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Communication: Written English | 241

Prepositions
Prepositions are tiny but they pose mighty problems when Indians attempt
speaking or writing in English. They are the Waterloo of many an Indian
writer. Basically, prepositions show relationships of space, time, relation, or
direction. Here we can consider only a few examples, given the space con-
straints though actually prepositions are a vast subject-area.
i. ‘On’ indicates a specific day. (e.g., On Sunday he celebrates his
birthday.)
ii. ‘In’ indicates a period of time. (e.g., In 1999 he was in the States.)
iii. ‘During’ indicates a period of time defined by precise boundaries,
(e.g., Cell phones are not allowed during the exam.)
iv. ‘At’ indicates a specific point of time. (e.g., The lecture starts at 7 a.m.)
v. ‘On time’ refers to the exact hour, on the dot. (e.g., The English always
arrive on time.)
vi. ‘In time’ means before the specific activity ends. (e.g,. You must join
the school prayer on time and not in time.)
vii. ‘In good time’ means sooner or later, (e.g., He will improve in good
time.)
These very prepositions mean differently in the spatial context. Let us look at
how their meaning changes in the spatial context.

i. ‘In’ indicates volume, (e.g., in the classroom, in your lunch box)
ii. ‘On’ indicates a surface, (e.g., Our teacher loved to jump on the table
whenever his explanation reached a frenzied pitch.)
iii. ‘At’ indicates in the vicinity of (e.g., They met at the gate and chatted
a little.)
Endless is the list of such usage. Space constraints limit us from exploring
this vast area. You must remember though that you must never ever use the
vincorrect expression ‘at the backside (of)’. Use instead ‘behind’ or ‘at the
back of.
Remember always that ‘between’ refers to two co-ordinates while ‘among’
refers to more than two. (e.g., Between the morning prayers and the lunch,
students get a small break. Among all the sciences, Maths appears the most
difficult to school children.)
Never ever forget the ‘since’/ ‘for’ difference. ‘Since’ is used if the refer-
ence is to a specific point in past while ‘for’ refers to some undefined period,

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