Prepositions

A preposition is a word which shows relationships among other words in the sentence.  The relationships include direction, place, time, cause, manner and amount.  In the sentence She went to the store, to is a preposition which shows direction.  In the sentence He came by bus, by is a  preposition which shows manner.  In the sentence They will be here at three o'clock, at is a preposition which shows time and in the sentence It is under the table, under is a preposition which shows place.

A preposition always goes with a noun or pronoun which is called the object of the preposition.  The preposition is almost always before the noun or pronoun and that is why it is called a preposition.  Thepreposition and the object of the preposition together are called a prepositional phrase.  The following chart shows the prepositions, objects of the preposition, and prepositional phrases of the sentences above.
 

Preposition	Object of the Preposition	Prepositional Phrase
to	the store	to the store
by	bus	by bus
at	three o'clock	at three o'clock
under	the table	under the table

Prepositional phrases are like idioms and are best learned through listening to and reading as much as possible.   Below are some common prepositions of time and place and examples of their use.

Prepositions of time:
at two o'clock
on Wednesday
in an hour, in January; in 1992
for a day

Prepositions of place:
at my house
in New York, in my hand
on the table
near the library
across the street
under the bed
between the books

Exercise Prepositions
Complete the exercise according to the picture.

1. AtInOn the picture, I can see a woman.
2. The woman is sitting atin front ofon a table.
3. She is sitting atinon a chair.
4. There is another chair acrossbesideopposite the woman.
5. Her feet are besideonunder the table
6. The woman is holding a cup atininto her hands.
7. AboveAtOn the table are a laptop, a paper, a calculator, an appointment calendar, two pens and a muffin.
8. The woman is looking atonto her laptop.
9. The woman's bag is betweenbehindunder the table.

Answer:

In the picture, I can see a woman.

The woman is sitting at a table.

She is sitting on a chair.

There is another chair opposite the woman.

Her feet are under the table

The woman is holding a cup in her hands.

On the table are a laptop, a paper, a calculator, an appointment calendar, two pens and a muffin.

The woman is looking at her laptop.

The woman's bag is under the table.

Pronouns

PRONOUNS

SINGULAR				PLURAL
	subjective	objective	possessive	subjective	objective	possessive
1st person	I	me	my, mine	we	us	our, ours
2nd person	you	you	your, yours	you	you	your, yours
3rd person	he she it	him her it	his her,  hers its	they	them	their, theirs

Personal pronouns have the following characteristics:

1.  three persons (points of view)        1st person - the one(s) speaking  (I  me my  mine  we  us our ours)        2nd person - the one(s) spoken to  (you your yours)        3rd person - the one(s) spoken about  (he  him  his  she her hers  it  its  they  their  theirs)            Examples           2.  three genders        feminine  (she  her  hers)        masculine (he  him  his)        neuter  (it its  they them their theirs)            Examples              3.  two numbers        singular (I  me  my  mine  you  your  yours  he  him  his  she  her  hers it its)        plural  (we  us  our  ours  you  your yours  they  them  their  theirs)            Examples            4.  three cases       subjective (I  you  he  she  it  we  they)       possessive  (my  mine  your  yours  his  her  hers  our  ours  their  theirs)       objective   (me  you  him  her  it  us  them)            Examples - subjective case

Examples - possessive case                           Examples - objective case            NOTE:  Because of pronoun case, the pronoun's form changes with its function in the sentence.  Follow this link to pronoun case for more information.

Demonstrative pronouns can also be used as determiners.

Example:

Hand me that hammer. (that describes the noun hammer)

Demonstrative pronouns can also be used as qualifiers:

Example:

She wanted that much money? (that describes the adjective much)

Examples:

I saw myself  in the mirror. (Myself is a reflexive pronoun, reflecting the pronoun I.)

I’ll do it myself. (Myself is an intensive pronoun, intensifying the pronoun I.)

one	someone	anyone	no one	everyone
each	somebody	anybody	nobody	everybody
(n)either	something	anything	nothing	everything

Examples:

Somebody is coming to dinner.

Neither of us believes a word Harry says.

Examples:

Both are expected at the airport at the same time.

Several have suggested canceling the meeting.

Examples:

Some of the dirt has become a permanent part of the rug.

Some of the trees have been weakened by the storm.

Examples:

The accident is nobody’s fault.

How will the roadwork affect one's daily commute?

Note the differences:

Each person has a chance.

(Each is a determiner describing person.)

Each has a chance.

(Each is an indefinite pronoun replacing a noun.)

Both lawyers pled their cases well.

(Both is a determiner describing  lawyers.)

Both were in the room.

(Both is an indefinite pronoun replacing a noun.)

Note:	Use who, whom, and whose to refer to people.
	Use that and which to refer to things.

Examples:

What do you want?

Who is there?

Pronouns are words that substitute for nouns.Every pronoun must have a clear antecedent (the word for which the pronoun stands).

KINDS OF PRONOUNS                        

 A.Personal Pronouns                                     



 B. Demonstrative Pronouns:                                          
                                             

       

C. Reflexive / Intensive Pronouns :  the "self" pronouns   These pronouns can be used only to reflect or intensify a word already there in the sentence.  Reflexive / intensive pronouns CANNOT REPLACE personal pronouns.     
                                                           
Note:  The following words are substandard and should not be used:                                       theirselves       theirself          hisself         ourself
                                         
 D. Indefinite Pronouns:                            Singular:                                       Plural:     Singular with non-countables / Plural with countables:Indefinite pronouns use apostrophes to indicate possessive case.Some indefinite pronouns may also be used as determiners.one, each, either, neither, some, any, one, all, both, few, several, many, mostE. Interrogative Pronouns:Interrogative pronouns produce information questions that require more than a “yes” or “no” answer.F. Relative Pronouns:Relative pronouns introduce relative (adjectival) clauses.

Exercises Pronouns 


1)    is dreaming. (John)

2)    is green. (the blackboard)

3)    are on the wall. (the picture)

4)    is flying. (the bird)

5)    are watching TV. (you and your father )

6)    are in the garden. (the flowers)

7)    is riding his bike. (Boss)

8)    is from Bristol. (Victoria)

9)    has got a brother. (Tina)

10)  Have got a computer, Tan

Answer:

1) He is dreaming.
2) It is green.
3) They are on the wall.
4) It isflying.
5) They are watching TV.
6) They are in the garden.
7) He is riding his bike.
8) She is from Bristol.
9) She has got a brother.
10) Have you got a computer, Tan ?