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Preposition of Cause, Reason, Purpose: Understanding Their Usage

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Use of Prepositions with Examples

Before discussing the Preposition of Cause, Reason, and Purpose, First, we should know about What does Preposition means. Let's start with the definition of Preposition, its functions, and examples.


Definition of Preposition

A Preposition is a part of speech that shows direction, location, time, or what introduces an object. The noun or pronoun connected by the preposition is known as the object of a preposition. Prepositions are also sometimes used with subordinate conjunctions. 


Usually, a preposition is a word placed before a noun or a pronoun to show its relation to another element in the sentence. It also shows the relationship of a word to a noun or pronoun. And one of the important notes is to be mentioned: “After the prepositions, it is always necessary to use a noun.”


Functions of Prepositions

There are ten main functions of Prepositions


  • Head of Preposition Phrase 

  • Noun Phrase Modifier

  • Noun Phrase Complement

  • Adjective Phrase modifier

  • Adjective Phrase Complement

  • Verb Phrase Complement

  • Adjunct

  • Adverbial

  • Particle


Examples of Preposition

On, in, at, to, until, about, during, before, after, throughout, outside, inside, into, over around, past, between, beyond, next to, from, since, by, versus, apart from, instead of, etc. are some of the prepositions used to describe the cause, reason and purpose in the sentence.


Preposition of Cause, Reason, Purpose

Without any helping verbs, a sentence will be incomplete. So, it is mandatory to include auxiliary verbs. Preposition relates different items to each other.


The preposition of the cause shows the reason of a happening or being in a sentence. Preposition mostly indicates the cause of something happening or the purpose of an action.


Preposition joins a verb with the noun and shows the reason for happening.

Here are some of the examples mentioned below:


  • They are traveling on the train.

  • Ruma reacted to the incident.

  • I am playing Ludo with my friends.

  • The moon shines because of the sun.

  • The tourists arrived on the island on a hovercraft.


Let us see some more examples of a preposition in detail:

  • To: This is used to show the purpose of the noun. This preposition joins a noun with a verb.

Ex: Alesha gave a hundred rupees to her brother.


  • For: This word is also used to show the purpose of the noun and joins a noun with usually another noun or an adjective.

Ex: They went for an interview to get a job.


  • From: The word “from” is used to indicate distance or direction from separation, deprivation.

Ex: She is traveling from Hyderabad to Vijayawada.


  • Into: This word is used to express any movement action that something enclosed.

Ex: He and his friends jumped into the well.


  • Around: This word can be used in two ways. It can either be used as a preposition followed by a noun, or without a following noun. 

Ex: There was a massive crowd of people around the shop. 


  • Within: This word refers to less than a specific distance from something. 

Ex: The stick was within Johnny’s reach. 


  • Between: This is frequently used to introduce a prepositional phrase that tends to consist of either two singular or plural noun phrases. 

Ex:  Sam is sitting between Stella and Flora.


Solved Exercises

Find out the prepositions from the following sentences 


  1. The pale twilight fell in soft waves on her face. 

Ans: in; on. 


  1. The book is lying under the oakwood table. 

Ans: under. 


  1. The professor placed his cup of coffee on the table before resuming the lecture. 

Ans: of; under. 


  1. Did you refill the can of juice from the refrigerator? 

Ans: of; from. 


  1. The nurse asked Rahul to place his hands on top of the table. 

Ans: on; of. 


  1. A desk job requires you to sit in the same place for hours. 

Ans: in; for. 


Conclusion

In this article, we have provided the details of Preposition of cause, reason, and purpose. To understand how to use them, you have to understand the above rules and examples we have mentioned to know where to use them and in which manner. These prepositions will help you in the completion of sentences in a better and appropriate way. To understand them more clearly, you must try your hands on some sentences. Practice to make some sentences using these prepositions, and you will get amazed by the results as it is effortless & fun exercise. Once you learn how to use them, you can quickly write good content. Hope this article helped you to understand them in a better and easier way.

FAQs on Preposition of Cause, Reason, Purpose: Understanding Their Usage

1.What is a preposition and what is its usage?

The part of speech that introduces us to a particular object and/or shows us the location, direction, or time, is referred to as a preposition and the object of the preposition is usually the noun or the pronoun connected to it. A preposition is also used with subordinate conjunctions at times. 


The main function of a preposition is to the relation of the noun or pronoun before which it is placed, to another element present in the sentence. 

2.Discuss the types and functions of a preposition.

A preposition tends to play the role of a connector, i.e., it relates one word to another in a given sentence. It helps to represent the link between different items. There are five types of prepositions including, simple, compound, double, phrase, and participle prepositions. 


A preposition has ten main functions in total. They are as follows: 

  • The head of a prepositional phrase. 

  • Modifier of a noun phrase. 

  • Noun phrase complement.

  • Modifier of an adjective phrase. 

  • Adjective phrase complement. 

  • Verb phrase complement. 

  • Adjunct. 

  • Adverbial. 

  • Particle.

3.Explain prepositions of cause, reason, and purpose and give examples.

The preposition of a cause tends to show the cause, i.e., why a particular thing is happening or its being in a given sentence. For example - Mary put broccoli in the soup to make broccoli almond soup. The preposition helps us to indicate the reason for an event taking place by joining a verb because, in the absence of any helping verbs, a sentence will remain incomplete. Therefore, it is compulsory to use auxiliary verbs. 


Examples: 

  • Rohan’s mother gave a piece of candy to him. 

  • The guests descended from the dance floor. 

  • He poured the lemonade from the jar into the glass.

  • Alisha stayed up all night for her sister’s project. 

4.Can more than one preposition be used together in a sentence? If so, give examples.

Yes, you can use more than just one preposition in one sentence. Here are certain examples showing the same: 

  • Rachel stared out of the window to look at the sky. 

  • The sun started to hide behind the clouds, making it difficult for the girl to peek at it. 

  • They used harmful chemicals for monetary purposes in their industrious plant. 

  • He propped the chair out and sat on it. 

  • Reena took out her lunchbox from the bag and ate from it.

5.How does Vedantu help to improve grammar?

Vedantu provides free access to a multitude of study material, guides, etc., through which students can very easily refer, study, and understand the content they wish to. Vedantu has a way of teaching English and grammar to its students. There are brief explanations of grammatical concepts for the students to study from along with different types of examples, as well as quizzes and exercises to further strengthen what they learned. This helps the students to improve their grammar and understand all the concepts related to it well.