WORDS OFTEN CONFUSED

WORDS OFTEN CONFUSED  

There are some words which are often confused with others because of their similarity in spelling, pronunciation and meaning. For clear communication it is necessary to understand their meaning and usage more precisely. Given below is a short list of such words which are in common use but are generally confused because they sound alike.

 

1.            Accept, Except

i)   His offer was readily accepted and he was asked to start working immediately. (agree to take)

ii)         Except Hari, all were present for the group discussion. (not including)

2.            Accede, Exceed

i)          The manager gladly acceded to my request. (agree)

ii)         The budget of our library exceeds Rs. 60,000 a year. (surpass)

3.            Access, Excess

iii)      I have an easy access to the Managing Director. (approach)

iv)      Excess of everything is bad. (a quantity that is more than expected or desired)

 

4.            Adopt, Adapt, Adept

i)          I like your methods of teaching and shall adopt them in my class. (take an idea, method, etc. and use it)

ii)         They had no children of their own; so they adopted a neighbour’s son. (take a child into one’s family and treat it as one’s own)

iii)        My Experiments with Truth has been adapted for use in schools. (change and make suitable for different use or for new conditions)

iv)       When you go to a foreign country, you must adapt yourself to the manners and customs of the people. (adjust)

v)        I am not adept at photography. (expert)

 

5.            Advance, Advancement

i)          Nothing could stop the advance of our soldiers into the enemy territory. (forward movement)

ii)         Science has made great advances during the last twenty years. (progress)

iii)        To meet the expenses in connection with his illness he has asked for an advance on his salary. (sum of money lent, or paid before it is due)

iv)       The aim of university should be the advancement of learning. (promotion) 

6.            Advice, Advise

i)          The advice of a legal expert is required in this case. (valued opinion, noun)

ii)         He advised me to seek your opinion. (give advice, verb)

 

7.             Adverse, Averse

i)          He faced the adverse circumstances cheerfully. (unfavourable)

ii)         Because of the adverse weather conditions, the aeroplane was diverted to another airport. How can he prosper if he is averse to hard work? (disinclined, opposed)

iii)        He is averse to criticism from friends. (having a dislike for)

 

8.            Affect, Effect

i)          My throat is quickly affected by cold. (cause a change, good or bad)

ii)         She was deeply affected by the sad spectacle that she began to cry. (be moved)

iii)        The X-ray examination shows that his right lung is affected. (damaged)

iv)       After a long discussion, a settlement of the dispute has been effected. (achieve, accomplish)

v)        The medicine did not have any effect on the patient. (result)

 

9.            All together, Altogether

i)          By working all together we can do the job well in time. (in company)

ii)         I think his story is altogether false. (entirely)

10.         Allusion, Illusion

i)          In his report Hari has made an allusion to the recent address of the General Manager. (reference)

ii)         Sheela cherishes the illusion that everyone admires her. (likes to believe)

iii)        I have no illusion about his ability as an administrator. (false beliefs)

11.         Already, All Ready

i)          The mail has already been delivered. (by this time)

ii)         He is all ready for the journey, (entirely prepared)

iii)        The Secretary has the information all ready for the meeting.

12.         Altar, Alter

i)          He made his offerings on the altar, (the place of sacrifice or worship in a temple, church, etc.)

ii)         When he comes to know of this, I think he will alter his plans. (change)

13.         Alternately, Alternatively

i)          Hari and Govind will work for me alternately. (by turns)

ii)         You have a choice: you may travel by rail or alternatively by road. (choice between two things)

 

14.         Ancient, Old

i)          He has specialized in the history of ancient India. (of times long past)

ii)         Sri Manmohan is an old employee of the firm. (of long standing)

iii)        Old habits die hard. (been in existence for a certain period of time).

15.         Ascent, Assent

i)          The ascent to the summit was difficult, (the act of going or climbing up)

ii)         The President gave his assent to the Bill (consent)

iii)        He assented to the changes made in the draft.

 

16.         Bad, Badly

i)          The officer felt bad about his error. (sorry, bothered)

ii)         Satish is dressed badly. (in a bad manner)

iii)        He needs a job badly. (very much)

 

17.         Beneficial, Beneficient

i)          Fresh air and fruit are beneficial to health. (helpful)

ii)         Sri Datta is a beneficient manager and that is why he is so popular among the           employees. (kind)                          

18.         Beside, Besides

i)          His house is beside the factory. (close to, near)

ii)         Besides helping me with money, he gave me advice. (in addition to, moreover)

 

19.         Calender, Calendar

i)          The calender has gone out of order. (roller machine for pressing and smoothing cloth or paper) Please consult the calendar and tell me on what day Deepawali falls. (list of days, weeks, months, of a particular year)

 

20.         Childish, Childlike

i)          The arguments in favour of his proposal were rather childish. (silly)

ii)         His childlike manners have won everybody’s heart. (simple and pure like that of a child)

21.         Clothes, Cloth

i)          Winter clothes are so costly that even middle class people find it difficult to buy them. (dress)

ii)         A book with a cloth binding would obviously be more expensive than the one bound in paper covers. (material made by weaving cotton, wool, silk, etc.)

22.         Compliment, Complement

i)          Soon after his arrival, he went to the Manager to pay his compliments. (regards, greetings)

ii)         This book forms the complement to the one published last month. (that which makes something complete)

23.         Considerable, Considerate

i)          He has made considerable progress in a short time. (a good deal of)

ii)         It was considerate of you not to press your point in the last meeting. (thoughtful)

 

24.         Contemptible, Contemptuous

i)          His behaviour is contemptible; for money he would stop to anything. (deserving contempt)

ii)         It is a pity that he is ill-mannered and contemptuous of his neighbours. (showing contempt)

 

25.         Continual, Continuous

i)          The speaker was continually interrupted. (constantly, recurring)

ii)         He has been speaking continuously for the last one hour. (without a break)

26.         Council, Counsel, Consul

i)          Preparations are being made for the ensuing elections to the Advisory Council (an assembly that deliberates on affairs)

ii)         I would counsel you not to act in haste in this matter. (give advice)

iii)        Sri Zahir Ahmed was the counsel in the murder case. (lawyer)

iv)       This letter of introduction to the Indian Consul in Paris will help you meet the business magnates. (a government official in a foreign country appointed to look after the interests of his country’s citizens there)

 

27.         Credible, Creditable, Credulous

i)          Nobody would sympathise with you because what you say in hardly credible. (believable)

ii)         It was certainly creditable for him to have bagged the first prize at this young age. (worthy of praise)

iii)        Clever people often exploit those who are credulous. (apt to believe without sufficient reason)

28.         Defective, Deficient

i)          You must immediately write to the manufacturer for replacement because the machine is defective. (faulty)

ii)         He is mentally deficient and that is why his performance in mathematics is so poor. (weak-minded)

iii)        He is deficient in courage and so he will not be able to undertake this task. (not having enough of)

29.         Discovery, Invention

i)          Columbus made the discovery of America. (finding out of something that existed before but which was unknown)

ii)         Wireless is the greatest invention of Marconi. (the act of devising or originating something new)

 

30.         Deny, Refuse

i)          The accused denied the charge. (say that something is not true)

ii)         As he did not have a pass, he was refused permission to enter the lecture hall. (show unwillingness to accept something offered or to do something one is asked to do)

 

31.         Deprecate, Depreciate

i)          The manager deprecated the hasty action of the salesman. (feel and express disapproval of)

ii)         The purchasing power of money has depreciated during the last ten years. (make or become less in value)

 

32.         Device, Devise

i)          The thief seems to have used a clever device to put the police off the scent. (plan, scheme, trick, noun)

ii)         It is essential to devise an effective scheme to save money for this project. (think out, plan, verb)

33.         Eligible, illegible

i)          When does one become eligible to vote? (fit, suitable to be chosen, having the right qualifications)

ii)         His handwriting is illegible, so I have advised him to type all his letters. (that which cannot be easily read)

 

34.         Eminent, Imminent

i)          He is an eminent scholar of Sanskrit. (of great repute) There is an imminent danger of the war breaking out. (events, specially dangers, likely to come or happen soon)

35.         Envious, Enviable

i)          Do not be envious of the good fortune of your friends. (feeling of disappointment, jealousy and ill-will)

ii)         The position that he occupies is enviable. (one that excites envy)

 

36.         Excite, Incite

i)          Everybody was excited by the news of India’s victory in the Fourth Test Match. (feel strongly, stir up the feeling of)

ii)         The Trade Union Leaders incited the workers to disobey the orders of the management. (arouse)

 

37.         Famous, Notorious

i)          Tansen was a famous musician. (well-known, in a complimentary sense)

ii)         All the notorious smugglers who were operating in this area have been arrested. (widely known, in a derogatory sense)

 

38.         Formally, Formerly

i)          The proposal has not yet been formally made. (in accordance with rules, customs, conventions)

ii)         Dr. Bhandari was formely a professor of electrical engineering. (previously)

 

39.         Honorary, Honourable

i)          Sri Govind Prasad is working as an Honorary Secretary of the Indian Chamber of Commerce. (holding office without remuneration)

ii)         He retired after rendering honourable service to the nation for 30 years. (worthy of respect)

 

40.         Human, Humane

i)          To err is human. (pertaining to man)

ii)         The abolition of bonded labour is a humane measure. (kind, benevolent)

 

41.         Imply, Infer

i)          Silence sometimes implies consent. (suggest, hint at)

ii)         You have rightly inferred from this letter that the firm wants an extension of time for completing the job. (conclude from, deduce from)

 

42.         Industrial, Industrious

i)          Ahmedabad is an industrial town. (relating to industry)

ii)         Sri Aggarwal is both industrious and honest. (hardworking)

 

43.         Judicial, Judicious

i)          This matter should be referred to the judicial authorities. (pertaining to courts of justice)

ii)         He has made a very judicious choice of books; most of them will be useful to the young trainess next year also. (wise)

 

44.         Later, Latter

i)          I am busy at present, please see me later. (after some time)

ii)         Both Hari and Rashid are my friends; the former is a painter and the latter is a singer. (the second of two things or persons already mentioned)

iii)        During the latter half of the year, the production went up considerably. (belong to the end of a period)

 

45.         Lay, Laid

i)          A bricklayer is a man who lays bricks. (put down in a certain position)

ii)         The foundation-stone of this building was laid by the Chairman in January, 1977. (past tense and past participle form of lay)

 

46.         Lie, Lay, Lain

i)          You are tired; lie down and rest. (place oneself flat on a horizontal surface or in a resting position)

ii)         He lay on the beach enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. (past tense form of lie)

iii)        He has lain in bed all morning, reading a detective novel. (past participle form of lie, now rarely used in ordinary speech)

 

47.         Lie, Lied

i)          He has lied to me several times in the past and so I do not accept any of his statements without verification. (past tense and past participle form of lie, make a statement that one knowns to be untrue)

 

48.         Loose, Lose

i)          The dog is too dangerous to be left loose. (free, not held)

ii)         He likes wearing loose trousers. (not close-fitting)

iii)        If you are not alert, you will lose the chance. (no longer have)

 

49.         Momentary, Momentous

i)          Many decisions taken in life are of only momentary importance. (lasting for a moment, short-lived)

ii)         The Chairman said that at the next meeting some momentous decisions would be taken and so he would like all members to be present. (of great importance)

50.         Official, Officious

i)          The official version is that about 28 persons died in the train accident near Bhavnagar. (said or done with authority)

ii)         His officious behaviour has annoyed all his colleagues. (too eager to give advice or use authority)

 

51.         Prosecute, Persecute

i)          After his father’s death he could not prosecute his studies further. (continue with)

ii)         He was prosecuted for exceeding the speed limit. (start legal proceedings against)

iii)        In a truly democratic country, no community suffers persecution for its religious beliefs. (cruel treatment, punishment)

 

52.         Practical, Practicable

i)          They should try to overcome the practical difficulties in the implementation of the proposal. (concerned with or relating to practice)

ii)         The methods you suggest are practicable and will yield results. (that can be put into practice)

 

53.         Principle, Principal

i)          A man of sound principles succeeds in life in the long run. (rules of conduct)

ii)         The principal food of the people of Bengal is rice. (highest in order of importance, chief)

 

54.         Proceed, precede

i)          You must proceed with your work if you want to finish it before lunch. (go on, continue)

ii)         This point has already been discussed in the preceding paragraph. (previous, going before)

 

55.         Respectful, Respectable, Respective

i)          We must be respectful to our parents and teachers. (showing respect to)

ii)         She is poor but quite respectable. (worthy of respect)

iii)        After the function, we left for our respective homes. (belonging to each of those persons, things in questions)

 

56.         Social, Sociable

i)          Man is a social animal. (living in groups)

ii)         Sri Harcharan Singh is sociable and that is why he is so popular among his colleagues. (fond of company)

57.         Spacious, Specious

i)          This room is spacious enough to accommodate 150 persons. (having ample space)

ii)         The arguments of the lawyer were specious and hence, they failed to convince the judge. (seeming right or true, but not really so)

 

58.         Stationery, Stationary

i)          The office manager occasionally carries out a physical verification of stationery items in stock. (articles used in connection with writing)

ii)         The sun is stationary body and the earth revolves round it. (not moving, fixed)

59.         Verbal, Verbose

i)          He sent me a verbal message that he will reach the office half an hour before the meeting. (spoken, not written)

ii)         A verbose style leads to vagueness in communication. (using more words than necessary)

60.         Zealous, Jealous

i)          For rural development we need an army of zealous workers. (full of enthusiasm)

ii)         He is jealous of his colleague’s promotion. (full of envy)

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Discussing Tenses in detail

OBJECTIVES

So Friends ! We come to a very important topic in grammar ie. Tense. Tense shows the time and state of any action. Any and every action and event occurs in a time frame. Hence every sentence too is referred to a time frame and that is tense. After studying this chapter you would be able to use tenses correctly.

INTRODUCTION

Tense is defined as that form of a verb which shows the time and the state of an action or event.

Accordingly there are three major tenses :

Present Tense : Action or event occurring in the present eg. I Write

Past Tense : Action/event that has occurred in the past.

e.g. I wrote

Future Tense : Action/ event that is likely to occur in the future.

e.g. I will write.

We may define Tense as that form of a Verb which shows the time and the state of an action or event.

There are three main tenses, the Present, the Past and the Future. A verb may refer to present, past or future time. The tense of a verb shows the time of an action or an event.

PRESENT TENSE

The present tense has four forms :

I write Simple Present

Here the verb shows that the action is mentioned simply, without anything being said about the completeness or incompleteness of the action.

I am writing Present Continuous

It shows the action is mentioned as incomplete or continuous, or as still going on I have written Present Perfect

The verb shows that the action is mentioned as finished, complete at the time of speaking

I have been writing Present Perfect Continuous

The verb shows that the action is going on continuously, and not completed at this present moment.

As the Present Tense has four forms, similarly the Past Tense and Future Tense also has the four forms.

I wrote Simple Past

I was writing Past Continuous

I had written Past Perfect

I had been writing Past Perfect Continuous

And:

I shall/will write Simple Future

I shall/will be writing Future Continuous I shall/will have written Future Perfect

I shall have been writing Future Perfect Continuous

Simple Present Tense

The Simple Present is used as:

1.            To express a habitual action; as

for eg., He drinks tea every morning, My watch keeps good time

2.            To express general truths; as

for eg., The sun rises in the east, Fortune favors the brave.

3.            In exclamatory sentences beginning with here and there to express what is actually taking place in the present; as

for eg., There goes the bus!

4.            In vivid narrative, as substitute for the Simple Past; for eg., Immediately the Sultan hurries to his capital

5.            To express a future event that is part of a fixed timetable or fixed programme;

for eg., The next flight is at 7.00 tomorrow morning, When does the coffee house reopen?

Present Continuous Tense

The Present Continuous is used in

1.            For an action going on at the time of speaking; as for eg., The boys are playing cricket.

2.            For a temporary action which may not be actually happening at the time of speaking; as

for eg., I am reading ‘Great Expectations’ (though not at this very moment).

3.            For an action that has already been arranged to take place in the near future; for eg., I am going to the cinema tonight. My uncle is arriving tomorrow.

Present Perfect tense

1.            To indicate completed activities in the immediate past; for eg., He has just left. It has just struck ten.

2.            To express past actions whose time is not given and not definite;

for eg., Have you read ‘Gulliver’s Travels’? Mr. John has been to America.

3.            To describe past events when we think more of their effect in the present than of the action itself;

for eg., I have finished my work (ie., I am free now).

4.            To denote an action beginning at some time in the past and continuing up to the present moment;

for eg., We have lived here for ten years.

Present Perfect continuous Tense

1.            It is used for an action which began at some time in the past and is still continuing; for eg., They have been building the bridge for several months (and is still building).

2.            The tense is also sometimes used for an action already finished. In such cases the continuity of the activity is emphasized as an explanation of something.

for eg., ‘Why are your clothes so wet’? – ‘I have been watering the garden’.

PAST TENSE

Simple past Tense

1.            The Simple Past is used to indicate an action completed in the past. for eg., He received his letter a week ago. She left school last year.

2.            Sometimes it is used without an adverb of time. In such cases the time may be either implied or indicated by the context.

for eg., Babar defeated Rana Sanga at Kanwaha. I learnt Hindi in Nagpur.

3.            It is used for past habits; as

for eg., He studied many hours everyday. She always carried an umbrella.

Past Continuous Tense

1.            The past continuous is used to denote an action going on at sometime in the past, the time of the action may or may not be indicated;

for eg., We were listening to the radio all evening.

2.            This tense is also used with always, continually for persistent habits in the past; for eg., He was always grumbling.

Past Perfect Tense

1.            The Past Perfect describes an action completed before a certain moment in the past.

for eg., I met him in New Delhi in 1996, I had seen him last five years before.

 

Present Perfect	Used to say how
Progressive	long someone has been doing	I have been studying English for 2 years. I have been studying English since 1997.

2.            If two actions happened in the past, it may be necessary to show which action happened earlier than the other. The Past Perfect is mainly used in such situations. The Simple Past is used in one clause and the Past Perfect in the other.

for eg., When I reached the station the train had started (so I couldn’t get into the train).

I had done my exercise when Hari came to see me.

Past perfect continuous Tense

The Past Perfect Continuous is used for an action that began before a certain point in the past and continued up to that time;

for eg., At that time he had been writing a novel for two months.

The Past Tenses Simple Past   Simple Past                      Used to show a                  I studied English last Saturday. completed action
Past Progressive/Continuous
Past Progressive              Often used to say	I was studying English last Monday when
when something	my friend rang.
was being done
or what was
happening when	I was studying English at 5pm last Monday.
something else
happened
Past Perfect Simple
Past Perfect Simple          The past of have	I had done my English homework by 6.30
done. Used to	pm last Saturday.
say when
something was	I had done my English homework by the
done by.	time I ate dinner last Saturday.

 

Simple Future Tense

FUTURE TENSE

1. The Simple Future Tense is used to talk about things which we cannot control. It expresses the future as fact;

for eg., We will know our exam results in May.

2.            We use this tense to talk about what we think or believe will happen in the future; for eg., I think Pakistan will win the match.

3.            We can use this tense when we decide to do something at the time of speaking; for eg., It is raining, I will take an umbrella.

4.            The Simple Present is often used for future time in clauses with if, unless, when, while, as (= while), before, after, until, by the time and as soon as. The Simple Future Tense is not used in such cases.

for eg., I won’t go out if it rains. Can I have some milk before I go to bed?

Past Perfect
Progressive	The past of have	I’d been doing my English homework for 30
	been. Used to	minutes when my friend rang last Saturday.
	show how long
	something was	I’d been doing my English homework for 30
	done for by a	certain time. minutes by 1 pm last
		Saturday.

 

Simple Future	Decide to do	I think I’ll do my English homework tonight.
(Some uncertainty)	something at the
	time of speaking

Simple Future	Have already	I am going to study English next Saturday.
(Certain)	decided or
	arranged to do
	something

 

 

Present Continuous Tense

We use present continuous tense when we talk about something that we have planned to do in the future;

for eg., I am going to Shimla tomorrow. Mr. Hari is arriving this evening.

 Future Continuous Tense

It is used to talk about actions which will be in progress at a time in the future. for eg., I suppose it will be raining when we start.

This time tomorrow I will be sitting on the beach in Singapore.

We also use this tense to talk about actions in the future which are already planned or which are expected to happen in the normal course of things;

for eg., I will be staying here till Sunday. He will be meeting us next week.

Future Progressive/Continous (uses will be, shall be or going to be +-ing form)
Future Progressive             The English                       I will be starting my English lesson at 7.30 (Some uncertainty)    lesson should                   pm. begin at 7.30 and end at 9.15, so the person should be studying at 7.30 (but the lesson might start late).
Future Progressive             The English                       I am going to be studying English when my (Certain)                         lesson begins at                friends arrive at 9.00 pm. 7.30 and ends at 9.15, so he’s certain to be studying when his friend arrives at 8.00
Future Perfect Simple (uses will have or shall have + past participle)
Future Perfect                   Used to say                       I will have already done my English Simple                                something will                    homework by the time I eat dinner on already be                         Saturday. complete by a time.
Future Perfect Progressive/Continuous (uses will have been or shall have been + -ing form)
Future Perfect                   Used to say how                I will have been studying English for 30 Progressive                   long something                  minutes when my friends arrive. will have been happening in the future by a certain

Future Perfect Tense

It is used to talk about actions that will be completed by a certain future time; for eg., I shall have written my exercise by then.

By the end of this month I will have worked here for five years.

Future Perfect continuous Tense

The Future Perfect Continuous Tense is used for actions which will be in progress over a period of time that will end in the future;

for eg., By next March we shall have been living here for four years.

SUMMARY

Tense forms an integral part of grammar as every sentence occurs in one or other form of Tense. The summary of Tense can be studied as :

*            The three basic types of tenses are the Present, Past and Future Tense.

*            Each of the above types can be classified as simple, perfect, continuous and perfect continuous.

*            Continuous Tense indicates the activity going on in the respective tense while perfect continuous indicates activity that has begun and is continuing.

*            To understand Tense or to convert a sentence from one tense to another, it is essential to concentrate on the verb.

 

CHECK YOUR PROGRESS - ANSWERS

1.  Have been studying, 2. take 3. go 4. has cleaned 5. had already started

6. received 7. will be staying ? 8. speaks 9. have seen 10. appears

 

QUESTIONS FOR SELF - STUDY

1.           Define Tense

2.            State the types of Present Tense with example.

3.            State the types of Past Tense with example.

4.            State the types of Future Tense with example.

I)            Point out the verbs in the following sentences and name their tenses:

1.            God forgive you!

2.            He told me that he had finished the work.

3.            He is waiting for you in the compound.

4.            Beware lest something worse should happen to you.

5.            The farmer is cutting the corn which has ripened.

II)           Choose the correct verb form from those given in brackets:

1.            I him only one letter up to now (sent, have sent, send)

2.            This paper twice weekly (is appearing, appearing, appears)

3.            Every day last week my Aunt a plate.(breaks, broke, was breaking)

4.            The town its appearance completely since 1960. (is changing, Changed, has changed)

5.            When we went to the cinema, the film (already started, had already started, would already start)

6.            She has bought some cloth; she herself a shirt. (will make, is going to make)

7.            This book is not long. I it by lunch time. (will be reading, will have read).

8.            I into town later on. Do you want a lift? (drive, will be driving).

9.            Men to abolish wars up to now, but may be they will find a way in the future. (never managed, have never managed, will have never managed)

10.         Did you think you me somewhere before? (have seen, had seen, were seeing)

 

SUGGESTED READINGS

1.            High School English Grammar and Composition by P. C. Wren, H. Martin (Edited by N.D.V. Prasada Rao)

2.            Speaking English Effectively by Mohan Krishna and Singh N.

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Prepositions in detail

INTRODUCTION

A preposition is a word placed before a noun or a pronoun to show in what relation the person or thing denoted by it stands in regard to something else.

The word preposition means ‘that which is placed before’.

The noun or pronoun which is used with a preposition is called its Object. A preposition may have two or more objects as:

for eg., The road runs over hill and plain.

A preposition is often placed before its object, but sometimes follows it : for eg.,

i)   Here is the watch that you asked for.

ii)  What are you looking at?

The Preposition for, from, in, on are often omitted before nouns of place or time as:

i)   for eg., We did it last week.

ii)  I cannot walk a yard.

KINDS OF PREPOSITION

Prepositions may be arranged in the following classes:

1.            Simple Preposition :

At, by, for, from, in, of, off, on, out, through, till, to, up, with.

2.            Compound Prepositions :

which are generally formed by prefixing a preposition to a Noun, an Adjective or an Adverb.

About, Above, Across, Along, Amidst, Among, Before, Behind, Beside, Between, Inside, Outside, Underneath, Within, Without.

3.            Phrase Preposition :

which is a group of words used with the force of a single preposition

for eg., According to, in accordance with, in place of, along with, in course of, owing to, with a view to, in order to, for the sake of.

4.            Preposition of Place :

About, across, among, before, between below, behind, from, through, near, on, over, under, upon, within, round, without, beside into.

5.            Preposition of Time :

After, at, in, on, during, since, through, throughout, towards, from, during, into, behind.

At – is used to indicate a definite point of time:

for eg., He came at 8 o’clock, I shall tell him the fact at the right time.

In – is used to indicate year, century, morning, evening, time period (in years, hours, days, months) seasons etc as:

for eg., I get up early in the morning. It shall be completed in four hours/months.

On – is used in expressing days and dates, as

for eg., My school shall reopen on Monday, India was declared independent on 15th August 1947.

From and To – from is used to indicate the beginning of an action, and to indicate the time when the action ends.

for eg., The Diwali vacation is From 15th October to 22nd October 2005.

6.            Preposition of Agency, instrumentality

Sell goods at auction, sent the parcel by post, heard this through a friend, cut it with

7.            Preposition of manner

Fought with courage, worked with earnestness, won with ease

8.            Preposition of cause, reason, purpose

Labored for the good of humanity, did it for our good, does it from perversity, concealed it through shame, lost his purse through negligence, shivers with fever, took medicine for cold.

9.            Preposition of Possession

The mosque of Omar, a man of means, the boy with red hair

10.         Preposition of measure, standard, rate, value : as

He charges interest at nine per cent, Stories like these must be taken at what they are worth.

Cloth is sold by the yard. It was one by the tower-clock.

11.         Preposition of contrast, concession : as,

For one enemy he has a hundred friends. For one enemy he has a hundred friends.

With (in spite of) all his faults I admire him.

12.         Preposition of Inference, motive, source or origin : as

From what I know of him, I hesitate to trust him. He did it from gratitude. Light emanates from the sun. This is a quotation from Milton.

Note :- It will be seen that the same preposition, according to the way in which it is used, would have its place under several heads.

PREPOSITIONS THAT REQUIRE SPECIAL NOTICE

The following prepositions require special notice :

1.            We can use in or at with the names cities, towns or villages. We can use in when we are talking about a place as an area, we use at when we see it as a point.

for eg., We stayed in Mumbai for five days. How long have you lived in this village?

2.            We use at to talk about group activities and shops/workplaces for eg., Did you see Shobha at the party?

There weren’t many people at the meeting.

3.            We use in with the names of streets and at when we give the house-number. for eg., He lives in Church Street

He lives at 45 Church Street.

4.            We use on when we think of a place as a surface for eg., The dog is lying on the floor

Put this picture on the wall.

5.            Till is used of time and to of place for eg., He slept till eight o’clock He walked to the end of the street

6.            With often denotes the instrument and by the agent for eg., He killed two birds with one shot

He was stabbed by a lunatic with a dagger.

7.            Since is used before a noun or phrase denoting some point of time and is preceded by a verb in the perfect tenses, as

for eg., I have eaten nothing since yesterday. He has been ill since Monday last.

8.            In before a noun denoting a period of time, means at the end of, within means

before the end of, as

for eg., I shall return in an hour, I shall return within an hour.

9.            Beside means at (or by) the side of, while besides means in addition to, as: for eg., Besides his children, there were present his nephew and niece. Besides being fined, he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment.

Prepositions of Place

Where is it?

 

SOME SPECIAL PREPOSITIONS

Special Preposition :

than – This word is usually a Conjunction, but is sometimes used as a Preposition, for eg., I cannot accept less than forty rupees for this article.

but – As a rule but is a conjunction, when used as a preposition, but means ‘except’, ‘with the exception of’:

for eg., None but the brave deserves the fair. She returned all the gifts but one.

a – In some sentences, a is a weakened form of the preposition on, for eg., Her wages are ten rupees a day

I meet him once a week

Prepositions of Time
Picture It Clip Art	Preposition	Example
	at (a time)	“I got to work at 8.00 this morning.”
	on (a day)	“I’ll see you on Tuesday.”
	on (a date)	“I have an appointment on the 31st.”
	in (a month)	“My birthday is in June”
	in (a year)	“I was born in 1959”
	in (the morning)	“I get up in the morning.”

SUMMARY

So Friends ! We saw words that show the relation between two words. Prepositions can be summarized as :

·                The basic types of prepositions are simple, compound (Prefixing a noun, adjective or adverb) and phrase prepositions.

·                The other types are closefisted as prepositions of time, place, reason, measure etc as their meaning indicates.

·                Some words like than and but which are actually conjunctions, may serve the purpose of prepositions.

·                Last but not the least, using the correct preposition is very important. It makes the sentence sound grammatically perfect.

 

Picture It Clip Art	Preposition	Example
	in (the afternoon)	“I have lunch in the afternoon.”
	in (the evening)	“I go home in the evening.”
	at (night)	“I go to bed at night.”
	in	“It usually snows in

QUESTIONS FOR SELF - STUDY

1.            Enlist the different types of prepositions.

2.            Define preposition.

3.            In what cases is preposition in used?

Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions:

1.            What is that me?

2.            He has not yet recovered his illness.

3.            The village was destroyed fire.

4.            The exercise was written me a Camlin pen.

5.            They drove Mumbai Pune.

6.            I have not seen him Wednesday last.

7.            We suffered your neglect.

8.            You, boys must settle it yourselves.

9.            The moon does not shine its own light.

10.         He died his country.

SUGGESTED READINGS

1.            High School English Grammar and Composition by P. C. Wren, H. Martin (Edited by N.D.V. Prasada Rao)

2.            Speaking English Effectively by Mohan Krishna and Singh N.

Prepositions of Movement ...

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