List of Prepositions
What is a Preposition
Prepositions are relational words that indicate a relationship between two things and they are usually used before nouns and pronouns. Prepositions, as the name suggests, tell us about the time, place, direction, and location of something and when it happened. Prepositions are a bit tricky in the English language as sometimes they give an idiomatic expression. This is why it is necessary to memorize their usage. A few examples of prepositions are on, in, beside, behind, up, down, far, near, under, into, and so on. However, there are a few rules for the use of prepositions in different contexts.
- aboard
- about
- above
- abroad
- according to
- across
- after
- against
- ago
- ahead of
- along
- alongside
- amid
- amidst
- among
- amongst
- anti
- apart
- apart from
- around
- as
- as far as
- as well as
- aside
- astride
- at
- atop
- away
- because of
- before
- behind
- below
- beneath
- beside
- besides
- between
- beyond
- but
- by
- by means of
- circa
- close to
- concerning
- considering
- despite
- down
- due to
- during
- except
- excepting
- excluding
- far
- far from
- following
- for
- forward of
- from
- gone
- hence
- in
- in accordance with
- in addition to
- in between
- in case of
- in front of
- in lieu of
- in place of
- in spite of
- in to
- inside
- instead of
- into
- like
- minus
- near
- near to
- next
- next to
- notwithstanding
- of
- off
- on
- on account of
- on behalf of
- on board
- on to
- on top of
- onto
- opposite
- out
- out from
- out of
- outside
- outside of
- over
- owing to
- past
- per
- plus
- prior to
- regarding
- round
- save
- since
- than
- through
- throughout
- till
- times
- to
- together with
- toward
- towards
- under
- underneath
- unlike
- until
- unto
- up
- up against
- up to
- up until
- upon
- versus
- via
- with
- with a view to
- within
- without
- worth
Preposition examples
Prepositions for Direction
For direction purposes, use prepositions to, in, into, onto, on. For example:
Where are you off to?
Bring the kids into the house.
Prepositions for Time
In, on, at are the prepositions used to refer to time. For example:
I take tea at 6 pm.
She was sleeping at noon.
I hike on Saturday.
Prepositions for Location
In, at, and on are the prepositions used to refer to a location. For example:
You will find me at the cafe.
The baby puked on my book last night.
They live in a treehouse.
Prepositions for Spatial relationships
For this purpose, use prepositions such as against, above, across, among, along, beneath, between, through, toward, and under. These prepositions are used in the sentences below for your understanding.
The cat is under the hat.
The lion is moving towards the car.
The shop is across the road.
Prepositions for place
In, at, on, beneath, above, over, and inside are the prepositions to be used when referring to a place. For example
The kite flew over the tree.
There is a snake beneath the pile of laundry.
The cutlery is inside the box, above the counter.