Prepositions Part 8
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. There are over 100 prepositions in English. This is a very small number compared with the vast number of nouns, adjectives and verbs found in English. Here are some of the prepositions used in English:
Up
If you go up something as stairs or a ladder, you move to a higher position.
Nellie went up the stairs.
If you go up a road, you go along it.
A group of schoolchildren walked up the street.
If you go up a river, you go along it towards its source.
The boat went up the river carrying a group of tourists.
Up against
If you are up against something or someone, they are obstructing you.
University students are up against medical faculties in private universities.
Upon
If an event or time is upon you, it has just started affecting you.
We need more wood for heat as autumn is upon us.
Up to
If something is up to a particular standard or amount, it has reached that standard or amount.
Your clothes are not up to your standard.
If something happens up to a particular date or event, it happens until that date or event.
He continued to write books right up to his death.
If you say that it is up to someone to do something, you mean that it is their responsibility to do it.
It is up to you to find the most suitable job after graduation.
If you say that someone is up to something, you mean that they are secretly doing something.
I really do not know what Grace is up to.
Via
If someone goes via a particular place, they go through it to reach another place.
You can return to London via Moscow.
With
If a person is with another person, they are together in one place.
Don’t worry, she is with her mother.
If you do something with someone else, you both do it together.
We enjoy working with our new boss.
Following verbs are usually followed by ‘with’:
Ally, amalgamate, argue, associate, bargain, chat, clash, coexist, cohabit, collaborate, collide, compete, confer, conspire, dance, debate, disagree, discuss, feud, fight, fraternise, haggle, interact, merge, negotiate, quarrel, row, share, socialise, spar, speak, struggle, trade, vie, work, wrangle
Following adjectives are usually followed by ‘with’:
Adorned, angry, annoyed, besotted, bored, content, disappointed, displeased, dissatisfied, fascinated, fed up, furious, happy, impressed, infatuated, obsessed, pleased, satisfied, unhappy, unimpressed, unsatisfied, awash, bursting, caked, clogged, cluttered, covered, crawling, crowded, draped, edged, embellished, emblazoned, embroidered, encrusted, engraved, festooned, filled, flecked, furnished, heaped, heavy, infested, inlaid, inundated, laden, littered, loaded, ornamented, overgrown, overloaded, packed, padded, painted, patterned, peopled, piled, rich, riddled, studded, stuffed, suffused, swamped, teeming, thick, tinged, wreathed
If you part with something, you no longer have it.
Jane has parted with the money she had.
If you side with someone, you support them.
All the Ministers sided with the Prime Minister.
If someone says that they are with you, they mean that they understand what you are saying.
Sorry, I’m not quite with you in this matter.
Within
If something is within something else, it is contained inside that thing.
The books within the library are arranged by subject.
If something happens within a particular period of time, it happens before the end of that period.
Cook wild mushrooms within 24 hours of picking.
If something is within sight, within earshot, or within reach, you can see, hear, or reach it.
I was almost within reach of my goal.
Without
If someone or something is without something, they do not have it.
I can’t read small print without my spectacles.
If you do something without a particular feeling, you do not have that feeling when you do it.
The witness described the event without emotion.
If you do something without someone else, they are not involved in the same action as you.
“I can’t go home without you,” she said.
Worth
If something is worth a particular amount of money, it can be sold for that amount.
This house is worth around Rs 50 million.
If something is worth a particular activity or effort, it is likely to be useful.
The ruined cities are well worth a visit.
