How to teach prepositions

Tips for Teaching Prepositions | EnglishClub

The author of the ebook “English Prepositions List” summarizes some of the key points to understand when teaching prepositions and offers tips to make your teaching more effective

Prepositions form a small but important word class, being very frequently used. In fact, the prepositions to, of, in, for, on, with, at, by, from are all in the top 25 words in English. Helping students understand and correctly use prepositions contributes greatly to their fluency. In this article, Josef Essberger, author of English Prepositions List, summarizes some of the key points to understand when teaching prepositions and offers tips to make your teaching more effective.

What do prepositions do?

A clear understanding as to what prepositions are actually for is essential for the teacher, although it may not be necessary to go in detail into the grammar points below at all levels.

Function of a preposition

The function or “job” of a preposition is to express the relationship between two words in a sentence, specifically between a noun, verb or adjective and a noun or pronoun*:

• the woman beside John
• ran into the shop
• happy with you

A preposition is typically (not always) followed by a noun or pronoun (the “prepositional object”) and together they form a “prepositional phrase” (beside John, into the shop, with you).

*Strictly speaking this can be a noun (including proper noun), pronoun, noun group or gerund (verb in noun form):

• noun (dog, table, love) – They are in love.
• proper noun (Bangkok, Mary) – I went to Bangkok.
• pronoun (you, him, us) – She spoke to him.
• noun group (my first job) – I was poor before my first job.
• gerund (swimming) – She is passionate about swimming.

A prepositional phrase functions as an adjective or adverb to modify a noun, verb or adjective:

• the woman beside John (“beside John” functions as an adjective modifying the noun “woman”)
• He works before lunch. (“before lunch” functions as an adverb modifying the verb “works”)
• happy with it (“with it” functions as an adverb modifying the adjective “happy”)

Forms of prepositions

Prepositions have no particular form. The majority of prepositions are one-word prepositions, but some are two- or three-word phrases known as complex-prepositions:

• one-word prepositions (before, into, on)
• complex prepositions (according to, but for, in spite of, on account of)

“Complex prepositions” (on account of) should not be confused with “prepositional phrases” (on the table, on account of his age).

Types of prepositions

Many prepositions have more than one meaning. The meaning can be literal (in the box) or metaphorical (in love). The literal meanings fall into several categories, for example:

• place — under the bed
• time — on Sunday
• movement — towards the horizon
• manner — by train
• means — with a blunt instrument
• accompaniment — without a job
• possession — a friend of mine
• purpose — done for charity

Note that many prepositions belong to more than one category (eg on the table/on Monday, with her friend/with a screwdriver).

A pronoun following a preposition should be in object form

The noun or pronoun that follows a preposition forms a ‘prepositional object’.  If it is a pronoun, it should therefore be in the objective form (me, her, them), not subjective form (I, she, they):

• This is from my wife and me.
• That’s between him and her.
• Mary gave it to them.

Teach by “meaning” category

While you could in theory teach prepositions in alphabetical order, it is generally more helpful to teach them in categories based on meaning, for example:

• prepositions of place — in the box, behind you, over my head
• prepositions of time — on Monday, in 1948, during the day, at night
• prepositions of movement — past the door, through the fence, across the road

By limiting a lesson to prepositions of space, for example, learners can compare, contrast and comprehend the meanings directly (on/under, inside/outside). This works better than trying to teach the various meanings of individual prepositions (on the table, on Monday, on purpose, on time).

Say farewell to the “end of a sentence” myth

Some people claim that a preposition must always come before its object. Although a preposition usually precedes its object, it can sometimes come after its object. Take the very common “Where are you from?” and “I am from England.” The object of from is clearly Where and England. While one could theoretically say “From where are you?”, no-one actually does say that. Normal English usage is “Where are you from?”

There are four main cases where a preposition may naturally fall at the end of a sentence or clause:

• who, where, what questions — What are you interested in?
• relative clause — the plan (that) they are working on
• infinitive — Do you have someone to go with?
• passive — She hates being stared at.

The name “preposition” indicates that prepositions come before something:

• I put it in the box.

But even when a preposition does not come before its object, it is still closely linked to its object:

• Who(m) did you talk to?
• I talked to Jane.

Many prepositions can also be adverbs

It may help your more grammar-oriented students to recognize the difference between a preposition and an adverb. A preposition always has an object. An adverb does not have an object.

• They are in the kitchen. (preposition in has object the kitchen)
  Please come in. (adverb in has no object)
• There was a doorway before me.  (preposition before has object me)
  I had never seen it before. (adverb before has no object)
• I will call after work. (preposition after has object work)
  He called soon after. (adverb after has no object)

Good news. Prepositions are limited in number

Although prepositions may seem difficult to learn, the task is not insurmountable. There are only 150 prepositions and only about 70 of these are commonly used. What’s more, all single-word prepositions are “closed-class”, meaning they are unlikely to be added to. 

The infinitive particle “to” (to sing, to live) often befuddles English learners who may confuse it for the preposition “to” (to London, to me).

to as preposition

• I look forward to lunch
  I look forward to seeing you
  I look forward to see you
• They are committed to the project.
  They are committed to keeping the price down.
  They are committed to keep the price down.
• I am used to cars.
  I am used to driving.
  I am used to drive.

to as infinitive particle

• They used to live in Moscow.
• They love to sing.

Use simple illustrations

Help students understand prepositions of place and movement with simple illustrations.

Where appropriate, try to find contrasting pairs to make the meaning clearer.

Illustrations from English Prepositions List

Use preposition activities

Try to use fun activities in teaching your students and checking their understanding. You can find many preposition games and quizzes that can be used online or offline. The ebook English Prepositions List includes printable preposition quiz sheets (with answers) ideal for classroom use.

Be aware of first-language interference

Be aware that some languages may use a preposition where English does not. So, depending on a student’s first language, you may hear for example:

• Will you marry with me? (marry me)
• He entered to the room. (entered the room)
• I hate from that. (hate that)
• They discussed about the problem. (discussed the problem)
• I have paid for the bill. (paid the bill)

Or, conversely, some languages use no preposition where English requires one:

• She reminds me my childhood. (of my childhood)
• He is waiting the bus. (for the bus)
• She likes to listen music. (to music)

Explain the preposition rule

There is one very simple rule about prepositions. And, unlike most rules, this rule has no exceptions.**

Rule: A preposition is always followed by a “noun”. It is never followed by a verb. By “noun” we include:

• noun (dog, table, love) – This is food for dogs.
• proper noun (Bangkok, Mary) – I went to Bangkok.
• pronoun (you, him, us) – She spoke to him.
• noun group (my first job) – I was poor before my first job.
• gerund (swimming) – She is passionate about swimming.

A preposition cannot be followed by a verb. If we want to follow a preposition by a verb, we must use the “-ing” form which is really a gerund or verb in noun form.

**You didn’t really believe that, did you? Actually, it’s more accurate to say “A preposition is always related to a noun. ” Normally the “noun” comes after the preposition, but occasionally it may come before it (What country do you come from?). But before or after, it is always a “noun”. And “always followed by a noun” is useful at lower levels.

Try this mini preposition quiz

The rule says “a preposition is always followed by a noun”. In the following sentences, why is the preposition “to” followed by a verb? That should be impossible, according to the rule above.

1. I would like to go now.
2. She used to smoke.

The answer is that in “I would like to go now” and “She used to smoke”, the word “to” is not a preposition. It is part of the infinitive (“to go”, “to smoke”). In 1 it is fairly obvious. In constructions like “used to do” it is less obvious.

Give contextual examples

When giving examples, and where possible, try to show prepositions in context by writing full sentences. This makes it far easier for your students to understand or deduce the meaning.

Have students use prepositions in sentences of their own

You can also test understanding by getting your students to use specific prepositions in their own original sentences. Only in this way can you know if they have fully grasped both the concept of prepositions in general and the meaning of particular prepositions.

Illustrations from English Prepositions List

See also:

How to Teach Prepositions of Position to Young Learners

Teaching Prepositions - Great Tips & Classroom Activities 2021

Great tips and classroom activities for you to use to teach prepositions.

Table of Contents

What are Prepositions?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a preposition is a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause. But to make your pupils understand the idea, explain to them that prepositions are words that link nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence.  

When describing the position of something, the time when something happens or how something is done, we use prepositions.

Functions of Prepositions

The function of a preposition is to demonstrate the relationship between two words in a sentence, normally between a noun, verb or adjective and a noun (including proper noun), pronoun, or gerund (verb in noun form). For example:

1. I ran into the classroom.
2. The lady beside Peter.
3. She spoke to him.
4. He is passionate about swimming.
5. I went to Singapore.

A preposition is normally followed by a noun or pronoun and together they form a “prepositional phrase” (about swimming, into the classroom, beside Peter).

Forms of Prepositions

Prepositions have no settled form. The most common prepositions are one-word prepositions (on, before, into), however, there are two- or three-word phrases known as complex-prepositions that we use in our daily lives (according to, along with, in spite of). One thing to notice is that you should make sure that your pupils know the differences between “Complex prepositions” and “prepositional phrases”.

Some prepositions belong to more than one category, for example “on the table/on Saturday, with his wife/with a hammer).

Metaphorical prepositions are those which are used originally to express space, but then expand their meanings to other functions such as means, manner, etc. They are metaphorical since they have a link to the original meanings but extended based on the idea of polysemy.

There is one very simple rule about prepositions: a preposition is always followed by a “noun” (occasionally the noun may come before the preposition). It is never followed by a verb.

"I Say" Game

This is a great active learning game!

Ask your pupils to spilt up into pairs and explain that you are going to call out different prepositions that the pairs have to act out together.  

This can be as simple as “In front”/”Behind” can be done with two pupils, one standing behind or in front of the other. 

The pair to act out or recreate the correct preposition in a fun way wins the round. Keep a tally and the team/pair with the most wins – wins!

The Classroom Ghosts

OH NO! Those pesky ghosts.

Explain to your class that some troublesome ghosts got into the classroom last night and have misplaced some items, and that you need your pupil’s help to put them back…

For this activity you will need to do some preparation of moving objects around the room for example: Moving the clock behind the door, Plushie on your chair, Coffee mug on the bookshelf etc.

Pupils can then investigate in pairs, taking notes of what the “ghosts” have moved, pupils can then use “prepositions of place” to make sentences.

BONUS: Assign a pupil to be the “ghost” and ask them secretly to make changes to the classroom objects.

Grand Designer

Time for your pupils to get creative!

Ask your pupils to describe their ideal bedroom in pairs.

Then get your pupils to write a detailed description of their ideal bedroom using prepositions of place, to give to an interior designer by using the worksheet provided they can also draw their ideal bedroom aswell. 

BONUS: If some pupils feel comfortable have them come up to the front of the class and explain their ideal bedroom while using prepositions of place.

Scavenger Hunt

This activity can be done on the whole school premises or within the classroom if your classroom is big enough. Put children in groups of fours or fives, create several clues, give each small group of students one handout with instructions, and take a picture at each point on the scavenger hunt.

Clues and instructions can be like:

• Walk towards the school gate. There is a poster of a concert on the wall as you walk out of the building. Take a picture of yourself with the poster.
• Along the playground, you will see a statue of a penguin. Take a selfie with it.

The List Challenger

Assign pupils into teams of four. 

Explain that each team must work together against every other team to come up with sentences that include the prepositions that are displayed on the board. Such as: on, in, under, in front of, into, above, at, below, between. 

Teams need to create as many sentences as they can in a specific time frame with no mistakes to win points.

The team with the most points wins!

Grammar with Emile

If you are tired of making props for activities, or you just need one activity that can do all the tricks and get all of your pupils engaged(even the most inactive ones), then you need Grammar with Emile.

Being an online resource it’s now easier than ever to Assess, Practice and Achieve with Emile.

• Our model will automatically assess a pupil’s current ability on given subjects.
• Assign the proper level of practice questions for your pupils to do.
• You can then sit back and wait to see your class’s individual insight into their learning and development as they practice more with better marks and improved overall understanding of a subject.

More Grammar Blogs:

How to learn English prepositions | OK English

English prepositions are probably one of the most difficult topics in learning this language. There are a lot of prepositions in English, about 200. Yes, not all of them are used, but you will have to deal with hundreds of prepositions. The matter is complicated by the fact that English and Russian prepositions do not converge. One English preposition, even if it intersects with some Russian prepositions in terms of meanings, can have a number of other uses. For example, it appears depending on the word with which it is associated. nine0003

Cases

So are there cases in English or not? Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, in English, unlike Russian, there are no cases and endings. Therefore, the order of words in a sentence and prepositions are responsible for the relationship of all members of the sentence.

Formally, nevertheless, in English 2 cases are distinguished - nominative and object . Nominative - everything is clear here - who? or what? The word (subject) in the nominative case does not require any prepositions. All other cases that you and I learned at school (let me remind you, who forgot - genitive, dative, accusative, instrumental, prepositional, and in Ukrainian also "call") are replaced by one English case - object. nine0003

In the video tutorial on the OK English channel, the author tries to draw an analogy between some English prepositions and Russian cases.

How to understand cases and prepositions?

Let's replace the word "case" with "connection". How are connections between words transmitted? For example, “went to store”, “bought a bun from ”, etc. This is how we are used to in Russian. English will have its own cases and its own prepositions. nine0003

In order to understand English prepositions, you need to look at them in action, that is, in context. Here are some tips on what you can do right now to get started with English prepositions:

1. Learn prepositions in sentences or at least in phrases. Do not teach without context, in a list. Do not try to teach them on the principle: "this English preposition corresponds to this Russian." so just get yourself into a trap.

2. Start with the simplest prepositions. For this, prepositions indicating the direction, place, time are suitable. It is highly likely that some of the cases in English and Russian converge. It will be great if the prepositions are illustrated, for example, with a good picture. Often it is a well-chosen illustration that helps to remember the case when the necessary preposition is used. nine0003

3. Look for as many examples and cases as possible with the same preposition. Just don't ask me where to look. For two twenty-first century. In every smartphone with the Internet, consider, there is an online English dictionary, where not just a translation of a word is given, but, which is especially valuable for us, an example of a sentence. One of the best dictionaries in my opinion is the Cambridge Dictionary.

4. Don't try to learn all the prepositions at once! You can't and, as they say, you'll overstrain. Don't waste your time on rare prepositions. How do you know if something is rare? This is something that you almost never see in texts, audio and video materials. If you rarely see this or that preposition (for example, while), then leave it for later. Or forget it even exists. nine0003

5. Do more exercises to memorize prepositions. These are exercises like “insert one of the 5 prepositions into the gaps”, there are many such exercises in grammar books. Or on our website ok-tests.ru.

6. Don't try to learn everything at once. Get familiar with the basics. I remind you once again that it is impossible to learn English in three hours (but I tried). If you learn 20 prepositions well, it's much better than you get to know a hundred, but do not recall anything at all. nine0003

And now, go ahead, watch the lessons on English prepositions, where there are a lot of examples!

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Why do Russian-speaking students often get confused in English prepositions? Difficulties arise because in English, unlike the Russian language, there are practically no cases. And prepositions here perform a very important function: they logically connect the words in a sentence with each other. With their help, you can deftly give different meanings to one verb, form the correct cases, etc. nine0003

There are a lot of prepositions in English. But gradually you can learn everything. If you know the rules for using prepositions in English and understand which group a particular option belongs to, it will not be difficult to correctly use them in sentences.

A better understanding of the purpose of English prepositions is provided by illustrative examples of their use. We propose to consider 4 groups of these important service parts of speech and cases of their use.

1. Prepositions of place in English

In this category of prepositions, the prepositions at, in, on are the best known and most frequently used. They indicate the position of someone (something) in space and usually answer the question "where?".

Preposition	How to translate	How is it used/What does	Usage example
In	in, inside	someone (something) is inside something	Mark put his toys in a box. Mark put his toys in the box.
At	at, in, at	someone is inside something for a specific purpose	My younger sister is at school now. My little sister is at school now.
On	to	someone (something) is on the surface of something	Our cat is sleeping on the sofa now. Our cat is currently sleeping on the couch.
Under	under	someone (something) is under something	He hid under the bed. He hid under the bed.
Above	over	someone (something) is above something	There's a mirror above the sink. nine0101 A mirror hangs over the sink.
Between	between	someone (something) is between someone (something)	There is a break of ten minutes between classes. There is a ten minute break between classes.

2. Prepositions of direction in English

Prepositions of this category indicate the direction of movement.

Preposition	How to translate	How is it used/What does	Usage example
To	to, to, to	towards what (to whom) someone (something) is moving	Let's go to the disco tonight! Let's go to the disco tonight.
Into	to	someone (something) gets in, goes somewhere	They came into the restaurant. They entered the restaurant.
Out of	out of	someone (something) moves from the inside out	Get out of the classroom! Get out of class!
From	from, from, from, from	someone (something) is moving away from someone (something)	They came back from Egypt yesterday morning. nine0101 They returned from Egypt yesterday morning.
Through	through, through	someone (something) is moving from one side to the other	They decided to go through the mountains. They decided to go through the mountains.
Along	lengthwise, by	someone (something) is moving towards something
Across	through	someone (something) moves from one side of something to the other side	We are going to go across the road. We are going to cross the road.

3. Prepositions of time in English

From the name of this group of prepositions it becomes clear that they indicate the time when something is happening, has already happened or will happen in the future. nine0003

Preposition	How to translate	How is it used/What does	Usage example
In	in, through	with days, months, years, time of day, season, time intervals	Mike was born in June. Mike was born in June. We will go to the trip in a few weeks. nine0101 In a few weeks we will go on a trip.
At	to	with hours, weekends, holidays, specific moments of the day	Our English class begins at 5 o'clock. Our English lesson starts at 5 o'clock. They will come back at night. They will return at night.
On	to	We were at the Zoo on Monday. On Monday we were at the zoo. Her birthday is on the 5th of May. Her birthday is May 5th.
By	to	indicates the date by which action	I will prepare all the documents by noon. I will have all the documents ready by noon.
Before	before, before	indicates that something happens before a certain action/event	Call me before you leave. Call me before you leave.
After	after	indicates that something happened after a certain action/event	How do you feel after your first yoga class? nine0101 How do you feel after your first yoga class?
Till/until	to	indicates that something is happening up to a certain point	Give me your answer until Sunday please. Please give me an answer by Sunday.
Ago	back	shows how long ago something happened
During	during	Indicates that something is happening during a given finite amount of time, usually during some other event	You're not allowed to talk during the exam. You are not allowed to talk during the exam.
Since	since	indicates that something is happening/has been happening since a certain period of time	We have been friends since childhood. We have been friends since childhood.
For	within	indicates how long the situation/action took place	I was on a business trip for a few months. I was on a business trip for 3 months. nine0085

4. Prepositions of reason in English

These prepositions are needed to say why (for what) some action (event) happened.

Preposition	How to translate	How is it used/What does	Usage example
Of	due to, from, to	points to the reason why something happened	She died of a heart attack. She died of a heart attack.
For	for, for, for	indicates that something is happening because of something or for some purpose	What are the plans for your vacation? What are your vacation plans?
Because of	because of because	He was upset because of you. He was upset with you.
From	from, to	it can be used to tell why we think or believe something	From his behavior, I understood he was nervous. From his behavior, I understood that he was nervous.
Through	due to, thanks to	is used to say that something is happening because of something	She lost her final test through illness. She missed the last test due to illness.
Due to	due to, thanks to	is used to say that something happened because of something (usually with a negative connotation)	The match was canceled due to a bad weather. The match was canceled due to bad weather.
Thanks to	due to, thanks to	is used to say that something happened because of something (usually with a positive outcome)	I found the way thanks to your help. Learn more Humpty dumpty full story How to study vocab words Funny stories toddlers D word image Letter a crafts for 2 year olds Find level of book Common nursery songs Reading comprehension activities for 1st graders Light purple crayon Shape projects for toddlers What colors do i mix to get black