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List of Common Prepositions
List of Common Prepositions
Prepositions are relationship or directional words. They link the nouns, pronouns, verbs and phrases
together in a sentence. Without prepositions, it would be impossible to understand communication.
For example, would you understand a sentence that read: "I want go the mall get a dress prom."
Perhaps you might be able to decipher it, but it certainly wouldn't be too fun. The missing words in
that example are prepositions (to and for to be exact) and there are plenty more prepositions where
that came.
Understanding Prepositions
There are several hundred prepositions in the English language, all of which are used to show the
relationship between ideas. One good way to remember prepositions is to think about anywhere a
mouse can run. A mouse can run up, over, down, under, to and from. Those are all prepositions.
While this rule doesn't catch every preposition, it certainly can help you identify quite a few of them.
The following list of 75 prepositions can also help you to understand exactly where a preposition is,
how to find them and just why they are so important.
1. Aboard: Can't climb aboard without a preposition
2. About: Can't make much ado about nothing without about
3. Above: Can't go above and beyond the call of duty without the preposition above
4. Absent: Can't be absent from school either!
5. According to: How could you cite a source without "according to"?
6. Across: Guess you can't sit across from anyone at Thanksgiving dinner
7. After: No more after-parties without the word after
8. Against: You'll have to agree to everything if you can't vote against things
9. Ahead of: No one will ever again be ahead of their time without the preposition ahead.
10. Along: You need along to signify that you are going along for the side
11. Alongside: You also need alongside to describe where you are, alongside your best friend.
12. Amid: Amid all the chaos, the preposition amid stands out.
13. Amidst: Amidst the rubble, you have the word amidst.
14. Among: The preposition among allows you to be among friends.
15. Anti: Anti-matter and anti-establishment both depend on the preposition anti
16. Around- Around is a pretty important preposition if you are around town.
17. As- As long as prepositions exist, sentences make sense.
18. as far as- As far as we're concerned, as is a pretty important preposition
19. as well as- Knowing prepositions as well as their meanings is important.
20. At- You'll need at to describe the time at which you'll arrive.
21. Atop- How could you be atop a high mountain without atop
22. Before- Mind before matter is the key to learning prepositions such as before.
23. Behind- Falling behind on your prepositions, such as behind, would be bad.
24. Below- There are prepositions above and below the preposition below.
25. Between- No more secrets between you and me without the preposition between.
26. But- What would a toddler whine about if they couldn't say 'But mommy!'
27. By- It would be hard to get by without the preposition by
28. Considering- Considering all these great prepositions, wouldn't you be sad if you didn't have this
list
29. Down- Without down, the famous rule of gravity that what goes up must come down wouldn't
have a lot of meaning.
30. During- We've added before and after to the list, during completes the trifecta
31. Except- We can't name all the prepositions except for except!
32. Excluding- Excluding excluding would also be a terrible mistake!
33. Following: Following right along with our pattern, following is the next preposition on the list.
34. For- If it weren't for the preposition for it would be hard for you to talk.
35. From- Prepositions such as from are far from unimportant
36. In- In case you didn't know, in is a preposition also!
37. In addition to- In addition to is a lovely addition to the preposition list.
38. In case of- In case of emergency, you can always use a preposition to get help.
39. Inside- Now you have the inside track on prepositions!
40. Into- Without the preposition into, you couldn't get into trouble.
41. Like- Like is, like, the most, like, overused preposition on, like, the planet.
42. mid- Mid is a good preposition to be midway through the list- of course, it isn't quite mid way
but we're close!
43. Near- Without near, we wouldn't be able to tell you that you are near to the end o the list
44. Next- Next is a good preposition to be the next item on the prepositions list!
45. next to- Next to the preposition, next, 'next to' may be the most important word
46. notwithstanding- Notwithstanding the importance of prepositions, this list is still fun
47. of- Without Of, we wouldn't have Of Mice and Men (or, well, any other sentence or title that
uses "off")
48. Off- The name of a popular bug spray, Off! Is also a great preposition.
49. On- On the same topic, the preposition on is the opposite of the preposition off
50. on account of- On account of prepositions, such as on account of, we can communicate.
51. on behalf of- On behalf of English speaker's everywhere, we say that prepositions are great.
52. on top of- On top of all the other wonderful prepositions, we also have 'on top of'
53. onto- Onto the next preposition, which is onto.
54. Opposite- Is there an opposite to the preposition opposite?
55. Outside- Without prepositions, you could never think outside the box.
56. outside of- You could also never color outside of the lines.
57. Over- The preposition over is required to think things over.
58. owing to- Owing to prepositions, we are able to communicate.
59. Past- Don't look past the preposition past.
60. Per- Per our instructions, the preposition per should be learned.
61. Plus- Plus is a preposition plus a math word!
62. prior to- Prior to learning prepositions, such as prior to, communicate was way less fun.
63. Regarding- Movies such as Regarding Henry take advantage of the preposition regarding.
64. Round- Without a preposition, such as round, you couldn't go round the town.
65. Save- You also couldn't Save the Wales without the preposition save
66. Since- Since you asked, since is also a preposition
67. Than- There are few prepositions greater than than
68. Through- When Alice went through the looking glass, she used a preposition.
69. Throughout- Throughout history, the preposition throughout has been used.
70. To- Without "to," Shakespeare could not have asked his famous question- to be or not to be.
71. Until- Until you read his list, you may not have known that until was a preposition.
72. Up- Up up and away is a cry you couldn't say without prepositions.
73. With- With or without your consent, prepositions will keep on directing sentences.
74. Within- Within the confines of many sentences, you are likely to find the preposition within.
75. Without- Without the preposition without, you'd be without a clue.
Preposition
What is a preposition?
A preposition is a word used to link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words within a sentence. They
act to connect the people, objects, time and locations of a sentence. Prepositions are usually short words,
and they are normally placed directly in front of nouns. In some cases, you’ll find prepositions in front
of gerund verbs.
A nice way to think about prepositions is as the words that help glue a sentence together. They do this by
expressing position and movement, possession, time and how an action is completed.
Indeed, several of the most frequently used words in all of English, such as of, to, for, with, on and at, are
prepositions. Explaining prepositions can seem complicated, but they are a common part of language and most
of us use them naturally without even thinking about it.
In fact, it’s interesting to note that prepositions are regarded as a ‘closed class’ of words in the English
language. This means, unlike verbs and nouns, no new words are added to this group over time. In a way, it
reflects their role as the functional workhorse of the sentence. They are unassuming and subtle, yet vitally
important to the meaning of language.
There are two very important rules to remember when using prepositions. Because they are somewhat vague,
learning about prepositions and using them correctly in sentences takes practice. Because 1:1 translation is
often impossible when dealing with propositions, even the most advanced English students have some
difficulty at first.
The first rule is that to make sentences clear, specific prepositions are needed. For example, the
preposition in means one thing and the preposition on cannot substitute for it in all cases. Some prepositions
are interchangeable but not always. The correct preposition means one particular thing and using a different
proposition will give the sentence a very different meaning. I want to see you inthe house now, Bill! means
something very different from I want to see you on the house now, Bill! Inthe house means Bill should go
through the door, walk inside, and stand in the hall or living room. Onthe house means Bill would need to get a
ladder and climb to the roof where he would be on top ofthe house.
The second rule for using prepositions is that prepositions are generally followed by nouns or pronouns. There
was a time in the past when teachers held strictly to this rule, but it made for some clunky sentences. I am
seeking someone I can depend on ends with the preposition on, so people who insisted that sentences shouldn’t
end with a preposition would be forced to use convoluted and unnatural phrasing. To avoid ending that
sentence above with a preposition, you’d have to say, someone I can depend on is whom I am seeking.
There are more than 100 prepositions in the English language. In addition, there are endless possibilities for
creating prepositional phrases, phrases that begin with a preposition and end with a noun or pronoun. In the
following sections, you will find examples of prepositions, types of prepositions, a comprehensive list of
prepositions, and some helpful preposition exercises. As you read the examples and study the list, remember
that prepositions usually convey concepts such as comparison, direction, place, purpose, source possession,
and time.
Examples of Prepositions
In the following sentences, examples of prepositions have been italicized. As you read, consider how using
different prepositions or even different types of prepositions in place of the examples might change the
relationship between the rest of the words in the sentence.
Types of Prepositions
There are three types of prepositions, including time prepositions, place prepositions, and direction
prepositions.
Time prepositions are those such as before, after, during, and until; place prepositions are those indicating
position, such as around, between, and against; and direction prepositions are those indicative of direction,
such as across, up, and down. Each type of preposition is important.
Type of Prepositions
Prepositions of Time
Basic examples of time prepositions include: at, on, in, before and after. They are used to help indicate when
something happened, happens or will happen. It can get a little confusing though, as many different
prepositions can be used.
Prepositions of time examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.
For example:
For years, months, seasons, centuries and times of day, use the preposition in:
To confuse matters a bit, the most common prepositions to indicate time – on, at, in – are also the most
common prepositions to indicate position. However, the rules are a little clearer as place prepositions are a
more rigid concept than time prepositions.
Prepositions of place examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.
Prepositions of movement are quite easy to understand as they are less abstract than prepositions of place and
time. Essentially, they describe how something or someone moves from one place to another. The most
commonly used preposition of movement is to, which usually serves to highlight that there is movement
towards a specific destination.
Prepositions of movement examples in the following sentences are in bold for easy identification.
Recognizing prepositions can be challenging as they do not always follow a consistent pattern in terms of their
position in a sentence, nor do they have a discernible structure or spelling. We do know, however, that
prepositions are almost always short words, with the majority having less than six letters. One technique
people use to identify a preposition is to think of a preposition as anywhere a mouse can go. Above, below,
next to, between, beyond, through, by, with…It won’t cover them all, but it can be a useful question to ask
when trying to identify and recognize a preposition. While there are over 100 prepositions, there are around
500,00-700,000 nouns in English! It is unlikely anyone will learn so many nouns, but recognizing and then
mastering prepositions might be a worthwhile and attainable goal.
There are lots of different nouns that carry specific prepositions to consolidate their meaning. These are called
dependent prepositions. Again, there isn’t a set rule that says a particular type of noun will take a dependent
preposition, although they normally follow the noun. Moreover, there are many possible combinations.
Essentially, it’s case of familiarizing yourself with the different possibilities of nouns and dependent
prepositions. Examples:
Prepositional verbs – the phrasal combinations of verbs and prepositions – are important parts of speech. The
prepositions again act as links between the verb and noun or gerund, giving extra meaning to the sentence. The
prepositions most commonly used with verbs are: to, for, about, of, in, at and from. The good news is that
these will always come after the verb in the sentence. However, it should also be noted that the prepositional
verbs can have slightly different meaning compared to the original verb. For example, to relate a story simply
means to tell a story, to relate to a story means you identify with it, find some personally meaning in that story.
Verb + to:
Nevertheless, perhaps a more general rule is that English speakers simply need to learn which prepositions go
with which adjectives, as meaning can change significantly by using a different preposition.
Prepositions Exercises
The following exercises will help you gain greater understanding about how prepositions work. Choose the
best answer to complete each sentence.
1. The bone was _______ the dog.
a. About
b. For
c. After
d. Considering
Against Beyond In
Alongside By Into
Anti Despite Of
As During On
At Except Onto
Past To Versus
Since Until