What Is a Preposition in a Sentence? 7 Examples and Their Uses

Are you curious about prepositions? Let's discover all about preposition in a sentence, what they are, how they function, and explore 7 clear examples with practical uses.

Margaret Atwood

Published on: 02-12-2024

Reviewed by: Margaret Atwood

Do you feel like why we use words like "in," "on," or "at" in sentences? Why do these small words play such a big role in how we communicate? Prepositions may seem tiny, but they are essential to forming clear and complete sentences.

Without them, our sentences might sound incomplete or confusing. Among the most frequently used words in English, about one-third are prepositions, with "of," "in," and "to" being some of the most common.

For example, the word "of" alone ranks in the top 10 most frequently used words in English.

In this article i’ll tell you about:

Use of preposition in sentences
What are prepositions
The basic use of prepositions
Misused prepositions
Appropriate use of different prepositions
7 examples for better understanding

Let’s see what prepositions are? and how do they help us connect ideas in everyday language?

Use of preposition in a sentence

Prepositions help make sentences more detailed and specific. They give context to the action. Whether you’re describing where something is happening (“at the park”) or when it’s happening (“before dinner”) prepositions provide that necessary connection.

The preposition helps clarify the relationship between different parts of the sentence. Without them, our communication would be incomplete or difficult to understand.

What are prepositions?

Do you think about how we describe where things are or how they relate to each other in a sentence? That’s where prepositions exist, these connect words or sentences and also help us understand relationships between different parts of a sentence.

Prepositions show relationships between different elements in a sentence and provide additional information about time, place, direction and manner.

What do Prepositions do?

Prepositions are best to answer specific questions that provide context and detail in a sentence. These questions often include:

Where? (Location or position)
When? (Time or date)
How? (Manner or method)
Why? (Reason or purpose)

Let’s understand it with detailed examples:

Question	Preposition	Usage	Example
How	With	Method or instrument	He cut the paper with scissors.
By	Means of action or transport	She went by car.
Where	In	Inside an enclosed space	The kangaroo is in the yard.
On	On a surface or open area	The xylophone is on the table.
At	Specific location	We are at the museum.
When	At	Exact time	The event starts at noon.
On	Specific days and dates	The party is on Friday.
In	Months, years or longer periods	She will arrive in autumn.

The basic use of prepositions

Prepositions are words that link nouns in a sentence, pronouns or phrases to other words within a sentence. They give us extra information about time, place, direction, or manner.

These help to connect sentences together. Maintain the sentence structure to make it more meaningful.

Let’s have an example:

"The fox is under the table."

Here, "under" tells us the cat's position relative to the table.

"She walked through the park."

In this case, "through" indicates the path she took.

These small words help us create a clearer picture of what's happening.

Frequently misused prepositions

Some prepositions are a bit tricky because they sound similar or have overlapping uses. Different types of sentences oftenly messed up by using misused prepositions. For instance, "in" and "on" often confuse people:

"The eraser is in the bag."

Here, "in" means inside.

"The eraser is on the table."

Here, "on" means resting atop.

Another example is "to" vs. "for":

"I gave the gift to her."

"To" indicates the direction of the action.

"This gift is for her."

"For" shows the purpose or recipient.

Getting these right can really make your sentences clearer!

Appropriate usage of different prepositions

The usage of prepositions matters a lot. Different prepositions are used in different perspectives. Such as, accurate prepositions make the sentences easy to understand and readable.

It clearly explains the meaning of the subject of a sentence in a specific way. Let’s have a look at the usage of various prepositions.

Category	Preposition	Usage	Example
Time	At	Specific point in time	The meeting starts at 3 PM.
On	Days and dates	She was born on Monday.
In	Months, years, longer periods	He was born in December.
Place	In	Enclosed spaces or within boundaries	The mouse is in the box.
On	Surfaces or higher positions	The violin is on the table.
At	Specific points or locations	I am at the bus stop.
Direction	To	Movement towards a destination	She is going to the gymnasium.
Towards	General direction	He ran towards the park.
Manner	With	Accompanied by or using	She writes with a gel pen.
By	Means of action	They traveled by train.

These propositions are best to write clear sentences. It’s necessary to check the sentence whether it’s correct or not. The best way is to give a prompt to the sentence rewriter tool, to rewrite the sentence accurately.

It remakes the sentences with correct preposition, sentence structure and suitable vocabulary that enhances the clarity and readability of the sentences.

Compound prepositional phrases

Sometimes, prepositions come in pairs or groups, and these are known as multi-word prepositions. They function similarly to single-word prepositions but add more detail of every aspect.

These are mostly used in compound sentences to enhance the meaning of the sentence. Here are a few examples to understand in better way:

Multi-Word Preposition	Example Sentence	Explanation
In front of	The car is parked in front of the shop.	“In front of" indicates the position of the car relative to the house.
Next to	She sat next to me.	“Next to” shows the position of where she sat in relation to "me."
Out of	He jumped out of the window.	“Out of" describes the movement from inside the window to outside.

These examples show how multi-word prepositions provide more specific details about location and movement.

7 examples of prepositions in sentences

Following are some examples of prepositions. Let’s clear your concepts by overviewing the examples.

Example 1:

The keys are on the kitchen counter.

"On" shows the location of the keys.

Example 2:

He will call you after the meeting.

“After" tells us when the call will happen.

Example 3:

The horse ran towards the park.

"Towards" indicates the direction of the dog's run.

Example 4:

She was sitting beside her friend.

"Beside" shows the position relative to the friend.

Example 5:

The movie starts at 8 PM.

"At" gives us a specific time.

Example 6:

They walked along the beach.

"Along" describes the path of their walk.

Example 7:

The gift is from my cousin.

"From" tells us the origin of the gift.

You easily set these prepositions in simple sentences to make the meaning and context meaningful. It helps you to convey your message or thoughts in an effective manner.

Quick tips and tricks to use prepositions

Let’s have quick tips and tricks to use prepositions.

Use precise prepositions to clearly describe the location, time, or manner.
Don’t use unnecessary prepositions. For instance, instead of saying "The book is on top of the table," simply say "The book is on the table."
Make sure that the prepositional phrases in your sentences are clear and correctly placed. Do not mix complex and compound complex words.
Regularly practice using prepositions in sentences to get familiar with their proper usage. For instance, write sentences using "between," "among," and "with" to see how they fit different contexts.
Familiarize yourself with common prepositional combinations and phrases, like "at risk," "by accident," and "under pressure."

Final words

By ending the discussion, it’s clear how these small words play a big role in our daily communication. These are important to enhance the meanings and readability of the sentences.

One of the most necessary things is to use the prepositions appropriately. A little mistake messes up the structure and makes the sentence more complex.

So, ready to put these tips into practice? Don’t hesitate to review examples and seek feedback to refine your skills. Start using prepositions more effectively today and make your communication even more impactful!

Frequently asked questions

Can prepositions be used to show direction?

Yes, prepositions such as "to," "towards," "into," and "through" are used to indicate direction.

Does practicing improve the skill of using prepositions?

Practice definitely improves your skill of using prepositions by writing sentences, reading examples.

Does the use of preposition enhance the clarity and readability of the sentences?

The appropriate use of prepositions makes the sentence more clear and easy to understand. It also enhances the readability and clear the meaning of the sentences.