Upon

prepositions of place upon

In this lesson, we're gonna talk about this word. Have you encountered it before? Well, if you haven't, don't panic and come with me.

'Upon' mainly functions as a preposition. In this lesson, we will discuss how to learn and use it.

Functions of 'Upon'

Preposition

'Upon' as a Preposition

Mainly, 'upon' functions as a preposition. Below, we will learn about the kind of preposition it is:

'Upon' as a Preposition of Place

We can use 'upon' to indicate something is on top of something else. Look at the following examples:

The old lady placed the machine upon the desk.

The little kitty jumped upon the closet.

We can also use 'upon' as a preposition of place to show that an event happened prior to another one. In other words, it shows the order of several events. We can say it functions like 'after'. Check out the examples below:

Upon hearing the final news, the crowd rushed out.

Upon writing your schedule, remember to forward it to the manager.

Position in a Sentence

Since 'upon' is a preposition here, it mainly comes before nouns or noun phrases to modify them. Look at the examples below:

Grief has laid its footprints upon my soul.

I left the dog upon the bed.

When 'upon' indicates that something happened after something else, it mainly comes between a dependent and an independent clause. After 'upon', we usually have gerunds. Look below:

Upon reading the passage, you have to answer 10 true/false questions.

Upon considering where to sleep, you must submit your names in the system.