What Is A Preposition, Its 5 Different Types & the Examples

WHAT IS A PREPOSITION – Below is a discussion of this part of speech, its five (5) different types, and some examples.

Preposition is undeniably one of those that many people usually get confused about – when to use “in”, “on”, and “at”. Are you one of the people who are looking for a clear view of this part of speech, its function, and how its different examples are used?

List of the 5 Types of Preposition & their Examples

TYPES OF PREPOSITION – Here is a list of the five(5) kinds of preposition and the examples under each.

One of the most important lessons in English is about the parts of speech. Their functions extend not only within the topic but even in other lessons in the subject.

With regards to the parts of speech in English, there are eight (8) of them and one of them is the preposition. The preposition indicates the relationship of the noun or pronoun to other words in the sentence.

There are different types of prepositions – for time, for place, for direction, for agent, and for instrument. In this article, we will talk about the different types and their examples.

Based on an article on Study and Exam, here is a list of the five(5) types of preposition and their examples:

1. Preposition for Time

This kind of preposition refer to time in different aspects. Under this are the in, on, and at which have different functions.

• In – Used for months; years; particular time of the day, month, or year; and a century or a specific time in the past.
• On – Used for day, dates, and particular events.
• At – Used for time and the particular parts of the day.

Examples:

• Lisa will go home in March
• The doctor roams around the hospital in the morning.
• Meet me on Sunday.
• The group will leave on Independence Day.
• The teacher arrived at exactly 3:00 o’clock in the afternoon.
• Deliver the cookies at lunch time.

2. Preposition for Place

The prepositions under this type are utilized to indicate various places. The in, on, and at have different functions.

• In – Used for places with boundary like buildings.
• On – Used for places with surfaces like table and blackboard.
• At – Used for specific parts of a place.

Examples:

• Marcos is in the Philippines now.
• In school, they don’t wear their uniforms.
• Place the stickers on the wall.
• The food was on the table now.
• Nelly just arrived at the bus stop.
• The brothers met at the entrance of the mall.

3. Preposition for Direction

This type of preposition expressed the direction of the movement of something or someone in the sentence.

Examples:

• Jimmy threw the plates into the ground.
• She was very nervous as the dog ran towards her.

4. Prepositions for Agent

Prepositions under this type shows the relationship between the doer and the action being done.

Examples:

• The books were transferred by the librarian.
• Kino’s project was done by his sister.

5. Prepositions for Instrument

Based on the article, the prepositions for instrument serve the purpose of joining the nouns to the other words in the sentence.

Examples:

• The box was broken with the use of a hammer.
• You cannot open the door with the wrong keys.