English

Prepositions (Position Words)

Class 3 | Ages 8–9

🎯 Learning Objectives

Students will understand what a preposition is.
Students will learn prepositions of place (in, on, under, behind, between, near, above, below).
Students will learn prepositions of time (at, on, in).
Students will learn prepositions of direction (to, from, into, through).
Students will use prepositions correctly in sentences.
Students will identify prepositions in given sentences.
Students will write their own sentences using prepositions.

📖 Introduction

Look around your classroom. Where is your book? It is on the desk. Where is your bag? It is under the chair. Where is the clock? It is on the wall. The words on, under, and behind tell us the position of things. These words are called prepositions or position words.

What Is a Preposition?

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence. It usually tells us:

Where something is (place)
When something happens (time)
Which direction something moves (direction)

Examples

The cat is on the mat. (place — where?)

We have a holiday on Monday. (time — when?)

The bird flew into the nest. (direction — which way?)

Think: Where is your pencil right now? On the desk? In your hand? Under your book? You just used a preposition!

Prepositions of Place (Where?)

These prepositions tell us where something or someone is.

Preposition	Meaning	Example
in	Inside something	The book is in the bag.
on	On the surface of	The cat is on the mat.
under	Below something	The ball is under the table.
behind	At the back of	The garden is behind the house.
between	In the middle of two things	Ravi sits between Meena and Arjun.
near	Close to	The temple is near the river.
above	Higher than	The fan is above our heads.
below	Lower than	The fish swims below the water.

Prepositions of Time (When?)

These prepositions tell us when something happens.

Preposition	Used With	Example
at	Exact time	School starts at 8 o'clock.
on	Days and dates	We have PT on Monday.
in	Months, years, seasons	My birthday is in January.

More Examples

The train arrives at 5 o'clock.

Republic Day is on 26th January.

We wear sweaters in winter.

Diwali comes in October or November.

Prepositions of Direction (Which Way?)

These prepositions tell us which direction something moves.

Preposition	Meaning	Example
to	Towards a place	We go to school every day.
from	Away from a place	Ravi came from Delhi.
into	Moving inside	The frog jumped into the pond.
through	From one side to the other	The train goes through the tunnel.

Prepositions in Indian Context

Sentence	Preposition	Type
The Ganga flows through many cities.	through	Direction
The temple is near the river.	near	Place
We celebrate Holi in March.	in	Time
The cow is under the banyan tree.	under	Place
Independence Day is on 15th August.	on	Time
The monkey jumped from one branch to another.	from, to	Direction
Meena keeps her tiffin in her bag.	in	Place
The kite flew above the rooftops.	above	Place

Image: Cat in Different Positions

A cat shown in different positions relative to a box - on, under, behind, near, in, above

Image: Prepositions of Time Chart

Prepositions of time chart - AT with clock, ON with calendar day, IN with calendar month

📝 Key Words

Word	Meaning
Preposition	A word that shows position, time, or direction
Place	Where something is (in, on, under, behind, near)
Time	When something happens (at, on, in)
Direction	Which way something moves (to, from, into, through)
Position	The location of something
Surface	The top or outside of something

⭐ Key Points to Remember

A preposition shows the relationship between a noun and other words.
Prepositions of place tell WHERE: in, on, under, behind, between, near, above, below.
Prepositions of time tell WHEN: at (exact time), on (days/dates), in (months/years/seasons).
Prepositions of direction tell WHICH WAY: to, from, into, through.
Use "at" for exact time: at 5 o'clock.
Use "on" for days and dates: on Monday, on 15th August.
Use "in" for months, years, and seasons: in January, in 2024, in winter.

Finished learning? Now test what you know!

🎯 Quick Quiz — Test Yourself!

Answer these questions right here. You get instant feedback — no paper needed!

Score: 0 / 8

1. A preposition is a word that tells us where something is or when. Which of these is a preposition?

"Under" tells us position — it is a preposition. So are on, in, over, beside.

2. The cat is ___ the table (sitting on top). Which preposition fits?

On top of something = "on". The cat is on the table.

3. The ball is ___ the box (inside it). Which preposition fits?

Inside something = "in". The ball is in the box.

4. The dog is hiding ___ the bed (below it). Which preposition fits?

Below something = "under". The dog is under the bed.

5. The fish swims ___ the water. (which preposition?)

The fish swims in the water.

6. The book is ___ the desk (on top). (which preposition?)

On top of the desk = on.

7. Ravi sits ___ Meena and Sita (with one on each side). (which preposition?)

With one on each side = "between". Ravi sits between Meena and Sita.

8. Which word is NOT a preposition?

"Jump" is a verb (action word), not a preposition.

✏️ Practice Questions

A. Fill in the Blanks (use in, on, under, at, near, behind, to, from, into, through)

1. The cat is sitting the mat.

2. My pencil is my pencil box.

3. The dog is hiding the table.

4. School starts 8 o'clock.

5. My birthday is March.

6. The temple is the river.

7. We go school every morning.

8. The frog jumped the pond.

9. The garden is the house.

10. The train goes the tunnel.

B. Multiple Choice Questions

1. "The book is ___ the table." Choose the correct preposition.

(a) in(b) on(c) at(d) to

2. Which preposition is used for exact time?

(a) in(b) on(c) at(d) from

3. "We celebrate Diwali ___ October or November."

(a) at(b) on(c) in(d) to

4. Which is a preposition of direction?

(a) under(b) near(c) into(d) between

5. "Republic Day is ___ 26th January."

(a) in(b) at(c) on(d) from

C. Identify the Preposition

1. The bird is sitting on the branch.

2. Ravi came from Jaipur.

3. The children played in the park.

4. The shop is near the bus stop.

5. We have a test on Friday.

D. Choose Place, Time, or Direction

1. The ball is under the chair. →

2. We eat lunch at 1 o'clock. →

3. The river flows through the city. →

4. Holi is in March. →

5. The cat jumped into the basket. →

E. Write Sentences Using These Prepositions

1. in

2. on

3. under

4. near

5. through

🎨 Fun Activity — Where Is It?

Look around your classroom or home. Write where these things are using a preposition:

Thing	Where is it? (Use a preposition)
Your book
Your bag
The clock
Your shoes
The dustbin
Your water bottle

Want to review the lesson again?

🎯 Learning Objectives

Understand what a preposition is.
Learn prepositions of place (in, on, under, behind, between, near, above, below).
Learn prepositions of time (at, on, in).
Learn prepositions of direction (to, from, into, through).
Use prepositions correctly in sentences.
Identify prepositions in given sentences.
Write own sentences using prepositions.

📖 Introduction

Where is your book? It is on the desk. Where is your bag? It is under the chair. The words on, under, in, and behind tell us the position of things. These are called prepositions or position words.

What Is a Preposition?

A preposition shows the relationship between a noun and other words. It tells us WHERE something is, WHEN something happens, or WHICH WAY something moves.

Prepositions of Place (Where?)

Preposition	Meaning	Example
in	Inside	The book is in the bag.
on	On the surface	The cat is on the mat.
under	Below	The ball is under the table.
behind	At the back	The garden is behind the house.
between	In the middle of two	Ravi sits between Meena and Arjun.
near	Close to	The temple is near the river.
above	Higher than	The fan is above our heads.
below	Lower than	Fish swim below the water.

Cat showing different prepositions of place

Prepositions of Time (When?)

Preposition	Used With	Example
at	Exact time	School starts at 8 o'clock.
on	Days/dates	We have PT on Monday.
in	Months/years/seasons	My birthday is in January.

Prepositions of Direction (Which Way?)

Preposition	Meaning	Example
to	Towards	We go to school.
from	Away from	Ravi came from Delhi.
into	Moving inside	The frog jumped into the pond.
through	One side to other	The train goes through the tunnel.

⭐ Key Points to Remember

A preposition shows position, time, or direction.
Place: in, on, under, behind, between, near, above, below.
Time: at (exact time), on (days/dates), in (months/years/seasons).
Direction: to, from, into, through.
"at" for time: at 5 o'clock. "on" for days: on Monday. "in" for months: in January.

✏️ Practice Questions

A. Fill in the Blanks

1. The cat is sitting the mat.

2. My pencil is my pencil box.

3. The dog is hiding the table.

4. School starts 8 o'clock.

5. My birthday is March.

6. The temple is the river.

7. We go school every morning.

8. The frog jumped the pond.

9. The garden is the house.

10. The train goes the tunnel.

B. Multiple Choice Questions

1. "The book is ___ the table."

(a) in(b) on(c) at(d) to

2. Which preposition is used for exact time?

(a) in(b) on(c) at(d) from

3. "We celebrate Diwali ___ October or November."

(a) at(b) on(c) in(d) to

4. Which is a preposition of direction?

(a) under(b) near(c) into(d) between

5. "Republic Day is ___ 26th January."

(a) in(b) at(c) on(d) from

C. Identify the Preposition

1. The bird is sitting on the branch.

2. Ravi came from Jaipur.

3. The children played in the park.

4. The shop is near the bus stop.

5. We have a test on Friday.

D. Choose Place, Time, or Direction

1. The ball is under the chair. →

2. We eat lunch at 1 o'clock. →

3. The river flows through the city. →

4. Holi is in March. →

5. The cat jumped into the basket. →

E. Write Sentences Using These Prepositions

1. in

2. on

3. under

4. near

5. through

🎨 Fun Activity — Where Is It?

Look around your classroom or home. Write where these things are using a preposition:

Thing	Where is it?
Your book
Your bag
The clock
Your shoes
The dustbin
Your water bottle

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Prepositions (Position Words)

🎯 Learning Objectives

📖 Introduction

What Is a Preposition?

Prepositions of Place (Where?)

Prepositions of Time (When?)

Prepositions of Direction (Which Way?)

Prepositions in Indian Context

Image: Cat in Different Positions

Image: Prepositions of Time Chart

📝 Key Words

🎯 Quick Quiz — Test Yourself!

✏️ Practice Questions

Prepositions (Position Words)

Prepositions (Position Words) (continued)