HS6151 – Technical English I Unit – 1 Topic - Prepositions

Preparatory Task:

Read the follow image carefully

Complete the following sentences based on your understanding of the image:

1. The cat is sitting ____________ the dining table.

2. The clock is _____________ the table.

3. The candle stick is __________ the wall.

4. A beautiful bushy flower vase is kept ________ the sofa.

5. The fish is swimming __________ glass bowl.

6. A tea cup is placed ___________the cupboard.

7. The mirror is hanging _________ the wall.

8. The pillow in ________ the cupboard.

9. The tea jar is________ the sofa.

10. The carpet is ________ the stool.

Dept. of English Anna University Chennai

HS6151 – Technical English I Unit – 1 Topic - Prepositions

Prepositions:

The words you have used in the above blanks are preposition.

 A preposition in a sentence shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and

another word in the sentence.

o Commonly used prepositions are about, before, by, during, on, under, etc.

 Prepositions formed from more than one word are called compound prepositions.

o Commonly used compound prepositions are according to, in place of,

because of, and instead of.

 A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its

object to the rest of the sentence. Read the following examples:

The cup is on the table.

The cup is beneath the table.
The cup is leaning against the table.
The cup is beside the table.
He held the book over the table.
She dropped the cup during class.

In each of the preceding sentences, a preposition locates the noun "cup" in space or in
time.

 List of prepositions

about, above, across, after, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below,
beneath, beside, besides, between, beyond, but (when it means except), by,
concerning, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, out,
outside, over, past, since, through, to, toward, under, until, up, upon, with,
within, and without.

Dept. of English Anna University Chennai

HS6151 – Technical English I Unit – 1 Topic - Prepositions

Important points about prepositions

Dept. of English Anna University Chennai

HS6151 – Technical English I Unit – 1 Topic - Prepositions
Activity 1

Read the following text and underline the prepositions:

Quilts - more than mere objects…

A quilt is simply a cover for a bed. But, to many women, it has a deeper significance. In
colonial America, women often sewed and assembled quilts together. These quilting
parties were a chance for much-needed socialization. Quilts were pieced together from
extra cloth swatches. Each piece reminded the quilter of a loved one. Quilts were often
presented as gifts. Instead of money, young newlyweds would receive a quilt. Today,
quilts have regained much of the popularity they had years ago. By means of quilts,
people today can touch the past.

Activity 2

Identify the prepositional phrases in the following sentences:

1. Between the two houses is a large white fence.

2. Our class met some visitors from China.

3. Their charming cottage is near Lake Cumberland.

4. Have you eaten anything since breakfast?

5. The cricket match was cancelled on account of heavy rain.

6. The marine engineers were working inside the submarine.

7. Messy, football player of Argentina, always plays according to the rules.

Activity 3

Add a prepositional phrase to each sentence using the preposition specified in parentheses.
Write your new sentence on the lines below:

Example:

There is a wood house. (in)

There is a wood house in the woods._____________________________________

Dept. of English Anna University Chennai

HS6151 – Technical English I Unit – 1 Topic - Prepositions

1. We set up the camp. (after)

________________________________________________________________________

2. Kurunji flower grows. (near)

________________________________________________________________________

3. The hikers took flashlights. (in addition to)

________________________________________________________________________

4. I would love to eat vegetables. (instead of)

________________________________________________________________________

5. Everyone liked the pizza. (expect)

Activity 4

4.1 Read the following poem and identify the prepositions:

Underneath the Skin

Underneath the skin—brown, yellow, black or white,

In the mind hidden
From sight,
Down the body,
Through the heart,
Among the people,
Between the nations,
Around the world,
Outside the corner market,
At the cemetery,
Within the places of worship,
Unforgiving festers; hate infests too many of us.

Dept. of English Anna University Chennai

HS6151 – Technical English I Unit – 1 Topic - Prepositions

4.2 Write a simple poem using prepositions. You may refer to the preposition word bank
given below:
from towards by into
over on to up
beneath off because of down
above below outside inside
underneath but between etc.
besides with around
along among at through

URLs for further reference

S. No Web links (URL) Purpose

1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxPmOS8zKHQ Help teacher in teaching
prepositions
2 http://www.teach-this.com/resources/prepositions Activities based on prepositions
3 http://www.dailygrammar.com/archive.html Examples and Exercises in
different complexity levels
4 http://www.englishpractice.com/common- Common mistakes in using
mistakes/common-errors-prepositions-3/ prepositions (With explanation)
5 http://owl.centralia.edu/handouts/preps.pdf Summary

Dept. of English Anna University Chennai