Parts of Speech • Grammar Courseware

PREPOSITION

Courseware for Learners Aged 11 Years and Above

Learn how prepositions show relationships of place, time, direction, movement and more.

Preposition = முன்னிடைச்சொல்

🎯 Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

Explain what a preposition is and identify it in a sentence.
Use common prepositions of place, time, direction and movement correctly.
Distinguish between commonly confused pairs such as in/on/at and since/for.
Use prepositions correctly with days, dates, months, years, times and places.
Recognise prepositional phrases and understand their function.
Choose appropriate prepositions in school-level grammar and writing tasks.
Avoid common errors in spoken and written English.

தமிழ் உதவி: Preposition (முன்னிடைச்சொல்) என்பது ஒரு noun அல்லது pronoun-க்கு மற்றொரு சொல்லுடன் உள்ள இடம், காலம், திசை, தொடர்பு போன்ற உறவை காட்டும் சொல்.

🗺️ Course Roadmap

1–3

Introduction • Place • Time

4–6

Direction & Movement • Position • Place Expressions

7–9

Time Expressions • Phrase • Common Pairs

10–12

Verb + Preposition • Errors • Exam Skills

Practice

Fill in the blanks • MCQs • Editing

Mastery

Revision • Final Challenge

📘 Lesson 1 – Introduction to Prepositions

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in a sentence.

The book is on the table.

Priya is sitting beside Meena.

Ravi goes to school every day.

Arun came from Chennai.

Think of a preposition as a relationship word: It can tell us where, when, which direction, or how two things are connected.

தமிழில்: “மேல், கீழ், உள்ளே, அருகில், முன், பின், முதல், வரை, நோக்கி” போன்ற தொடர்புகளை ஆங்கிலத்தில் prepositions காட்டுகின்றன.

📘 Lesson 2 – Prepositions of Place

These prepositions tell us where someone or something is.

Preposition	Meaning / use	Example
in	inside an area or space	The keys are in the bag.
on	touching a surface	The book is on the desk.
under	below	The cat is under the chair.
above	higher than	The fan is above the table.
behind	at the back of	Ravi stood behind Arun.
between	in the space separating two	Meena sat between Priya and Kavya.
among	in a group of more than two	Rohan was among his friends.
beside	next to	Varun sat beside his brother.

Memory: in = inside • on = surface • under = below • behind = back • beside = next to.

📘 Lesson 3 – Prepositions of Time

The three most important time prepositions are at, on, in.

Preposition	Use	Examples
at	exact time / certain fixed expressions	at 6:30, at noon, at night
on	days and dates	on Monday, on 15 August, on my birthday
in	months, years, seasons and longer periods	in June, in 2026, in summer, in the morning

Ananya wakes up at 6 a.m.

Karthik has a test on Monday.

Priya was born in 2013.

Common trap: We say at night, but in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening.

தமிழ் உதவி: குறிப்பிட்ட நேரம் → at; நாள்/தேதி → on; மாதம்/ஆண்டு/நீண்ட காலம் → in.

📘 Lesson 4 – Prepositions of Direction and Movement

These prepositions show where someone or something is going or moving.

Preposition	Example
to	Rahul went to the library.
from	Meena returned from school.
into	The puppy ran into the room.
out of	Arun walked out of the classroom.
through	They walked through the park.
across	Priya walked across the road.
along	We walked along the beach.
towards	Kavin ran towards his father.
up / down	The children ran up the stairs and came down.

Movement clue: If the sentence describes movement from one place or position to another, check whether a movement preposition is needed.

📘 Lesson 5 – Prepositions of Position and Relationship

Common position words

near
far from
opposite
beside
between
among
in front of
behind
next to

Indian classroom examples

The staff room is opposite the library.

Kavya sits next to Asha.

The school is near the temple.

The teacher stood in front of the class.

தமிழ்: near = அருகில்; opposite = எதிரில்; in front of = முன்பாக; behind = பின்னால்; next to = அடுத்ததாக / அருகில்.

📘 Lesson 6 – Special Uses of In, On and At

Word	Useful patterns	Example
in	in a room, in a city, in India, in a car	Ravi lives in Bengaluru.
on	on the wall, on the bus, on the train, on the road	Priya is on the bus.
at	at school, at home, at the station, at the bus stop	Arun is at school.

Important: English prepositions do not always match Tamil word-for-word. Learn common expressions as useful combinations.

at home ✅ in home ❌

on the bus ✅ in the bus can be possible in a different context, but school exercises commonly expect on the bus.

📘 Lesson 7 – Prepositions of Time: Since, For, By, Until

Preposition	Main idea	Example
since	starting point of time	She has lived here since 2020.
for	duration	She has lived here for six years.
by	not later than a time	Finish the work by 5 p.m.
until / till	up to a time	Wait here until I return.
during	within a period or event	We stayed indoors during the rain.

Easy memory: since = starting point; for = length of time.

📘 Lesson 8 – Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase usually begins with a preposition and includes its object and any words describing that object.

The children are playing in the garden.

The bicycle is near the school gate.

Ravi completed the project before the deadline.

Priya sat beside her grandmother.

Structure: Preposition + object → in + the garden, beside + her grandmother.

தமிழில்: Preposition-ஆல் தொடங்கும் சொற்களின் குழு prepositional phrase எனப்படும். உதாரணம்: under the table, after the class.

📘 Lesson 9 – Common Preposition Pairs

Pair	Difference	Example
between / among	between often for two; among for a group	between Ravi and Arun / among friends
in / into	in = position; into = movement inside	in the room / walked into the room
on / onto	on = position; onto = movement to a surface	on the table / climbed onto the table
beside / besides	beside = next to; besides = in addition to	beside Meena / besides English
by / with	by often shows agent/method; with often shows instrument	written by Ravi / cut with a knife

Exam alert: Read the complete sentence before choosing a preposition. A familiar word is not always the correct answer.

📘 Lesson 10 – Verb + Preposition Combinations

Some verbs are commonly used with particular prepositions. Learn them as useful combinations.

Combination	Example
listen to	Listen to the teacher.
look at	Look at the picture.
wait for	Priya is waiting for her friend.
belong to	This book belongs to Karthik.
depend on	The result depends on your effort.
laugh at	The children laughed at the joke.
agree with	I agree with you.
think about	Arun is thinking about the problem.

தமிழ் உதவி: சில verb + preposition combinations-ஐ தனித்தனியாக மனப்பாடம் செய்வதைவிட ஒரு phrase-ஆகக் கற்றுக்கொள்வது நல்லது: listen to, wait for, depend on.

📘 Lesson 11 – Common Errors and Correct Usage

Incorrect	Correct	Tip
He is good in English.	He is good at English.	Use good at for skill/ability.
She is married with Ravi.	She is married to Ravi.	Use married to.
Discuss about the problem.	Discuss the problem.	Discuss normally does not need about.
Return back home.	Return home.	Return already contains the idea of going back.
She entered into the room.	She entered the room.	Enter can take a direct object.
He is senior than me.	He is senior to me.	School grammar commonly uses senior to.
We discussed about the plan.	We discussed the plan.	Avoid unnecessary prepositions.

Golden rule: Do not add a preposition simply because a similar sentence in another language uses one. Learn the standard English expression.

📘 Lesson 12 – Exam Skills, Practice and Application

Practice A – Fill in the Blanks

The book is ___ the table. (on)
Ravi was born ___ July. (in)
The train arrived ___ 7:30 a.m. (at)
Priya walked ___ the room. (into)
Arun has lived here ___ 2020. (since)
Meena has studied English ___ five years. (for)
The teacher stood ___ the students. (in front of)
Karthik walked ___ the bridge. (across)

Answers: 1. on 2. in 3. at 4. into 5. since 6. for 7. in front of 8. across

Practice B – Find the Preposition

1. The children played in the park.

2. Kavya sat beside her mother.

3. We will meet after lunch.

4. The cat jumped onto the wall.

5. Rahul travelled from Delhi to Jaipur.

Grammar Detective Challenge 🔎

Correct the preposition error:

Arun is good in mathematics.
Priya has been waiting since two hours.
Karthik arrived in 8 o’clock.
Meena walked in the room.
Ravi is sitting between his friends. (Assume a group of more than two.)

Suggested answers: 1. good at mathematics 2. for two hours 3. at 8 o’clock 4. into the room 5. among his friends.

📝 MCQ Practice

1. Choose the correct preposition: “The pen is ___ the box.”
a) on b) in c) at d) to
Answer: b) in

2. We have our English class ___ Monday.
a) at b) in c) on d) from
Answer: c) on

3. Ravi wakes up ___ 6 a.m.
a) on b) at c) in d) by
Answer: b) at

4. Priya walked ___ the classroom.
a) into b) on c) at d) among
Answer: a) into

5. Choose the correct sentence.
a) He is good in English. b) He is good at English. c) He is good on English. d) He is good to English.
Answer: b) He is good at English.

6. “She has lived here ___ 2020.”
a) for b) since c) during d) by
Answer: b) since

7. “She has lived here ___ six years.”
a) since b) at c) for d) on
Answer: c) for

8. Which phrase means “next to”?
a) in front of b) beside c) behind d) between
Answer: b) beside

9. Choose the correct combination:
a) listen at b) listen to c) listen on d) listen for
Answer: b) listen to

10. Which sentence is correct?
a) We discussed about the issue. b) We discussed the issue. c) We discussed on the issue. d) We discussed at the issue.
Answer: b) We discussed the issue.

Self-check:

9–10 = Excellent mastery ⭐ | 7–8 = Very good 👍 | 5–6 = Keep practising 📘 | 0–4 = Review the lessons and try again 🔁

📌 One-Page Revision Chart

Use	Important prepositions	Quick example
Place	in, on, under, above, behind, beside, between, among	The bag is under the desk.
Time	at, on, in	Meet me at 5 p.m.
Direction	to, from, towards	Go to the office.
Movement	into, out of, through, across, along, onto	She walked through the gate.
Duration / time relation	since, for, by, until, during	Wait until noon.

AT – ON – IN Memory Card
AT → exact time: at 7:00
ON → day/date: on Friday, on 15 August
IN → month/year/longer period: in June, in 2026

Since vs For: since + starting point → since Monday / since 2020
for + duration → for two days / for five years

Preposition Spotting Strategy

Read the complete sentence.
Find the noun or pronoun connected to another word.
Ask: Is the relationship about place, time, direction, movement or another connection?
Check the fixed expression: good at, listen to, wait for, depend on.
Read the sentence again to make sure it sounds natural and has the intended meaning.

🏆 Final Mastery Check

Try these questions without looking back at the lessons.

What is a preposition?
Give three prepositions of place.
Which preposition is normally used before a specific clock time?
Which preposition is used with days and dates?
Which preposition is used with months and years?
What is the difference between since and for?
What is the difference between in and into?
Correct: “Ravi is good in science.”
Correct: “Priya has waited since three hours.”
Correct: “Karthik listens the teacher.”

Show suggested answers

A preposition shows a relationship between a noun/pronoun and another word.
Examples: in, under, beside.
at.
on.
in.
Since gives a starting point; for gives a duration.
In usually shows position inside; into shows movement to the inside.
Ravi is good at science.
Priya has waited for three hours.
Karthik listens to the teacher.

மாணவர் நினைவுக் குறிப்பு: Preposition-ஐ தனிச்சொல்லாக மட்டும் மனப்பாடம் செய்யாமல், முழு பயன்பாட்டுடன் கற்றுக்கொள்ளுங்கள்: at 6 o’clock, on Monday, in June, good at, listen to, wait for.

Teacher’s Quick Assessment Rubric

Skill	Secure	Developing	Needs Review
Identifies prepositions	Consistently correct	Occasional errors	Needs guided practice
Place and movement	Accurate use	Some confusion	Needs revision
Time prepositions	Accurate with at/on/in	Minor errors	Needs targeted practice
Fixed combinations	Uses common phrases correctly	Some errors	Needs phrase practice
Exam application	Accurate independently	Needs checking	Needs teacher support

PARTS OF SPEECH – PREPOSITION