Preposition – “Outside”
Outside
While it’s true that outside and inside are often used in opposition to each other to describe the location or position of something in relation to the inner or outer part of an object or space, it’s important to note that outside has a broader range of meanings and can convey various concepts beyond just the opposite of inside.
Outside can also express ideas related to exclusion, beyond a particular range or limit, outdoors, out of reach or visibility, or even unrelated to something.
Outside in different meanings:
The preposition outside has several meanings and can be used in various situations.
Here are examples of how outside can be used with its different meanings:
Location/Position:
The cat is waiting outside the door.
There’s a beautiful garden outside the window.
The car is parked outside the house.
Exclusion:
Smoking is not allowed outside designated areas.
Please leave your shoes outside the temple.
We can’t discuss this matter outside the meeting.
Beyond or Exceeding:
The project’s expenses are outside the budget we allocated.
His actions are outside the realm of acceptable behaviour.
External to:
The company is thriving outside the local market.
She seems calm, but her troubles lie outside of her outward appearance.
The package is damaged outside of the box, but the contents remain undisturbed.
Outdoors:
Let’s have a picnic outside in the park.
It’s a beautiful day; we should dine outside the patio.
We prefer to play football outside the gym.
Out of reach or visibility:
The keys are outside my grasp; I can’t find them.
The solution lies just outside our current knowledge.
Apart from:
Outside of work, he enjoys painting.
Outside of school, she’s an accomplished musician.
Outside of the office, they are good friends.
Not Concerned With:
Outside of my family, nothing else matters.
His opinion is outside of the scope of our discussion.
She’s focused solely on her career, with little regard outside of it.
Outside as an adverb:
Outside can also function as an adverb, indicating the location or direction away from the inside or interior.
Here are examples:
He waited patiently, pacing outside.
The children played outside.
She enjoys dining outside.
It’s raining, so I’ll stay outside until it stops.
The cat wanted to come in, but I kept it outside.
In these sentences, outside is used to describe where an action is taking place or the direction of movement away from an interior space.
Prepositions “Out of” and “From” to compare