The right prepositions usage in English

To get a clear idea of the right prepositions usage in English, you should understand that they’re special relationship words that give helpful guidance and clues to show how the rest of a sentence fits together. There are some English rules that cover their use. They relate to the following:

• What type to use and when;
• How to use them;
• Where they should be in sentences.

What is a preposition?

It’s a certain word that explains to all readers the space, time, and logical relationship between different parts of a sentence. It links all words together to let them understand how they all fit. In English, there are many propositions that all learners should know. One simple and effective way to recognize and memorize them is to comprehend that these are words that can tell you all possible directions, like:

• Around;
• Close;
• Down;
• Near;
• Far;
• Up;
• Close and others.

All the above-mentioned examples are prepositions, and you need them to indicate relationships between others parts in the same sentence. Most of them have a few definitions. It means that their meaning can change in different contexts. Many of them can tell you where or when something happened, and ending sentences with them isn’t a grammar mistake. Find out more about the prepositions usage in English below. They’re important to tell you when or where something it in relation to other things (if monsters are approaching, it’s great to have special words to tell others where they’re). Use them to determine where one noun is in relation to others. There are helpful to indicate more abstract ideas, including contrasts and purposes.

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Basic types

In English, different preposition types indicate a specific direction, location, time, spatial relationship, and other abstract ideas. Check out these helpful ideas and search for more examples:

• Time (they’ve been working since the morning);
• Space (his dog hid under that table);
• Direction (look to the left to see our destination);
• Location (they saw an interesting movie at the theater).

What are the preposition rules?

There are only two important rules in the English language that students need to follow:

• Their choice (some prepositions must follow specific words, and it’s necessary to use them to indicate clear relationships between words in a sentence);
• The appropriate placement (follow them with nouns and write them at the end of your sentence only in specific cases).

Students think that the above-mentioned rules are a bit vague. That’s why learning and using them correctly rakes enough practice. Even the most advanced and successful students may have difficulties when following preposition rules because they aren’t so simple. There are over 100 types in the English language. It’s possible to choose endless options to create specific prepositional phrases, and that’s why you should focus on helpful exercises, lists, and examples. As you read and study them, keep in mind that they convey different concepts, including comparisons, purposes, time, directions, and others.
 

How to make a good preposition choice?

Determining the most suitable one to use is a tricky task. Things become more complex if you deal with idioms, which are special expressions in the English language that don’t make sense when people take them literally, especially your professor. You should memorize idiomatic expressions. If there are mistakes, these are preposition errors.
 

The importance of reading examples

Unfortunately, there isn’t any reliable formula to determine the necessary one to use for a specific combination of words. The most effective way to learn what prepositions fit particular words is to read helpful examples and pay attention to those combinations that sound correct. What to do next? Learn to use of English correctly:

• At the end of your sentence;
• In its context;
• Unnecessary prepositions.

In the context of a specific sentence

Follow every preposition with a pronoun or noun that serves as its object. That’s because verbs can’t be objects. Some students may find this rule confusing as they see the words that look like verbs and follow prepositions in sentences.
 

How to use them at the end of sentences?

In most cases, you won’t use them at the end of sentences because you need to follow them by nouns or objects. There are specific situations when it’s acceptable to do that. These exceptions are for those types that aren’t extraneous. It means that they should be there because the whole meaning of a particular sentence will change considerably, so the old claim is debunked. Writers who keep insisting that prepositions can’t end sentences risk ending up with the unnatural and stilted ideas that lack logic and a good flow. In formal writing, you can move them to earlier spots.
 

What are unnecessary prepositions?

Adding them to the end of questions is one of the most common mistakes that English students can make in their writing. It’s common in some dialects, but it’s an error in writing. You can easily solve this problem by deleting the unnecessary ones at the end of your questions to improve the quality of your content. If you can’t determine a proper type to use, get rid of it. Many prepositions in your text are a sign of poor writing. Getting rid of them tightens up sentences and you end up with short, easy-to-understand, and direct ideas in your text.

Final words

You can use them in many ways, and the most effective way to get familiar with their usage is by looking at them in helpful examples. Where to find them? Read a lot, point out the ones you find in sentences, or get expert assistance online and entrust this task to qualified professionals.

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