PREPOSITION
preposition: A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relation to some other word in the sentence.
Ex: I spoke to Manman.
We are fond of poetry.
Bolade has good command of English.
Kinds of preposition: There are five kinds of preposition in English, namely:
- Simple prepositions
- Double prepositions
- Compound prepositions
- Participial prepositions
- Phrase prepositions
A list of preposition:
above
along
below
by
for
like
about
among
beneath
concerning
from
near
across
at
beside
despite
in
next
after
before
between
down
inside
to
against
behind
beyond
except
into
of
off
on
opposite
out
outside
over
past
round
since
through
till
under
to
towards
with
unless
untill
unto
1. Simple preposition: preposition which are not formed by any method and common to a language are known as simole prepositions.
| at | out | to | since | |
| by | on | after | via | |
| for | with | over | per | |
| from | through | under. | than | |
| in | till | but | ||
| of | up | round | ||
| off | down | past |
Ex: She is at the bus stop.
Titi is killed by her husband.
Amina is praised for her beauty.
I received a letter from my sister.
He fell off the bus.
Charles talked on pollution.
I did not know what friendship is till I met Ahmad.
2. Double prepositions: preposition which contain two words are known as Double prepositions.
Ex:
| out of | from behind | from under |
| from within | near to | next to |
| nearest to | opposite to | close to |
| inclusive of | exclusive of | instead of |
| inspite of | due to | owing to |
| as regards |
Ex: I recognized Bilkis from among her friends.
The moon shone from behind the cloud.
She took the book from under the pillow.
According to Keats, a thing of beauty is joy forever.
A word used instead of a noun is called a pronoun.
The match was cancelled due to heavy rain.
Abba lives next to us.
She came out of the house.
I went close to Maryam.
Inspite of her beauty, she remained unmarried.
3. Compound Preposition: Preposition which are formed by prefixing are known as Compound Prepositions.
| Ex: about | across | above |
| along | among | beneath |
| beyond | beside | between |
| inside | outside | within |
| without | abroad | amid |
| besides | towards | against |
| until | alongside | upon |
| throughout | around | despite |
| alongside | opposite |
4. Participial Prepositions: Present participles which are used as prepositions are known as participial prepositions.
Ex:
Ex: We stay in Kaduna during summer.
| Ex: concerning | considering | during |
| notwithstanding | according [to] | excepting |
| following | pending | regarding |
| respecting | touching | owning [to] |
| barring | including |
Ex: We stay in Kaduna during summer.
Regarding your inquiry, we can supply the goods by next month.
Respecting her qualifications, she is not eligible for the post.
The minister expressed happiness concerning the party position in elections.
The committee members have disagreed with one another considering the main issue
5. Phrase Prepositions: Groups of words which are used as prepositions are known as phrase prepositions.
| Ex: according to | away from | by dint of |
| by reason of | by way of | in accordance with |
| on behalf of | in comparison to | in consequence of |
| in favour of | in lieu of | in place of |
| in regard to | instead of | on account of |
| with a view to | with reference to | at the back of |
| at the expense of | for fear of | for the love of |
| in need of | in search of | at peace with |
| under the pretence of | in common with | in memory of |
| in the wake of | in conformity with | in co-operation with |
| in danger of | in justification of | along with |
| because of | by means of | by virtue of |
| for the sake of | in addition to | in case of |
| in compliance to | in course of | in front of |
| in order to | in reference to | inspite of |
| in the event of | owing to | with an eye to |
| with regard to | by the side of | in the face of |
| in fear of | for want of | in case of |
| in order to | in place of | at war with |
| in exchange for | on the track of | under the wings of |
| in contradiction with | with the cooperation of | in dispute with |
| on/under penalty of | without prejudice to | in league with |
| in line with | in the opinion of | on the part of |
| in the prime of | in quest of | in recognition of |
| in return for | at the risk of | on the score of |
| in the absence of | in advance of | with the advance of |
| by the agency of | in aid of | in agreement with |
| in aid of | in alliance with | in accord with |
| in the opinion of | on/under pain of | in quest of |
Examples
1. According to
According to Shakespeare, love is not time's fool.
2. Along with
I went to university along with my friend.
3. Away from
She is away from home.
4. Because of
I love Kola because of his brilliance.
5. By dint of
He achieved success by dint of his hard work
6. By means of
We increase our knowledge by means of books.
By reason of
He attained perfection by reason of his mental ability.
By virtue of
Abba became a great man by virtue of his truthfulness.
By way of
John Keats contributed to the world literature by way of his poetry.
For the sake of
There are certain people in society who can do anything for the sake of money.
In accordance with
We are provided with fundamental rights in accordance with the Nigerian Constitution.
In addition to
The candidates applying for the post must be graduate in addition to a diploma in Arts.
On behalf of
I congratulated the winners in the competition on behalf of the principal.
In case of
The meeting will be cancelled in case of workers' strike.
In comparison to
Hajiya is very beautiful in comparison to her sister.
In consequences of
Our family was exposed to poverty in consequence of our father's death.
In course of
The speaker referred to a recent accident in course of his speech.
In favour of
I am always in favour of distant education.
In front of
A nursing home was built in front of our house.
In order to
They started a home in order to help the poor.
In place of
A pronoun in word used in place of a noun.
In reference to
I wanted to write a book in reference to the tribal people in Ikpeba Valley.
In regard to
The state Government is making all arrangements in regard to pollution control.
In spite of
I continued to make efforts in life, in spite of my repeated failures.
Instead of
The sub-editor took part in the seminar instead of the chief editor.
In the event of
In the event of any damage, the seller must return the money in full.
On account of
I invited all my friends to dinner on account of my birthday.
Owing to
It was owing to my illness that I could not attend the meeting.
With a view to
The bank was computerized with an eye to our future needs.
With reference to
The electronic company received several applications from all over Nigeria with reference to the advertisadvertisement for dealership.
With regard to
I received a favourable reply from a reputable publisher with regard to the publication of my grammar script.
At the back of
There was a railway track at the back of our village.
By the side of
The solid Bank of Nigeria opened a new branch by the side of our home.
At the expense of
It is wrong to enjoy comforts at the expense of others.
In the face of
He remained firm in the face of adverse circumstances.
For fear of
She is always in fear of losing the love of football.
For want of
My dreams came to nothing for want of financial assistance.
In need of
She was always in needs of money.
In case of
In case of any delay, please inform us.
In search of
The film director is always in search of creative artists.
In order to
In order to avoid unemployment, he set up a small scale industry.
At peace with
Nigeria has been at peace with her neighboring countries.
In place of
Mr. Ahmad was appointed to the post in place of the former chairman Mr. Auwal.
Under the presence of
He applied for leave under the pretence of fever.
At war with
The two sisters are always at war with each other.
In common with
Love for natural beauty is in common with every romantic poet.
In exchange for
We were paid a large sum of money in exchange for our services to the company.
In memory of
The town hall was built by chima in memory of his father.
On the track of
We must live with noble ideas on the track of great people.
In the wake of
The security arrangements were tightened in our village in the wake of violent incidents in several places.
Under the wings of
Boa island was exploited completely under the wings of the foreign rule.
In conformity with
I was appointed to the post in conformity with my educational qualifications.
In contradiction with
The Minister's statement at today's conference is in contradiction with the one he gave earlier.
In co-operation with
The company achieved its pre-determined target in co-operation with the one he gave earlier.
In In co-operation with
The company achieved its pre-determined target in co-operation with the chairman and the staff.
In danger of
The patient is now in the danger of slipping with each other.
In justification of
The criminal lawyer failed to show any evidence in justification of his statement.
In league with
The husband tried to kill his wife in league with his mother and sister.
In line with
The hospital building was constructed in line with the latest in fire safety.
In the matter of
I do not agree with my brother in the matter of my sister's marriage.
In the opinion of
In the opinion of Aristotle, man is a social animal.
On the part of
It was wrong on the part of Anita for not turning up for the part.
In quest of
Man has been in quest of knowledge about the universe.
in recognition of
Mother Theresa was awarded Nobel prize in recognition of her selfless service to the poor.
In return for
Our mother advises us not to express anything in return for what we do to others.
In the absence of
The children were making noise in the absence of their teacher.
With the advance of
The children were making noise in the absence of their teacher.
With the advance of
We can do anything by the agency of God.
In agreement with
All the ministers in the cabinet are in agreement with the president on the main issue.
In harmony with
All the states in the country are in harmony with the Federal Government.
A. POSITION OF PREPOSITION
1. A preposition is always placed at the end of the of the sentence when the object is relative pronoun 'that'.
Ex: It is the bus that I am waiting for.
This is the novel that I have been talking about.
This is the hotel that I stayed in.
2. The preposition must be placed at the end when the relative pronoun is understood.
Ex: What are you thinking about?
Who are you waiting for?
What are you so serious about?
3. The preposition must be placed at the end when the relative pronoun is understood.
Ex: I want to know the person you borrowed the book from.
Do you know the things she is interested in.
Let me know the problem you are always worried about.
B. OBJECT OF A PREPOSITION
A variety of words like noun, pronoun, gerund, infinitive or a noun clause can be used as the object of a preposition.
- Noun: The bridge was built over the river.
- Pronoun: Amina is angry with me.
- Gerund: I am fond of writing letters.
- Noun Clause: I am satisfied with what I have achieved in life.
- There is no point in what she said
- I had no idea about where she had gone.
- I was amazed at what Aneke had done.
- I thanked my friend for what he had done for me.
C. VARIOUS CONCEPTIONS EXPRESSED BY PREPOSITION
1. Place
Ex: Daramola swarm across the River Niger.
He slept among the trees in the forest.
Mainat waited for me behind the electric pole.
I went near Kunle.
2. Time
Ex: I received a letter by post at 6pm.
You must return before evening.
He worked in the bank for two months.
I talked to my friend till 4pm.
3. Manner or method
Ex: I earn money by teaching.
We speak with our voice.
She answered the questions with care.
4. Reason or purpose
Ex: Education is meant for character formation.
He died of heart pain.
Amaka shivered with fear.
Science is useful to mankind.
He struggled for freedom of speech.
5. Possession
Ex: Abuja is the capital of Nigeria.
I love people with blue eyes.
She is a girl of noble family.
6. Direction
Ex: He walked into the theatre.
She ran towards the police station.
The earth moves round the sun.
Bukola looked at me.
The bus went up the hill.
D. THE CORRECT USE OF CERTAIN PREPOSITIONS
1. Beside and besides
Beside = by the side of, next to, at the side of.
Ex: We built a house beside the factory.
Besides = in addition, more, plus, including.
Ex: I speak English besides Igbo.
2. Since and for
Since is used for point of time and for is used for period in perfect Tense.
Since = point of time
Ex: We have been here since 4pm.
For = period of time
Ex: We have stayed here for two weeks.
3. Among and between
Among is used for a group and between is used for two persons and things.
Among = more than two persons things
Ex: They have friendship among themselves.
Between = two persons or things
There was an argument between the two girls.
4. By and with
"By" is used for agent and with is used for instrument.
By = agent
Ex: Nike was murdered by her husband.
With = instrument
Ex: I usually write with a ball point pen.
5. In and at
'At' is used for small towns and villages and in is used for large places, countries and towns.
At = small towns and villages
In = large places, countries and towns
Ex: He was born at Rigasa in Kaduna.
I lived in Nigeria at Abuja.
6. On and in - At and by
On = days of week/month
Ex: She will come on Sunday.
She was married on April 20.
At = exact time
Ex: I went there at noon.
In = period
We go to Lagos in summer.
She passed her degree in 1990.
I take tea in the morning.
By = point of time
7. In and into
'In' is used for things or persons in rest position and into is used for things or persons in motion.
In = things or persons in rest position
He is in the hospital.
Into = things or persons in motion
I walked into the theatre.
8. On and upon
'On' is used for things at rest and upon for things in motion.
On = things or persons at rest
Ex: Abubakar was on the chair.
Upon = things or persons in motion
Ex: He jumped upon the wall.
9. In and within
In = after the end of or at the end of
Ex: I shall pay you the money in a week.
I shall type the letters in two hours.
Within = before the end of
Ex; I shall complete the work within three hours.
I will return the book within a week.
10. Before and for
'Before is used for a point to time and for is used for period.
Before = point of time
Ex: I shall be back before 7pm.
For = period of time
I shall stay here for three weeks.
11. After and in
'After' denotes the end of a period in the past and in denotes the end of a period in future.
After = the end of a period in the past
Ex: She entered after a week.
In = the end of a period in the past
We will finish the book In a week.
12. From and since
'Both' are used for point of time. But since is used only in perfect tenses and from is used in any tense.
Ex: We have stayed here since 1990.
We shall begin the work from tomorrow.
13. Till and to
'Till' is used for time and to is used for place.
Till = time
Ex: I waited till Sunday.
I waited for Nikola till 4pm.
To = place
Ex: I went to the State Bank.
They went to the market.
14. To and at
'To' is used for things or persons in motion and at for things or persons at position or rest.
To = movement
Ex: She came to me.
At = Position
Ex: He is waiting at the bus stop.
E. WORDS WITH APPROPRIATE PREPOSITIONS
Most words in English are often used with preposition, several word combination like Noun + Preposition, Verb + Preposition, Adjective + Preposition are commonly used. Each word combination has a separate and distinct meaning.
Sometimes, same words can be followed by a variety of prepositions. But the meaning may be different. So, it is suggested that we must take proper care in using the appropriate prepositions after the words like nouns, verbs, adjectives and participles.
In this section, a list of selected words with appropriate preposition is given below.
1. Abide by
Every citizen must abide by the law.
2. Abound in
The river abounds in fish.
3. Abundance of
There is abundance of wheat in the state farms.
4. Absent from
Bukola has been absent from office for a long time.
5. Absorbed in
Umar is absorbed in deed thought.
6. Accede to
He might accede to my request.
7. Acceptable to
Your proposal is acceptable to me.
8. Access to
I had no access to the minister.
9. Accused of
He is accused of taking a bribe from the customer.
10. Acquainted with
She is acquainted with Nigerian culture and history.
11. Acquitted of
The president was acquitted of the charge levelled against him.
12. Adapted to
She has adapted to changing times.
13. Addicted to
Many students are addicted to narcotic drugs.
14. Adjacent to
There was a school adjacent to our house.
15. Admitted to
Abba was admitted to Asicasz
16. Admit of
Her beauty admits of no compason.
17. Affiliated to
The Asicas is affiliated to ABU
18. Afflicted with
He was afflicted with a dreadful disease.
19. Agree to
She agreed to teach me.
20. Agree with
They agreed with my brother on the topic.
21.Agree upon
They agreed upon selling the house.
22. Aim at
Ridwan aimed at becoming an air hostess.
23. Alight from
The passenger alighted from the bus.
24. Allotted to
Ten minutes were allotted to each speaker at the meeting.
25. Allude to
Our lecturer alluded to Nigerian freedom struggle in his speech.
26. Amazed at
We were amazed at the child's memory.
27. Anxious about
My mother was anxious about my health.
28. Apologize to
She apologized to me for her rude behavior.
29. Appeal to
I appealed to the bank manager for a loan.
30. Appear to be
She appeared to be a teacher.
31. Appointed to
Amaka was appointed to the post.
32. Aptitude for
I have developed a good aptitude for literature.
33. Arrive at
They arrived at a conclusion.
34. Avail of
Lola availed herself of the opportunity.
35. Aware of
We must be aware of our fundamental duties.
36. Backward in
Kavila island is a little backward in space technology.
37. Bank on
I banked on my friend's help.
38. Bargin for
We bargained with the shop-keeper for a discount.
39. Bear with
I could not bear with her cruelty.
40. Believe in
I believed in the principle of hard work.
41. Beneficial to
Newspapers are beneficial to society.
42. Beat on
Franks was bent on studying medicine.
43. Bestow on
God bestowed many gifts on us.
44. Beware of
Beware of pick pockets.
45. Boast of
Irene Dele boasted of her wealth and education.
46. Blind to
I was completely blind to her faults.
47. Burn of
Olumide was born of a noble family.
48. Bound for
The ship is bound for England.
49. Break into
Someone broke into the house at midnight.
50. Bring about
The budget brought about many economic reforms.
51. Bring up
My brother brought me up.
52. Brood over
My father was brooding over my sister's marriage.
53. Busy with
The students were busy with their studies.
54. Call on
The senator called on the president yesterday.
55. Call at
I called on Hassan at the theatre.
56. Call for
The managers call him for explanation daily.
57. Care for
I don't care for what people think of me.
58. Charged with
Many leaders were charged with corruption.
59. Close to
She is very close to me.
60. Close by
We live close by a post office.
61. Close down
They closed down the showroom in Calabar.
62. Come across
We came across many villages on your journey.
63. Comment on
The president refused to comment on the party position in the elections.
64. Complete with
I completed with others for the post.
65. Complete of
She complained of his rude behavior.
66. Complain against
The workers complained to the manager against the supervisor.
67. Comply with
The government complied with the employees' demands.
68. Confer on
Kingship was confered on Ben Okoro.
69. Confide in
I confided in Olumide
70. Confident of
I am confident of achieving my goals in life.
71. Confined to
My father was confined to bed for several months.
72. Congratulate on
We congratulated Bayo on his getting a scholarship
73. Conscious of
We must be conscious of out duties to the country and society.
74. Consent to
Lola consented to marriage with Bayo.
75. Contrary to
Contrary to everybody's expections, Nigera won the match.
76. Conversant with
I am conversant with teaching English.
77. Convict of
He was convicted of killing his wife.
78. Craving for
She was craving for wealth and money.
79. Care of
She was cured of her chest pain.
80. Deaf to
She has been deaf to my advice.
81. Deal in
My uncle deals in clothes.
82. Decide upon
We decided upon setting up a small scale unit.
83. Deficient in
Olumide is deficient in general Knowledge.
84. Deal with
He knows well how to deal with people
85. Depend on
It is meaningless to depend on politicians for help.
86. Deprived of
No one wants to be deprived is his freedom of speech.
87. Derive from
I derive immense pleasure from reading books.
88. Desirous of
Umma was desirous of helping her parents.
89. Despair of
He was despaired of his failure.
90. Deviate from
We should never deviate from ethical values.
91. Differ from
His views differed from mine.
92. Diffident about
She was diffident about her relationship with her husband.
93. Disagree with
She disagreed with me on the dowry issue.
94. Dispose of
We disposed of our old house.
95. Dissuade from
She dissuaded me from meeting Kunle.
96. Disgusted with
We were disgusted with the hardship in life.
97. Distins from
Nnamdi was distinct from other political leaders.
98. Distinguish from
It is hard to distinguish an enemy from well-wishers.
99. Due to
He failed in life due to his laziness.
100. Dwell on
He dwell on false hopes.
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