Prepositions are perhaps the most used words in English, despite them being only 150 in number. The reason why prepositions are frequently used is that they perform the function of describing a relationship between a noun and a pronoun and the other words in a sentence. Prepositions are useful when communication involves place, time, and direction. They are also useful when relating to objects. This is the second of two High English quizzes which will help to familiarise you with the correct use of prepositions.
Prepositions help to provide more information to the reader. For instance, we may want to know where a certain action takes place. We may want to know the time when the action takes place. We may also want to know by whom the action is performed. Sometimes, we are interested in why an action has taken place. Yet other times we may just want some general information like the direction something moves or the position of objects. Prepositions help to provide all of these.
[readmore]As mentioned earlier, there are around 150 prepositions. Some of the most often used prepositions include AT, ON, IN, AROUND, INTO, BY, BEHIND, AFTER, ACROSS, BEHIND, TO, THROUGH, UP, AROUND, UNDERNEATH, OPPOSITE, AGAINST, DOWN, BELOW, UNDER, AFTER, BESIDE and ABOVE. Besides these prepositions, other prepositions are used that are not common and comprise more than one word. For instance, CLOSE TO, ON BEHALF OF, SAVE FOR, WITH REFERENCE TO and PRIOR TO.
Since the number of prepositions are limited, some of the prepositions can be used to describe more than one kind of action. For example, ‘by’ is a versatile preposition. It can be used in relation to measurements - ‘My son is taller than your son BY 3 inches.’
It can be used in reference to time - ‘She has to be at the movie BY 3 PM.’
It can be used in relation to place - ‘The Metro in New-Delhi passes BY historic monuments such as the Qutab Minar.’
Similarly, many prepositions perform the function of providing information in a variety of situations, whether related to place, time, direction or objects Take the quiz that follows and learn the nuances of prepositions.
[/readmore]
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
The use of 'on' in this sentence is the wrong preposition. The correct sentence is as per option 3. Options 2 and 4 are also sentences that use the correct preposition
|
Remember, when describing dates 'from' is associated with 'to.' If we want to use 'between' then it would be associated with 'and.' In this example we could write 'The championship will be held between September and November.' The other options use prepositions that are not appropriate with reference to the context of the sentence
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Note that there is no preposition used as it is not required. The other options use prepositions that are not appropriate
|
The preposition 'from' is a common one and is used with verbs showing movement. Here it is used in conjunction with 'to.' The other options use prepositions that are not appropriate with reference to the context of the sentence
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
The preposition 'from' is a common one and is used with verbs not only showing movement and but also with verbs not showing movement. Here, it is used in conjunction with 'comes', and refers to Ayesha's home city, Shimoga. The other options use prepositions that are not appropriate with reference to the context of the sentence
|
Remember that 'is from' and 'comes from' are in simple present tense and refer to a person's city of origin. However, in option 3 'came from' is in past tense and it refers to a starting point of a trip (Chennai), and not the person's origin
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
It is unthinkable to walk above a building! In option 1, the preposition 'by' is used in reference to time and here it means not later than Wednesday. In option 2, the preposition 'by' is used in reference to movement past a place. In option 4, the preposition 'by' is used in reference to a place easily reachable and is normally associated with personal pronouns
|
Obviously, we cannot travel 'on' car! The preposition 'by' is commonly used in transportation as in option 1. The preposition 'by' is commonly used in showing a method of doing something as in options 3 and 4
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
The correct form is as in option 3. Remember that the preposition 'by' is used in relation to measurements. The preposition 'by' can be used to show extent or amount, as in option 1.The preposition 'by' can also be used to show persons performing some action as in option 2
|
'In spite of' is a complex preposition and indicates an action in the sentence. In option 2 'above' does not make sense with reference to the context of the sentence. In option 3, the correct sentence would be 'Every citizen should abide by the laws of his country.' Here, we should use a complex preposition 'abide by'
|