1. Location: This is the most common way prepositions are used. They tell us where something is in relation to something else.
* Examples: "The book is on the table." ("on" shows the book's location relative to the table)
* "The cat is under the bed." ("under" shows the cat's location relative to the bed)
2. Time: Prepositions can also indicate when something happens or for how long.
* Examples: "I will arrive at 3:00 PM." ("at" specifies the time of arrival)
* "We lived in that house for five years." ("for" indicates the duration of living there)
3. Direction or Movement: Prepositions can express movement towards, away from, or around something.
* Examples: "She walked toward the store." ("toward" indicates the direction of her movement)
* "The ball rolled past the goal." ("past" describes the ball's movement in relation to the goal)
It's important to note that these categories can overlap. For example, "He sat by the window for an hour" uses "by" to indicate location and "for" to indicate time.