Prepositions – Concept and Its Types

A preposition is a connecting word. It comes before a noun or pronoun and connects it to the rest of the sentence. The noun or pronoun that comes after the preposition is called the object of the preposition. 

Prepositions often begin prepositional phrases. To complete the phrase, the preposition teams up with a noun, pronoun, or gerund – the object of the preposition. 

Here are some examples: 

• At noon 

At = preposition; noon = noun (the object of the preposition). 

• Behind them 

Behind = preposition; them = pronoun (the object of the preposition). 

The prepositional phrases are in bold, while every object of the preposition is in bold and underlined. 

Her friend should be there by now. 

The two men are in a hurry. 

The cat goes to sleep at night. 

The dog walks to school with the girl. 

• It is important to note that, while the object of a sentence does not always need to follow the subject, the object of a preposition must always follow the preposition. That being said, a prepositional phrase does not need to come at the end of a sentence. It can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence, regardless of where the subject appears.  

To illustrate this point, let’s look at a few more examples: 

• The man was not late for work. In fact, he arrived early. 
• The woman went on the record during her testimony. 
• Dogs are friendly by nature, but some dogs can be aggressive.