English

Prepositions

Class 4 | CBSE / NCERT / ICSE

🎯 Learning Objectives

Image: A cat in different positions relative to a box: "in the box", "on the box", "under the box", "behind the box", "beside the box", "between two boxes". Each position labelled. Title: "Prepositions of Place".
Style: Colourful flat illustration, child-friendly, cute cat
Size: 700×400px

📖 Let Us Begin!

Look at these two sentences: "The cat sat the table" and "The cat sat on the table." The second sentence makes sense because the word on tells us where the cat sat. Words like on, in, under, at, behind are called prepositions. They show the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence. Prepositions can tell us where something is (place) or when something happens (time).

A Friendly Introduction

Look at these two sentences: "The cat sat the table" and "The cat sat on the table." The second sentence makes sense because the word on tells us where the cat sat. Words like on, in, under, at, behind are called prepositions. They show the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence. Prepositions can tell us where something is (place) or when something happens (time).

Prepositions of Place

Prepositions of place tell us where something or someone is.

PrepositionMeaningExample Sentence
inInside somethingThe books are in the bag.
onOn the surface of somethingThe pen is on the desk.
underBelow somethingThe dog is sleeping under the bed.
behindAt the back of somethingRavi is hiding behind the door.
betweenIn the middle of two thingsThe school is between the temple and the park.
aboveHigher than something (not touching)The fan is above our heads.
belowLower than somethingThe river flows below the bridge.
besideNext to somethingMeena sat beside her friend.
in front ofFacing the front of somethingThe garden is in front of the house.
Example
Example 1: Using Prepositions of Place

Anita lives in Jaipur. Her house is between a grocery shop and a tailor shop. There is a neem tree in front of her house. Her cat likes to sit on the window sill and watch the birds above the rooftop.

Think: Look around your classroom. Where is the blackboard? Where is your bag? Use prepositions to describe their positions.

Prepositions of Time

Prepositions of time tell us when something happens.

PrepositionUsed ForExample Sentence
atExact timeSchool starts at 8 o'clock.
onDays and datesWe have a holiday on Monday. / Republic Day is on 26th January.
inMonths, years, seasonsMy birthday is in March. / India became free in 1947. / It rains a lot in the monsoon.
Example
Example 2: Using Prepositions of Time

Rohan wakes up at 6 o'clock every morning. He goes to school on weekdays. His school annual day is in December. This year, it falls on 15th December.

Think: Do we say "in Monday" or "on Monday"? Do we say "at March" or "in March"? The preposition changes based on what follows it.

📝 Key Words

WordMeaning
PrepositionA word that shows the relationship between a noun/pronoun and other words in a sentence
Preposition of PlaceA preposition that tells where something is (in, on, under, etc.)
Preposition of TimeA preposition that tells when something happens (at, on, in)
NounA word that names a person, place, thing, or animal
⭐ Key Points to Remember

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