LEARN PREPOSITION WITH EXAMPLES

LEARN PREPOSITION WITH EXAMPLES

Have you ever thought of a different way of learning preposition? how will it be if we learn the uses of prepositions with some easy examples and not with the help of monotonous rules? I think this way of learning will definitely help you more while memorizing  the right uses of  prepositions and implementing them in a sentence. Now, as we all know that rules is an integral part of learning grammar, hence, we aren't here to ignore the rules at all but to understand and memorize the rules in an interesting way i.e. through some easy examples.So let's get into the topic without beating around the bush much.

USES OF PREPOSITION 'AT'

• The meeting is scheduled at noon.
• It might rain at night.
• My father is at home now. 
• My sister is at school.
• Look at me.
• Someone is waiting at the door.
• She is in Mumbai at present.
• He sacrificed his life at war.
• Mr. Roy is still very strong at the age of sixty.
• The fruits are being sold at 3 dollar a kilo.
• We will have burger at dinner.
• They are at work.
• I studied at this university.

USES OF PREPOSITION 'IN'

• Nelson Mendela was born in 1918.
• They will come here in february.
• I have to attend the meeting in time,
• The train is running in time (note: in time = before time, on time= punctual time)
• Do not run in the sun.
• the tutor comes in the morning/evening. (note: but at noon/night/dawn)
• He is no more in power now.
• Don't go outside at night, you could be in danger.
• The car is parked in the shade.
• Observe the man who is standing in the corner of the room.
• We do not pay salary in cash. (note:  we pay salary only by cheque.)
• I paid him in advance for buying the antique watch. 
• The article is written in black ball point pen.
• Wait a little, I'll be ready in five minutes.
• Vegetables are rich in minerals.
• We'll meet in Christmas. (note: Christmas= festival,  but on Christmas day = denotes the day only)
• The batsman hit the ball in the air. ( note: but on land/sea)
• 
  

USES OF PREPOSITION 'ON'

• I'll see you on Sunday.
• My examination starts on 4th may.
• The train is running on time. (punctually )
• I'll meet you on Christmas day.
• The mangoes on the tree are ripe.
• The market in feeder street was on fire last night.
• Kolkata is on the Hooghly.
• In our city e-rickshaws are not allowed on highroads.
• He is on the way to London.
• He resides on the north side of the city.
• East Indian people live on rice.
• The family live on Mr. Roy's small pension.
• I go to school on foot. ( note: but by car/train )
• The watchman is not on duty.
• He said this on oath.
• She wrote an article on the recent socio-economic condition of the country.
• The supply of the product is depended on the demand.
• She is working on empty stomach.

USES OF PREPOSITION 'BY'

• We need to travel by boat to reach there.
• I know him by his name only.
• It is 11:30 by my watch.
• The company sent the appointment letter by post.
• He informed us about his success by a letter.
• The police suspects that the man is died by poison and not by accident.
• The bedroom of this flat is 6 meters by 8 meters.
• All the document has been destroyed by fire.
• We pay salary only by cheque and not in cash.
• A report says that after Ebola broke out in that region, the disease turned into an epidemic and people died by thousands.
• The coconut tree was struck by lightning.
• He is older than me by only two months.
• I think the letter should reach you by next Monday.
• I pray for your success by my heart.
• You can sit by me if you want.

USES OF PREPOSITION 'TO'

• He did it to his cost.
• Add some sugar to the boiling water.
• She is singing to the harp.
• When do you go to bed?
• The syrup is sweet to taste.
• The thief was beaten to death.
• The soldiers fought to the last man.
• Eight is to sixteen as one is to two.
• It is now five minutes to seven.

USES OF PREPOSITION 'FOR' 

• It is a small gift for you.
• This shirt is big for his age.
• After defeat they fled for their lives.
• We should have respect for elders.
• Don't take for granted the people closest to your heart.
• The avocados are being sold at three for a dollar.
• Can you tell me the time of the next flight for Newyork ?
• They stayed there for five days.
• This flat is for sale.
• Mr. Roy bought a car for 15000 dollar.

TYPE OF SUB-ORDINATE CLAUSE : EXERCISE

Underline the sub-ordinate clauses and identify the type of the sub-ordinate clauses in the following sentences : 

( you can learn the clauses and its types before you try to solve the problems below :  CLICK HERE TO LEARN )

1. The news that he stood first in the class is true.
2. I do not know whether they enjoyed my performance.
3. This is the house that is called haunted.
4. There is not a citizen in India but respect Mr. Abdul Kalam.
5. You should put it where you can find it easily.
6. It is well known that he will succeed.
7. The doctor whom I consulted is a great person.
8. Any man who works hard can achieve something.
9. He works harder than John (does). 
10. I shall definitely buy it because I like it very much.
11. Google map is introduced in order that users can find their way easily.
12. Her great fear is that she might be punished.
13. He was very hopeful that he would succeed.
14. Since you are so intelligent you will definitely rank in the examination.
15. I had left Nepal before the earthquake occurred.
16. The people followed the leader wherever he visited.
17. All depends on how the weather behaves.
18. They were playing there till the sun set.
19. I have not been well since I returned from Newyork.
20. This is the file I wanted.
21. It is not clear how the sum was solved.
22. You can sit wherever you like.
23. We earn so that we can live well.
24. It seems that it may rain.
25. The place where the accident occurred is near my home.
26. What he said is completely false.
27. Never believe in what Billy says.
28. He is not so dull as you think.
29. As soon as she heard the bad news she fainted.
30. You must not eat the water which is kept uncovered.

                               MASTER YOURSELF IN CLAUSES AND ITS TYPES : LEARN CLAUSE

CLAUSE AND ITS TYPES

CLAUSE AND ITS TYPES

A clause is a group of words that works like a sentence within a bigger sentence and contains a subject and a predicate of its own.

Types of clause

CLAUSE

 ⇓

MAIN OR PRINCIPAL CLAUSE

SUB-ORDINATE OR DEPENDENT CLAUSE

CO-ORDINATE CLAUSE

 ⇓

NOUN OR NOMINAL CLAUSE

ADJECTIVE OR RELATIVE CLAUSE

ADVERBIAL CLAUSE

NOUN CLAUSE

Noun clause is one of the three types of sub-ordinate clause which does the work of a noun in a complex sentence. A noun clause can be used in different ways in a sentence. It is used as the subject or object of the verb, as the complement of an intransitive verb, in apposition to a noun or a pronoun etc.

1.        What he did was unexpected. ( as subject )
2.         When he will come is uncertain. ( as subject)
3.          It seems that it may rain. ( as object )
4.      I do not know where I kept the documents. ( as object )
5.         Do not believe in what a stranger says. ( as object of the preposition )
6.          Give me an idea of what I should wear in the party. ( as object of the preposition )
7.         The question is who will bell the cat. ( as compliment of intransitive verb )
8.         Her belief is that I am an dishonest man. ( as compliment of intransitive verb )
9.         He concludes  the report that water must be preserved. ( in Apposition to the noun ‘Report’)
10. 10.   You must have heard the proverb that slow but steady wins the race. ( in Apposition to the noun ‘Proverb’. 

    ADJECTIVE CLAUSE

Adjective clause is one of the three types of sub-ordinate clause which does the work of an adjective in a complex sentence ; i.e. It qualifies a noun or pronoun in the main clause.

Adjective clause is  introduced by either relative pronouns ( who, which, whom, whose, that, what etc. ) or relative adverbs ( when, where, how, why, whence etc.)

1.   A.P.J Abdul Kalam who became the president of India, was born in a poor family.  ( Here, the highlighted sub-ordinate clause qualifies the noun ‘ A.P.J Abdul Kalam’ and the clause is introduced by the relative pronoun ‘who’. )

2.  The place where the accident occurred is near the city police station. ( Which place ? where the accident occurred )

ADVERBIAL CLAUSE

Adverbial clause does the work of an adverb in a complex sentence and tells us when or where or how or why an incident is occurred.

Therefore, Adverbial clause can be classified as same as adverb is classified. i.e.

Adverb clause of Time: This clause is generally introduced by ‘ when, whenever, while, after, before, since, as , till, until etc’

1. Don’t talk while you are eating
2. As the teacher entered the classroom all the students stood up.

Adverb clause of Place: This clause is generally introduced by ‘where, wherever, whereas, whence etc.’

1. They followed the leader wherever he visited.
2. Put it where you can find it again.

Adverb clause of Manner: This clause is generally starts with ‘ as, as if, as though, such as etc.’

1. She behaves as if she is a celebrity.
2. 
   

Adverb clause of Cause or Reason : This clause is introduced by ‘ because, as, since, that etc.’

1. I will definitely buy it because I like it very much.
2. Since you are so intelligent you will definitely rank in the examination.

Adverb clause of Purpose: This clause  generally contains ‘so that, in order to, lest etc.’

1. We earn so that we can live well.
2. Google map was introduced in order that users can find their way easily.

Adverb clause of Result or Consequences : This clause contains ‘THAT’ which is followed by ‘ so or such’ in the main clause.

1. He is such a cruel man that all hate him.
2. It rained so heavily last year that the rivers were soon in flood.

Adverb clause of Comparison : we use ‘Than or As’ in this kind of clause.

1. He is older than he looks.
2. He is not so responsible as you think.

Adverb clause of Condition : ‘If , whether, unless’ is used to imply condition.

1. If it rains I shall not go to school.
2. Unless you work harder you will not succeed.

Adverb clause of Supposition or concession : ‘Though, although, even if ‘ is used in this kind of clause.

1. Though he is rich he is unhappy.
2. Even if you pay me for this I will not do this.

ANSWER OF TENSES> ERROR DETECTION AND CORRECTION EXERCISE 1

1. 
   

1. I lived in Tokyo since 2002. > I have been living in Tokyo since 2002.

2. The patient died before the doctor came. > The patient had died before the doctor came.

3. John has written a letter to his father last Tuesday. > John wrote a letter to his father last Tuesday.

4. I am reading Shakespeare for the last two months.> I have been reading Shakespeare for the last two months.

5. He had gone to Chennai last week.> He went to Chennai last week.

6. The train has left half an hour ago.> The train left half an hour ago.

7. I was reading this book for three hours before you arrived.> I had been reading this book for three hours before you arrived.

8. Stephenson has invented the steam engine.> Stephenson invented steam engine.

9. The fair has been over a week ago.> The fair was over a week ago.

10. I left Nepal before the earthquake occurred.> I had left Nepal before the earthquake occurred.

11. She will reach the station before the train will go.> She will have reached the station before the train goes.

12. When I finished my task, I shall take a rest.> When I shall finish my task, I shall take rest.

13. I waited at home for you for more than two hours.> I have been waiting at home for you for more than two hours.

14. He will reach home before the storm will come.> He will have reached home before the storm comes.

15. He had been born in 1955.> He was born in 1955.

CORRECT USES OF SOME PREPOSITIONS

Correct uses of some prepositions

Sometimes we get confused while using prepositions. As we know that a preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show true relationship with another word in a sentence. To express the right sense of a sentence we must establish the right relationship between the noun or pronoun and other words of a sentence. If we get confused or use an inappropriate preposition between two words , then the sense or the meaning of the sentence will be different. Therefore it is very important to use a correct one.

Now in this article I am not going to cover the whole preposition chapter or the basic rules but to discuss the uses of some preposition which may confuse us. Basically we get confused between---- IN/WITHIN, IN/AT. BY/WITH, ON/UPON, IN/INTO, AFTER/IN, SINCE/FOR, SINCE/FROM and many more.In this article we’ii  learn about the variant situations and conditions that we need to understand and remember while using these prepositions

IN/WITHIN

First of all , let’s take two examples using in and within—

i)                    My father has gone to a business tour and he will return in a week .

ii)                  My father has gone to a business tour and he will return within a week .

Now, don’t think that both the sentences express the same sense.The meaning and the sense of the sentences are interestingly different.

IN denotes at the end of the given time period in future while WITHIN expresses before the end of the time period

Therefore, in the first instance , the sense what we get is that the person will return at the end of the week mentioned in the sentence( and not before a week). Whereas in sentence no 2 it means that the person will return any time before the given time period (week).This is the key difference between the use of IN and WITHIN.

BUY/WITH

BY is generally used after past participle form of verb in the passive mood of a sentence. BUY is used before living things or human beings to denote the doer of any activity. But WITH is used before the instrument or non-living thing with which an activity or action is done. As---

i)                    The thief was beaten by the men with sticks.

ii)                  The picture is drawn by John with a pencil only.

SINCE/FOR

SINCE is used to express a point of time in the past. And FOR is used to denote the duration of time for any particular act in any type of tense. AS---

i)                    I have been reading this story since 6 in the morning. (note, though the sentence is in present perfect continuous tense but the time mention is a past moment.}

ii)                  I have been reading this story for two hours.

In the first sentence a point of time ( 6 ‘o’ clock) when the act started is mentioned. Hence, SINCE has been used. While, in second one no specific point of time is mentioned. Instead, the duration of the act(reading) is mentioned. i.e. how long the act has been going on. Hence , FOR has been used .

SINCE/FROM

SINCE is used to denote a point of time in the past and generally used before the specific time mentioned in present perfect or present perfect tense ( as we discussed earlier). While FROM is used in any form of tense. Again we need to know that when FROM is used in a sentence it is generally followed by other prepositions like  to, till, until etc. i.e. FORM denotes the starting point along with the ending point of an act by following to, till, until etc.   AS---

I)                    I have been living here since 1990.

II)                  This program will be running from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

III)                I have been there from 2010 till now.

ON/UPON

When we spoke of things which are unmoved or at rest , we use ON. On the other hand, when things in motion are spoken of take the preposition UPON. Examples will help you to make out the concept clearer. As---

i)                    We sat on the wooden bench in the park.

ii)                  The thief jumped upon the fence.

iii)                The cat sprang upon the wall.

iv)                He was told to stand on the bench.

IN/INTO

IN denotes one’s sate of rest or position inside anything. While INTO denotes one’s change of position from one place towards inside of anything.

i)                    Dad is in the room.( implies rest)

ii)                  He fell into the pool. ( implies change of position towards the pool.)

AFTER/IN

AFTER is used to refer at the end of a time period in past . But, if a point of time is to mention then AFTER can be used in all tenses.  As---

i)                    The wound was cured after a week. ( it will be wrong if we say The wound will be cured after a week)

ii)                  He will come/comes/came after 6 p.m.

Whereas,  IN must be used to denote at the end of a future space of time. As---

i)                    He will come in a month.

ii)                  They will return in a few days.

 AGO/BEFORE

AGO is used to refer a time before now ( at present) while BEFORE denotes a time earlier than a past event.  There is one more point to remember that the preposition BEFORE is generally used in past perfect tense. Look at the instances---

i)                    I joined this office 2 years ago.

    ii)            I had joined this office before Mr. Roy resigned

TENSES> ERROR DETECTION AND CORRECTION EXERCISE 1

TENSES> ERROR DETECTION AND CORRECTION EXERCISE 1

Detect the mistakes in tenses and correct the sentences:

1. I lived in Tokyo since 2002.
2. The patient died before the doctor came.
3. John has written a letter to his father last Tuesday.
4. I am reading Shakespeare for the last two months.
5. He had gone to Chennai last week.
6. The train has left half an hour ago.
7. I was reading this book for three hours before you arrived.
8. Stephenson has invented the steam engine.
9. The fair has been over a week ago.
10. I left Nepal before the earthquake occurred.
11. She will reach the station before the train will go.
12. When I finished my task, I shall take a rest.
13. I waited at home for you for more than two hours.
14. He will reach home before the storm will come
15. he had been born in 1955.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Check your answers HERE

TOP 10 RULES OF SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT WITH EXAMPLES

As subject-verb agreement is one of the most vital topics of English grammar , hence I am very much pleased to start my post with this one.Here , I shall discuss and explain step by step, rule by rule with lot of examples and exercises to enhance your English grammatical ability, which will be very helpful for your writing and speaking ability in English grammar.

First of all we all must know that the verb of a sentence must follow or agree with the subject of the sentence. Now, to maintain the agreement between the subject and the verb we need to understand and follow some grammatical laws or rules.
 The primary or the basic rule regarding subject-verb agreement is that a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb, But to implement this easy rule in a sentence we need to understand and identify the actual subject of that sentence . Sometimes you may be confused between two nouns or subjects used in a sentence. A prepositional phrase between subject and verb also may confuse you.

Add caption

Rule 1> two or more singular nouns or pronouns joined by 'and' require a plural verb. As--

       i)  Gold and silver are used to make jewelry

       ii)  John and Ronny are intimate friends.

        iii) Time and tide wait for none.

Note ; If the nouns ( joined by 'and' ) suggest one idea to the mind or refer to the same person or thing , the verb must be singular : as--
     i)   Bread and butter is my favorite breakfast.( as  'bread and butter'  is considered  a single dish of food)
      ii) The famous poet and lyricist has arrived.( here, 'the poet and lyricist' refers the same person )
REMEMBER > if the article used only once, then the two nouns refer two the same person and the verb is used singular . But if the article is mentioned twice , then two distinct persons are intended,  so the verb following must be in the plural number; as--
      The poet and the lyricist have arrived.
Rule 2>  If two nouns are joined by 'with', along with' or 'as well as' the verb agrees with the first noun or subject. if the first noun is singular , then the verb must be singular even if the second noun is plural. As--
 i)   John, as well as his friends, has scored good marks.
ii)   The mayor, with his Councillors , is present in the ceremony.
iii)  The chief minister, along with four other ministers, is expected shortly.
Rule 3> two or more singular subjects connected by 'or', 'nor', either...'or', 'neither....nor' require a singular verb . As---
  i)  Either John or Rony is accountable for this mistake.
 ii) Neither the class teacher nor the class monitor was present there.
III) Our achievement or our failure is largely due to our own actions.

But REMEMBER > when one of the subjects  joined by 'or' 'nor' 'either...or'  'neither...nor' etc. is plural(or the subjects are of different persons), then the verb must agree with the nearest subject; As-
 i) Neither the chairperson nor the directors are present.
ii) Either he or I am going to the party.

Rule 4> 'Either', 'Neither', 'Each', 'Everyone', 'Many a' must be followed by a singular verb; As--
  i) The director asked me whether either of the applicants was suitable.
 ii) Neither of the two students is intelligent.
iii) Each of these chemical substances is found in Srilanka.
 iv) Everyone of the girls likes to eat chocolate.
  v) Many a man does not know his own good deeds.

Rule 5> Two nouns qualified by 'each' or 'every' even though connected by 'and' require a singular verb; As--  i) Every boy and every girl was given a packet of sweets and snacks.

Rule 6> Some nouns which are plural in form but singular in meaning , always take a singular verb ; and same rule is also applied when a plural noun denotes some specific quantity or an amount considered as whole. as-- i) Mathematics is my favorite subject.
      ii) Two weeks is enough time to complete the project.
     iii) Is the news true?
      iv) Extra fifteen minutes is given to read the question paper carefully.
       v) Fifty thousand rupees is enough for starting a new business.
Here, though the words 'mathematics' and  'news' are plural in form but these words actually express singular meaning.
And 'two weeks', 'fifteen minutes', and 'fifty thousand rupees' are also plural in form but here , these words or group of words are actually denoting a specific quantity or an amount considered as whole.

Rule 7> When a collective noun denotes the idea of oneness, the verb must be singular. But if the  individuals of the collection is thought of, the verb must be plural. as --
   i) The jury( idea of oneness) has given the final verdict.
  ii) The jury (individuals of the jury ) are on one minor point.

Rule 8> Sometimes prepositional phrase between subject and verb may create confusion for you. the prepositional phrase must not be considered as the proper subject of the sentence. Therefore, the verb must agree with the actual subject of the sentence,which is generally placed in beginning of the sentence. AS--
   i) The quality of the products is excellent. ( the actual subject of this sentence is 'the quality' , not the word 'products'. So the prepositional phrase 'of the products' must be avoided to make the right agreement. more examples--
  ii) The colours of the rainbow are wonderful.
  iii) The behaviour of the students was good.

Rule 9> If a relative pronoun is used in a sentence , the verb must agree with the antecedent of the relative pronoun. As--
   i)  He is one of those men who seek only own interest. ( here, the antecedent of the relative pronoun is 'men',so the verb must be ;seek; not ;seeks'.)

Rule 10> 'None', though singular in form but generally takes plural verb. As--
  i) none are so dull as those who can not understand anything.