Labour Party.
• I walked towards the car when you were standing.

BY

By means ‘near to or next to’ something or someone.

Example:

• He has a house by the river.
• I was standing by the car.
• My flat is by the saloon.

UP, DOWN

UP:

Up means a motion towards a higher place or position.

Example:

• We were climbing up the mountain.
• Lift your hands up.
• John is going up to London. (From a lower place of the country)
• Climb up the stairs.

DOWN:

Down indicates the opposite meaning of up. It means a motion towards a lower place or position.

Example:

• He was walking down the river.
• I am climbing down the hill.
• Go down the stairs.

BETWEEN, AMONG

BETWEEN:

Between indicates something/someone to be in the middle of two other things or persons.

Example:

• Alex is sitting between Robin and Robert.
• The cat is between the two boxes.
• This matter is between you and him.

Among:

Among indicates something/someone to be in the middle of three or more other things or persons.

Example:

• Alex is sitting among the patients.
• He is the best among them.
• Among all the people, John had the courage to speak up.

Using of articles- a, an and the

Definite article or Indefinite article, each of the articles has different uses in different situations.

Using Indefinite Article: a & an

Rule 1:

A common noun in the singular number always requires an article before it. But a plural common noun does not require an article always. A plural common noun can have the article ‘the’ if we want to particularise that noun.

Example:

• I saw a snake. (Refers to a random snake)
• I saw snakes in a zoo. (No article is required)
• I have seen the snake again. (Refers to the snake I have already seen earlier)
• I have seen the snakes again before leaving the zoo. (Refers to the particular snakes of the zoo which I saw earlier.)

Rule 2:

The choice between the two indefinite articles – a & an – is determined by sound. Words beginning with consonant sounds precede ‘a’and words beginning with vowel sounds precede ‘an’. There are some special cases also. For instance,

• a university, a union, a useful book, etc.
• a one-dollar note, a one-man army, etc.
• an MA, a BA, an LLB, a BSC, etc.

Rule 3:

A or an - sometimes makes a Proper Noun a Common Noun. Proper nouns generally do not take any articles, but when a proper noun needs to be used as a common noun, you must bring a or an - for it.  

Example: 

• He thinks he is a Shakespeare. (Here, ‘Shakespeare’ does not refer to the actual person but someone like him.)
• He seems to be an Australian. (‘Australia’ is a proper noun but ‘Australian’ is a common noun because there is only one Australia but a million of Australians.)

Rule 4:

Sometimes indefinite articles are used to refer the number ‘one’/’each’/’per’.

Example:

• I earned a thousand dollar in that job. (One thousand dollar)
• I have a car. (One car)
• It goes 50 miles an hour. (Per Hour)

Rule 5:

Indefinite articles often precede descriptive adjectives.

Example:

• He is a good boy.
• What a nice car!

Rule 6:

‘A’ sometimes comes before determiners, for example,  a few, a little, a lot of, a most, etc. but in the case of many, a or an - comes after.

Example:

• I have a few friends coming over.
• There is a little milk in the jar.
• Many a fan welcomed

Using Definite Article: the

Rule 1:

‘The’ is used to indicate a particular person(s) or thing(s) in the case of common nouns. Proper nouns generally do not take an article.

Example:

• The man is running. (A particular man)
• I saw the boy stealing.
• Where is the pen I gave you last year?
• I gave him a ball, but he lost the ball. (‘a ball’ became ‘the ball’ in the second clause because that ball was not a random ball anymore.)

Rule 2:

Sometimes ‘the’ is used to generalize a group/whole class.

Example:

• The dog is a faithful animal. (Refers to the whole species of dog.)
• The English are industrious. (Refers to the people of England as a nation)
• The honest are respected. (The+adjectives = plural noun)
• The poor are not always dishonest. (The+adjectives = plural noun)

Rule 3:

To particularise a non-count noun ‘the’ is required before it.

Example:

• The water of the Arctic ocean is freezing.
• Please return the money I lent you last year.

Rule 4:

‘The’ is mandatory before a thing which is only one of a kind in the universe.

Example:

• The moon is shining tonight.
• The earth is moving around the sun.

Use of ‘the’ before geographical places :

Rule 5:

Using ‘the’ with geographical nouns generally depends on the size and plurality of the things those nouns refer to. ‘The’ is generally used everywhere except some cases. So, it’s better to know those exceptions first.

‘The’ must not precede:

• Names of continents: Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, South America, North America, Antarctica.
• Names of countries: Australia, Bolivia, England, France, Spain, etc.
• Names of states, cities, or towns: Los Angeles, Alaska, Sydney, London,
• Names of streets: George street, Albion Street, New town street,
• Names of singular lakes and bays: Lake Carey, Lake Eyre, Lake Hillier, Shark Bay,
• Names of single mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Solitary, Mount Bindo, Mount Fuji, etc.
• Names of single islands: Easter Island, Bare Island, Bird Island, Fatima Island,
• Names of languages: Spanish, Russian, English,  (When ‘the’ precedes these nouns, they refer to the population of those languages.)
• Names of sports: cricket, football, basketball,
• Names of discipline/subject of studies:biology, history, computer science,mathematics,  

Note:

‘The’ is a widely used article in English. Except for the list mentioned above and proper nouns, ‘the’ is used before almost all the nouns which mean something definite/particular. The above list has some opposite factors also. Those factors are explained in the following list:     

‘The’ must precede:

• Names of oceans, gulfs, seas, and rivers: the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Coral Sea, the Timor Sea, the Persian Gulf,the Nile, the Murray River, the Darling River, etc.
• Names of countries with united states or islands: the United States of America (the USA), the UK, the UAE, the Philippines, etc.
• Names of great lakes: the Great Lakes, the African Great Lakes
• Names of mountain ranges: the Himalayas, the Alps, the Andes, etc.
• Names of a group of Islands: the West Indies, the Andamans, etc.

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Articles (उपपद) A, An, The का प्रयोग

Articles (उपपद)
Kinds of Articles (उपपद के प्रकार)
Article दो प्रकार के होते हैं--
(1) Definite Article -the
(2) Indefinite Article - a,an

1.Definite Article -'The' Definite Article कहलाता है। यह उस समय प्रयोग किया जाता है जब हम किसी व्यक्ति विशेष अथवा निश्चित वस्तु के लिए बात करते है। जैसे -
This is the boy who gave me pen.

2. Indefinite Article - 'A' व 'An' Indefinite Article कहलाते हैं। इन्हें  उस समय प्रयोग किया जाता है,जब हम किसी साधारण व्यक्ति तथा अनिश्चित वस्तु के लिए बात करते हैं। जैसे-
1. This is a book.
2. It is an apple.

1. Definite Article - 'The' का प्रयोग
'The' का प्रयोग निम्नानुसार किया जाता है-
(1) विशेष व्यक्ति अथवा वस्तु के साथ चाहे वह Singular हो अथवा Plural जैसे-
This is the boy who gave me a rupee.
यहाँ पर boy निश्चित है।
(2) किसी एकवचन Common Noun के पूर्व The का प्रयोग करने पर पूरी  जाति का बोध होता है। जैसे -
The cow is a useful animal.
(3) नदियों,पर्वत श्रृंखलाओं के पूर्व भी  The का प्रयोग किया जाता है। जैसे -
The Ganges,The Himalayas.
(4) समुद्र या महासागरों के पूर्व। जैसे-
The indian Ocean.
The Red sea.
(5) कुछ प्रसिद्ध ग्रन्थों के नामों के पहले। जैसे- 
The Ramayan.
The Bible.
The Mahabharat.
(6) Superlative Degree के पहले जैसे-
John is the best boy of our school.
(7) प्रसिद्ध इमारतों के पूर्व भी  The का प्रयोग होता है। जैस-
The Tajmahal.
(8) Adjective की Positive Degree के पूर्व यदि उसके बाद किसी Noun का प्रयोग हुआ हो। जैसे-
The rich should help the poor.
(9) विश्व की अनोखी (Unique) वस्तुओं के पूर्व भी  The का प्रयोग होता है। जैसे-
The Sun.
The Moon.
The sky.

2. Indefinite Article - 'A' व 'An' का प्रयोग
'A' व 'An' का प्रयोग Singular Number ,Common Noun के पूर्व किया जाता है।
(1) use of 'A'(A का प्रयोग )--
1. 'A' का प्रयोग उन शब्दों के पूर्व होता है जो Consonant से प्रारम्भ होते हैं। जैसे -
A book, a cat, a dog, a fan, a girls etc.

2.A का प्रयोग उन शब्दों के पूर्व किया जाता है जो Vowel (स्वर) 'e' या 'u' से प्रारम्भ हो किन्तु उनका उच्चारण हिंदी के यू जैसा हो। जैसे-
A Europion boy, a union of students, a uniform, a useful thing इन सभी शब्दों में E व U का उच्चारण हिंदी के यू जैसा होता है।

3. A का प्रयोग उन शब्दों के पूर्व भी होता है जो 'O' से प्रारम्भ होते हैं किन्तु आवाज हिंदी के 'व' के समान देते हैं जैसे -
A one -eyed-person.

(2) Use of 'An' (An का प्रयोग)--
1. जो Singular Common Noun किसी Vowel (a, e, i, o, u,) से प्रारम्भ होते है, उनके पहले 'An' का प्रयोग होता है। जैसे-
An apple, an elephant, an inkpot, an orange, an umbrella.

2.'An' का प्रयोग उन शब्दों के पूर्व भी होता है जो 'H' से प्रारम्भ होते हैं किन्तु उन शब्दों में 'H' silent रहता है अर्थात् उसका उच्चारण नहीं किया जाता है। जैसे-
An hour, an heir, an honest man.
यहाँ पर इन शब्दों के उच्चारण में 'H' silent है। देखिये--
Hour--अवर, heir--एयर , honest--आनेस्ट

3. An का प्रयोग उन संक्षिप्त रूपों  के पूर्व भी किया जाता है, जो प्रारम्भ किसी Consonant से होते हैं किन्तु उनका उच्चारण किसी Vowel के समान होता है। जैसे-
An (M.L.A.) (एम.एल.ए.) यहाँ पर M का उच्चारण 'ए' से होता है। अत: An का प्रयोग किया गया है।
याद रखिये---
1. A और an का प्रयोग किसी भी Countable noun (जिस वस्तु की हम गिनती कर सकें ) के पहले होता है,वह भी एकवचन noun के पहले।

2. A और an का प्रयोग नहीं करते -● जो noun गिने नहीं जाते, तोलकर बताये जाते हैं। ●● Proper, abstract और material noun के पहले भी इनका प्रयोग नहीं किया जाता ।