Prepositions showing time Prepositions

1. Prepositions showing time

There are three kinds of prepositions that show time, they are : a. One point of time On I saw him on Saturday. On used with a day of the week I saw him on September 16 On used with a day of the month On as a preposition of time may be omitted – I saw him Saturday. At I saw him at noon or night, midnight. At used with a part of the day considered as a point. I saw him at five o’clock. At used with an hour of the day. Occasionally, in informal usage, at may be omitted- I saw him five o’clock. In I saw him in September. In used with a month I saw him in 1968. In used with a year I saw him in the morning. or afternoon, evening.In used with a part of the day. I saw him in the spring. In used with a season. b. Extended Time. These prepositions showing that the actions starts at one point and ends at another duration, are as follows : Since I have not seen him since Monday. Since gives the beginning point. If it is used with the present perfect tense, the end point is now. By I can see you by Monday. By implies no later than, at any time up to this point . From-to I can see you from ten o’clock to two o’clock. A or Until,till beginning point with from generally requires an end point with to. But : From now on or from ten o’clock on, I will study very hard;From ten on I studied very hard. If only the end point is given, until is used- I cannot see you until five o’clock. In speech till is frequently heard. For I can see you for an hour. For gives a quantity of time, it is usually accompanied by a number I waited for two hours or by an adjective or indefinite quantity I haven’t see him for some time; He has been working bery hard for many weeks. In informal use, for may be omitted before a number I waited two hours During I can see you during the week. During gives a block of time, usually thought of as undivided In or within I can see you in an hour from now. In gives a quantity of time before which something will happen. The population has double in the last ten years. In corresponds to during, but it is used with a quantity rather than with a single block of time. With a word like decade that denotes an expanse of time, in or during may be used, depending on whether the time is felt as a quantity or as a single block of time- The population has doubled in or during the last decade. C. Sequence of Time These prepositions showing events that follow one another, are as follows: Before I will see you before Wedenesday. The event precedes the time given before phrase. After I will see you after Wednesday. The event follows the time given after phrase. Subsequent to this a literary equivalent of after. Prepositions of time may introduce not only adverbial prepositional phrases, as in those just given, but they may also introduce adjective phrases that modify nouns or pronouns. For example : The meeting on September 16 has been canceled. 13 2 Prepositions showing the position, or place There are three kinds of prepositions that show the position or place, they are : a. The point it self In or inside Hang your coat in the closet. In gives the area of something enclosed-a container, a drawer, a room, a building, the world. There was no one inside the house.inside emphasizes the containment. On Put the dishes on the table. On indicates the surface of something- a floor, a wall, a ceiling, a desk, a street. He is standing on top of the desk. on top of emphasizes the uppermost horizontal surface. It is used with an object that has some height. At He is at school. at church, at the store.at refers to general vicinity. Were presence at a place is indicated. At also used for addresses with street numbers –He lives at 234 Park Avenue but he lives on Park Avenue. After the verb arrive, at refers to a place smaller than a city or town- He has arrived at the airport or the station, the library; in refers to a place larger than a city or town – He arrived in California or Brazil, Europe. For 13 Marcella Frank, Modern English: A Practical Reference Guide, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall,Inc., 1972 p. 165 a city, in is more usual, but at may also be used, especially in reference to traveling-the plane arrived in or at Singapore an hour late. b. Higher or lower than a point 1 Higher Over The plane flew over the mountains.Over is felt to be generally higher than a point. Above He lives on the floor above us. Above is felt to be directly higher than a point. This distinction between over and above is not always carefully observed. 2 Lower Under A subway runs under this street. Under is felt to be generally higher than a point. Underneath He swept the dirt underneath the rug.Underneath expresses the idea of close under, especially so as to be hidden. Beneath Beneath a tree laid a dog fast a sleep.Beneath expresses the idea of directly under, with some space between. Below He lives on the floor below us. Below is felt to be directly lower than a point. 3 Neighboring the point Near He lives near the University. Near has the most general meaning of neighboring a point. By is a synonym for near. Close to means very near. Next to The theater is right next to the post office.With nothing else between them. Alongside The tug pulled up alongside the tanker. adjoining persons or thing considered as lined up, or side by side. Beside He sat beside his wife during the party. On one side of a person or thing that has two sides. Between He sat between his two sons. On each side of a person or thing are positioned around a point, among is used-He sat among all his grandchildren. Opposite The museum is just opposite the post office.Directly facing someone or something else. 3 Prepositions showing the Direction The kind of movement designed by each prepositions given below is illustrated by the diagram below : To-From He always walks to school from his home. To From Toward s The Pilgrims headed towards to Mecca. Away-From They moved away from their old neighbor. Towards Away from In to-out of He ran into the house quickly. After a few minutes he ran out of the house with an umbrella under his arm. into out of Up-down He climbed up or down the stairs. up down Around The ship sailed around the island. Around Through You can drive through that town in an hour. Through Past or by He walked past or by his old schoolhouse without stopping. ------------------- Past As far as up to We will walk only as far as up to the old school house.Then we will turn back. 14 --------- As far as 14 Marcella Frank, Modern English: A Practical Reference Guide, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall,Inc., 1972 p.168.

4. Prepositions of Place in, at, on a. We use in when we think of a place as three-dimensional.