Know Your Prepositions! (For and On)

One common mistake we see while proofreading is incorrect use of prepositions. But these words, often very short, are vital for creating grammatical sentence. Thus, today, we’re taking a closer look at two prepositions that you’ll probably see every day: ‘for’ and ‘on’.

What Are Prepositions?

Prepositions are words that specify the relationship between a noun and another word in a sentence. For example:

Gerald is going to the lecture.

In the sentence above, the preposition ‘to’ shows where Gerald is going by linking the verb ‘going’ and the noun ‘lecture’. Many prepositions have various uses, however, which can make picking the right word difficult.

Nevertheless, if you can remember some of the main uses of ‘for’ and ‘on’, you’ll find it much easier to express your intentions clearly.

Preposition #1: For

‘For’ has many different uses, including the following:

• Indicating who is intended to have something (e.g. ‘I have good news for you!’)
• A reason or cause (e.g. ‘I couldn’t see the horizon for the fog.’)
• A span of time or distance (e.g. ‘The road is straight for miles ahead.’)

  

• Meaning ‘on the occasion of’ (e.g. ‘She got a new car for her birthday.’)
• Expressing support or agreement (e.g. ‘I voted for change!’)
• Comparing something against expectations (e.g. ‘He’s big for a Chihuahua!’)

  

• Showing that something is done to help someone (e.g. ‘I’ll I carry that for you.’)
• Being a representative of a group (e.g. ‘She works for the company.’)
• Exchanges (e.g. ‘I swapped my hat for a tiara.’)

This isn’t a definitive list and the only way you can be sure you’ve used ‘for’ correctly is by practising employing it in different contexts.

Preposition #2: On

Equally diverse in its applications is the preposition ‘on’, which can mean:

• Covering or being in contact with a surface (e.g. ‘You’ve got ink on your shirt.’)
• That something occurs at a time (e.g. ‘We’re going to the game on Friday.’)
• Being positioned above or atop something (e.g. ‘The lizard sat on the rock.’)

  

• Using something, often a machine (e.g. ‘He’s always on the phone!’)
• Dependent upon something (e.g. ‘She’s on life support.’)
• Immediately afterwards (e.g. ‘On realising their mistake, they took action.’)
• About or concerning (e.g. ‘I wrote my thesis on lexical ambiguity.’)
• Via a particular medium, particularly electronic media (e.g. ‘I saw it on TV.’)

  

• Indicating the state of something (e.g. ‘The roof is on fire!’)
• Direction or location (e.g. ‘Stop when you see the fire station on your left.’)
• Paid for or supported by (e.g. ‘Students often live on a limited budget.’)

As above, this list isn’t complete, since ‘on’ is a very flexible word used in many contexts. It’s therefore vital to practise using these prepositions until you’re familiar with their meanings! And having someone else check your work for misplaced prepositions is a good idea, as you can learn from feedback.