Topic 7: Prepositions — Class 7 English Grammar

📚 Section 1: What is a Preposition?

Definition

A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relationship with another word in the sentence.

The word preposition comes from Latin: pre (before) + position (to place).

Prepositions are like invisible bridges that connect words and show how they relate to each other in terms of time, place, direction, or manner.

🎨 See How Prepositions Change Meaning

The same sentence can have very different meanings just by changing the preposition:

🐱📦

ON the table

The cat is on the table.

📦🐱

UNDER the table

The cat is under the table.

🐱📦

BESIDE the table

The cat is beside the table.

🐱⬇️📦

BEHIND the table

The cat is behind the table.

🐱🔗📦

NEAR the table

The cat is near the table.

🐱➡️📦

BETWEEN the tables

The cat is between the tables.

💡 Quick Trick: A preposition is anything a squirrel can do with a tree — the squirrel can run up the tree, down the tree, around the tree, through the tree, into the tree, beside the tree, behind the tree!

📖 Structure: A preposition is always followed by a noun or pronoun (called the object of the preposition).
Example: She sat on the chair. (chair = object of the preposition)

📚 Section 2: Types of Prepositions

Prepositions are grouped by the kind of relationship they show. Let us explore the four main types.

⏰ A. Prepositions of Time

These tell us when something happens.

📍 AT — Specific Time

at 5 PM
at noon / midnight
at dawn / sunset
at the weekend (British)

📅 ON — Days & Dates

on Monday
on 15th August
on my birthday
on Christmas Day

📆 IN — Longer Periods

in June / in winter
in 2024 / in the 21st century
in the morning / evening
in two hours (future)

Preposition	Use	Example
at	Specific clock time	School starts at 8 AM.
on	Days and dates	We have a test on Friday.
in	Months, years, seasons, parts of day	Mangoes are sweet in summer.
during	Throughout a period	It rained during the match.
before	Earlier than	Finish homework before dinner.
after	Later than	We played after school.
since	From a point in the past	I have lived here since 2018.
for	Duration of time	She danced for two hours.
by	Not later than (deadline)	Submit the project by Monday.
until / till	Up to a certain time	Wait here until I return.

💡 Remember: AT = a point in time, ON = a surface (day/date), IN = enclosed in a period. Think of it as zooming in: IN 2024 → ON 15 August → AT 9 AM.

🏠 B. Prepositions of Place

These tell us where something or someone is.

📍 AT — Specific Point

at the bus stop
at the door
at home / school

📋 ON — Surface

on the table
on the wall
on the second floor

📦 IN — Enclosed Space

in the box
in the garden
in India / in Delhi

Preposition	Meaning	Example
at	A specific point/location	Meet me at the gate.
on	On a surface	The book is on the shelf.
in	Inside an enclosed space	The keys are in the drawer.
above	Higher than (not touching)	The fan is above the table.
below	Lower than	The valley lies below the hill.
between	In the middle of two	Sit between Riya and Aman.
among	In the middle of many	She stood among the crowd.
behind	At the back of	The garden is behind the house.
beside / next to	At the side of	She sat beside her friend.
near	Not far from	The park is near our school.
under	Directly below (may touch)	The cat is sleeping under the bed.
over	Directly above / covering	She draped a shawl over her shoulders.

📖 Between vs Among: Use between when talking about two things. Use among when talking about three or more things.
The secret is between you and me. | She distributed sweets among the children.

➡️ C. Prepositions of Direction / Movement

These tell us the direction in which something moves.

Preposition	Direction	Example
to	Towards a destination	She walked to school.
from	Away from a starting point	He came from Jaipur.
into	Moving inside	The frog jumped into the pond.
out of	Moving outside	She ran out of the room.
through	From one side to the other	The train went through the tunnel.
across	From one side to the other (surface)	The children ran across the field.
along	Following a line	We walked along the river.
towards	In the direction of	The dog ran towards its owner.
up	To a higher place	The boy climbed up the tree.
down	To a lower place	Water flows down the hill.

💡 Into vs In: Use into when there is movement: "She walked into the room." Use in when there is no movement: "She is in the room."

🔧 D. Prepositions of Instrument / Agent

These show how something is done or who/what does it.

🔧 WITH — Instrument / Tool

Cut the paper with scissors.
She writes with a fountain pen.
He opened the door with a key.
Mix the flour with a spoon.

✍️ BY — Agent / Means

The poem was written by Tagore.
She travels by bus every day.
The window was broken by a ball.
He learned by practising daily.

📖 By vs With:
By = the person/agent/means that performs the action: "The book was written by J.K. Rowling."
With = the tool/instrument used: "She signed the letter with a blue pen."

🔗 Section 3: Preposition Pairs & Phrasal Prepositions

Some prepositions are made up of two or more words that work together as a single preposition. These are called phrasal prepositions (or compound prepositions).

Phrasal Preposition	Meaning	Example
in front of	before / facing	A car is parked in front of the house.
because of	due to (reason)	The match was cancelled because of rain.
in spite of	despite	In spite of the cold, he went swimming.
on behalf of	representing	I am speaking on behalf of my team.
instead of	in place of	Use honey instead of sugar.
according to	as stated by	According to the teacher, the test is easy.
in addition to	besides / as well as	In addition to English, she speaks Hindi.
on account of	because of	He was absent on account of illness.
in favour of	supporting	Most students voted in favour of the trip.
along with	together with	Riya, along with her friends, came early.
with regard to	concerning / about	I am writing with regard to your complaint.
in the middle of	at the centre of	There is a fountain in the middle of the park.

💡 Tip: Phrasal prepositions behave exactly like single-word prepositions — they are always followed by a noun or pronoun.

⚖️ Section 4: Preposition vs Adverb

The same word can be a preposition or an adverb depending on how it is used. The key difference: a preposition is always followed by an object (noun/pronoun), while an adverb is not.

Word	As a Preposition (+ object)	As an Adverb (no object)
on	The book is on the table.	Please carry on. (= continue)
in	She is in the kitchen.	Come in! (no object follows)
up	He ran up the stairs.	She looked up. (no object follows)
down	Water flows down the hill.	Please sit down. (no object follows)
behind	The dog hid behind the sofa.	Don’t fall behind. (= lag)
off	The cat jumped off the roof.	The alarm went off.
over	The bird flew over the lake.	The game is over.
through	We walked through the forest.	Read the book through. (= completely)

💡 Quick Test: Ask "before WHAT?" or "on WHAT?" — if there is an answer (an object), it is a preposition. If not, it is an adverb.

⚠️ Section 5: Common Mistakes with Prepositions

Many students add unnecessary prepositions or use the wrong one. Here are the top mistakes to avoid.

❌ Wrong

She discussed about the topic.
He entered into the room.
We reached at the station.
She ordered for a pizza.
He requested for a holiday.
She married with Rahul.
I asked to him a question.
He is comprised of many talents.
She returned back home.
He accompanied with me.
She emphasized on the point.
He resembles to his father.

✅ Correct

She discussed the topic.
He entered the room.
We reached the station.
She ordered a pizza.
He requested a holiday.
She married Rahul.
I asked him a question.
He comprises many talents.
She returned home.
He accompanied me.
She emphasized the point.
He resembles his father.

🚨 More Tricky Preposition Errors

❌ Incorrect	✅ Correct	Rule
She is angry on me.	She is angry with me.	angry with a person
I am good in Maths.	I am good at Maths.	good at + subject/skill
He is afraid from dogs.	He is afraid of dogs.	afraid of + noun
She is allergic from dust.	She is allergic to dust.	allergic to + noun
He congratulated me for winning.	He congratulated me on winning.	congratulate on + achievement
She is interested for music.	She is interested in music.	interested in + noun
He insisted for going.	He insisted on going.	insist on + gerund
She is fond with chocolates.	She is fond of chocolates.	fond of + noun

💡 Section 6: Quick Tips & Fun Facts

🌟 Tip 1: Preposition at End of Sentence

It is perfectly fine to end a sentence with a preposition in modern English!

"Who are you looking for?" is correct and natural.

🌟 Tip 2: No Preposition Needed!

Some verbs never take a preposition: discuss, enter, reach, order, request, resemble, accompany.

🌟 Tip 3: Since vs For

Since = a point in time (since Monday, since 2020).
For = a duration of time (for two hours, for three years).

🌟 Tip 4: On Time vs In Time

On time = punctual, at the scheduled time.
In time = not late, with time to spare.

🌈 Fun Fact 1: There are about 150 prepositions in English, but only about 70 are commonly used. The top 10 most common are: of, in, to, for, with, on, at, from, by, about.

🌈 Fun Fact 2: The word "preposition" literally means "placed before" (from Latin prae = before + ponere = to place). But in English, prepositions don’t always come before their objects — sometimes they appear at the end of a sentence!

🌈 Fun Fact 3: Winston Churchill reportedly once joked: "Ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I will not put!" — making fun of the old (and wrong) rule against ending sentences with prepositions.

💡 Memory Trick — AT / ON / IN (Time):
Think of time as a target: AT = the bullseye (exact time), ON = the middle ring (a day), IN = the outer ring (a month/year/season).
Smallest → Biggest: AT 6 PM → ON Friday → IN December.

💡 Memory Trick — AT / ON / IN (Place):
AT = a point (at the corner), ON = a surface (on the wall), IN = an enclosed area (in the box).
Think: AT a dot, ON a line/surface, IN a container.

✍️ Section 7: Exercises

📝 Exercise A: Fill in the Correct Preposition

Complete each sentence with the most suitable preposition.

The train arrives ________ 6:30 PM.
My birthday falls ________ 14th November.
We go to the hill station ________ summer.
The cat is hiding ________ the sofa.
She has been waiting ________ two hours.
The children ran ________ the road carefully.
He cut the apple ________ a knife.
The book was written ________ R.K. Narayan.
There is a bridge ________ the river.
The ball rolled ________ the table.
We have lived here ________ 2019.
She walked ________ the park to reach the other side.

Show Answers

Exercise A: Fill in the Correct Preposition

The train arrives at 6:30 PM. (specific time → at)
My birthday falls on 14th November. (date → on)
We go to the hill station in summer. (season → in)
The cat is hiding behind the sofa. (at the back of → behind)
She has been waiting for two hours. (duration → for)
The children ran across the road carefully. (from one side to the other → across)
He cut the apple with a knife. (instrument → with)
The book was written by R.K. Narayan. (agent → by)
There is a bridge over the river. (above, spanning → over)
The ball rolled under the table. (below → under)
We have lived here since 2019. (point in time → since)
She walked through the park to reach the other side. (from one end to the other → through)

📝 Exercise B: Preposition of Time, Place, or Direction?

Identify whether the underlined preposition in each sentence shows Time, Place, or Direction.

She arrived at noon. ________
The painting hangs on the wall. ________
He walked towards the station. ________
The shop opens in the morning. ________
The fish swam through the coral reef. ________
The keys are in my bag. ________
She jumped into the pool. ________
We have a holiday on Monday. ________
The bird flew over the building. ________
I will finish this by evening. ________

Show Answers

Exercise B: Preposition of Time, Place, or Direction?

She arrived at noon. → Time (noon = a point in time)
The painting hangs on the wall. → Place (on a surface)
He walked towards the station. → Direction (movement towards)
The shop opens in the morning. → Time (part of the day)
The fish swam through the coral reef. → Direction (movement through)
The keys are in my bag. → Place (inside an enclosed space)
She jumped into the pool. → Direction (movement into)
We have a holiday on Monday. → Time (a specific day)
The bird flew over the building. → Direction (movement over)
I will finish this by evening. → Time (deadline)

📝 Exercise C: Correct the Errors

Each sentence has a preposition error. Rewrite the sentence correctly.

She discussed about the problem with her teacher.
He entered into the classroom quietly.
We reached at the airport on time.
My sister is good in painting.
The children are afraid from the dark.
He congratulated her for her success.
She ordered for a glass of juice.
I have been living here since three years.
He is angry on his brother.
She resembles to her mother.

Show Answers

Exercise C: Correct the Errors

She discussed the problem with her teacher. (no "about" after discuss)
He entered the classroom quietly. (no "into" after enter)
We reached the airport on time. (no "at" after reach)
My sister is good at painting. (good at, not good in)
The children are afraid of the dark. (afraid of, not afraid from)
He congratulated her on her success. (congratulate on, not for)
She ordered a glass of juice. (no "for" after order)
I have been living here for three years. (duration → for, not since)
He is angry with his brother. (angry with a person, not on)
She resembles her mother. (no "to" after resemble)

📝 Exercise D: Complete the Passage

Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions from the box.

in on at from to with by through for under

Last Sunday, my family went (1) a picnic. We left home (2) 8 AM and travelled (3) car. The park was about 30 km (4) our house. We drove (5) a beautiful tunnel to reach there. My sister sat (6) a large banyan tree and started reading. I played (7) my cousins (8) two hours. We had lunch (9) a mat spread (10) the grass. It was a wonderful day!

Show Answers

Exercise D: Complete the Passage

for — went for a picnic (purpose)
at — left home at 8 AM (specific time)
by — travelled by car (means of transport)
from — 30 km from our house (distance from a point)
through — drove through a tunnel (from one end to the other)
under — sat under a tree (below / beneath)
with — played with my cousins (together with)
for — played for two hours (duration)
on — lunch on a mat (on a surface)
on — spread on the grass (on a surface)

Prepositions

Definition

📍 AT — Specific Time

📅 ON — Days & Dates

📆 IN — Longer Periods

📍 AT — Specific Point

📋 ON — Surface

📦 IN — Enclosed Space

🔧 WITH — Instrument / Tool

✍️ BY — Agent / Means

❌ Wrong

✅ Correct

🌟 Tip 1: Preposition at End of Sentence

🌟 Tip 2: No Preposition Needed!

🌟 Tip 3: Since vs For

🌟 Tip 4: On Time vs In Time

Exercise A: Fill in the Correct Preposition

Exercise B: Preposition of Time, Place, or Direction?

Exercise C: Correct the Errors

Exercise D: Complete the Passage

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