EX.— "I place my hand
on the table." If we omit the word "on" the sentence would make no sense. The hand might be placed
on the table, or
under the table, or
above the table. Until we insert a preposition, the relation between the hand and the table is not known.
EX.—a. Respect the man behind the gun. b. His father ran rapidly toward him. Note that the word
behind serves to show the
position of the
man in relation to the
gun. Note that the word
toward serves to show the
direction the
father ran in relation to
him. Such a word as
behind or
toward, placed before a noun or pronoun to show position or direction, is a preposition.
EX.—a. You must not run
in school. b. You must not run into school. These two sentences do not mean the same thing. Sentence
a. means that you must not run around while in school. Sentence
b. means that you must not run when entering the building.
NOTE— In means position
within a place.
NOTE— Into means position or direction
toward a place.
Prepositions are often misused because they are not properly distinguished.
How to Use Prepositions Correctly
Because prepositions have different shades of meaning, you must use them with great care. Here are some suggestions to help you to use them correctly:
1) Ordinarily such prepositions as
in, on, at, and
by refers to rest; such prepositions as
to, into, unto, toward,
from, and a few others, denote motion.
EX.— The jacket is lying
on the table.
EX.— The boy walked
to school.
2) In refers to position or presence within;
into refers to entrance.
EX.— Many employees of Walmart live
in the community
EX.— A young woman came
into the office to apply for a job.
3) Between should be used when you refer to two persons
or things; use
among, when you refer to three or more.
EX.— His father divided his time
between work and coaching soccer.
EX.— The boss distributed the money as a bonus
among his employees.
4) Beside means by the side of;
besides means in addition to.
EX.—The plaintiff sat
beside his attorney.
EX.—Besides ambition, the salesman should have patience.
5)In should be used to refer to the interior of any place. It is used before the names of countries or districts and of large cities.
At should be used to refer to a place as a local point, such as a community.
EX.— The salesman of the company arrived
in New York on Saturday.
EX.— Our tour guide stopped
at Lake Village, a small town in Arkansas.
6) On and
upon should be considered as absolute synonyms, but
upon is more forceful.
Upon is also the proper word to use with
depend, such as: "Your ability in any work
depend upon dozens of important skills."
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