PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE: at, in, and on (III)

Preposition ‘on’

‘On’ is used in different ways some of which are:

Ø  To indicate a position on a surface:

·         My phone is on the bed.

·         Put the bag on the table.

Ø  To describe a position along a road or a river or by the sea or by a lake:

·         Sambisa is on the east coast of Niger.

·         Lokoja is on the south of River Niger.

Ø  To indicate a floor in a storey building:

·         They leave on the second floor.

·         I will be waiting for you on the tenth floor. Don’t be late.

Ø  To indicate physical support, as in:

·         He was lying on one foot.

·         Lie on your back!

Ø  To indicate being carried by somebody:

·         Do you have any cash on you?

·         I don’t have any money on me.

Ø  To show that something or somebody belongs to a group or organization:

·         He is on the staff of the school.

·         Who are the people on the panel?

·         I have to be on the committee.

·         My uncle is on the jury.

Ø  To indicate direction:

·         You will see me on the left side of the auditorium

·         On the right side, there is a way that leads off to the Eagle Square.

Ø   About something:

·         We were tested on Systemic Functional Grammar.

·         The discussion was on getting a new wife.

Ø  To indicate a means of transportation:

·         I went there on my bike.

·         They travelled on a train to Lagos.

·         I was already on a bus going to Ibadan.

Ø  At or near a place:

·         I live on Fumbi-Fagun Estate.

·         Bar Beach is on the coast in Lagos.

Ø  To show the reason or basis for something:

·         It is a story based on fact

·         I went there on her advice.

Ø  Paid for by something or somebody:

·         They live on pension.

·         Your drinks are on me.

Ø  To indicate means:

·         I heard they spoke on the phone.

·         We watch Baba Ajasco on the TV every Saturday.

Ø  To say what or who is affected:

·         Am I too much on you?

·         There is a ban on the Student Union at OAU.

Ø  To compare:

·         Tunde was up on last year.

·         Sales were up on last week.

Ø  T describe an activity or a state:

·         Prof. Jegede is on sabbatical.

·         I will be on vacation next week.

Ø  To indicate a medium to reach a person:

·         I am on 08072632787.

·         You can also reach me on adebayoads@gmail.com.

These are most of the functions of the prepositions of place ‘at’, ‘in’ and ‘on’. This does not mean, of course, that these are all their functions. No. There are other major functions they have which relate to time. We shall look at these functions under prepositions of time. Another thing to note is that these three prepositions are not the only prepositions of place. There are prepositions such as around, along, below, above, etc. which are also used to indicate space. We have only taken a look at the three because of the difficulty they often create for the second language speakers of English.