Preposition

In general, Prepositions demonstrate direction, time, place, location, and spatial relationships. These short words have a variety of uses and fall into different categories. 

Despite being varied in use, Prepositions, in regards to grammar, most often precede a Noun. And typically, their usage falls into this pattern: Verb, Preposition, Noun. For example: 

Prepositions of Time are short words like “in”, “an” and “at.” These little words form a bridge between Verbs and Nouns. Here’s an example: 

“I —> work at noon.”

The Preposition of Time “at” connects the Verb to the Noun and makes the sentence meaningful. 

In addition to binding grammatical structures, Prepositions of Time inform the listener as to when and how long an action takes place. 

For instance, “until,” the focus of today’s lesson, describes a definite or indefinite point in time when an action or event ends.  

Here’s an example:

“We can’t enter our house until we get the key.” 

By saying this, the speaker is informing the listener that they are barred from opening the door unless the key is located. And, the period of time that the word “until” describes began when “the key” was lost and will end when it’s found. 

How do I use the Preposition under

Under is another commonly used Preposition. 

In general, Prepositions communicate the position of an object relative to another. “Under” describes an object as below another.  

For example, Americans refer to Australia as The Land Down Under because it’s located in the southern hemisphere. Are you in a land down under? 

A fun and useful example might be “everything under the sun.” A native English speaker, especially in a film, may use this phrase to speak of each and every item that possibly exists. 

Here’s another example, you may encounter a native English speaker saying “The keys are under the rug.” By saying this, the speaker is telling the listener that the house keys are located under the doormat. 

Notice the use of a Determiner, “the,” “a” or “an,” with a Preposition. It’s common to use both a Determiner and Preposition in a sentence.

Not all languages possess words or phrases that Linguistics classifies as Prepositions. In fact, Hungarian, Turkish, Greek,  and Japanese use Post-Prepositions. Post-Prepositions function much like English Prepositions, but are dissimilar in syntactical placement and may be suffixed (a syllable added to the end of a word). 

The preposition “at” is used in expressing the particular location of an item or time an event happens, among other things. For example, we are at the lake. By saying this, the speaker is telling the listener that they are located near the lake.

Another example, we go to bed at nine o’clock. By saying this, the speaker is telling the listener the exact time they go to sleep. 

The place preposition “on” is used to describe something that’s physically touching another object and is usually resting on the object’s topmost surface.  For example, it is on the table. By saying this, you’re telling the listener that “it” is physically touching the top of the table, “it” is resting on the table’s top surface. 

Another example, the cat is on the roof. By saying this, you’re telling the listener that the cat is outside and resting on top of the roof. 

The place preposition “in” is used to describe something that’s inside of something else. For example, he is in the house. By saying this, you’re telling the listener that the man, “he,” is surrounded by (in) the house. 

Another example, the cat is in the hat. By saying this, you’re telling the listener that the cat is inside the hat.