Categories of Prepositions

Defining Categories
Most prepositions have multiple usages and meanings. Generally speaking, prepositions can be divided
into eight categories: time, place, direction or movement, agency, instrument or device, reason or
purpose, connection, and origin. The following table highlights the most common prepositions and their
categories*:

Category Preposition

Time at, in, on, for, during, since, by, until, before, after, to, past
Place at, in, on, by/near/close to, next to/beside, between, behind, in front of,
above/over, below/under
Direction or Movement to, from, over, under, along, around, across, through, into, out of, toward(s),
away from, onto, off, up, down
Agency by, with
Instrument or Device by, with, on
Reason or Purpose for, through, because of, on account of, from
Connection of, to, with
Origin from, of

(*Many prepositions will fall under two or more categories. To determine what type of preposition is
being used in a sentence, you must look closely at the context and what is being described.

Prepositions of time
A preposition of time describes when or for how long something occurred or will occur. The three most
common prepositions of time are at, in, and on. Each preposition of time refers to a different increment
of or point in time, as shown below:

Preposition of Time What it Describes Example Sentences

at specific and short times of day
“Let’s meet at noon.” “Chris arrived at
one o’clock.”
in months, years, and specific times of “Beth starts school in August.” “In 2008,
day the U.S. held a presidential election.” “I
would rather work on the project in the
afternoon.”
on days and dates “On Tuesday, Dad went to the grocery
store.” “Valentine’s Day is on February
14.”
for durations of time “He lived abroad for many years.”

1|P a ge
 during simultaneous events “We’re not supposed to study during
class.”
since a continuous event originating from a “She’s been waiting to hear back from
specific point in the past the office since yesterday.”
by a specific point in the future before “You must wake up by six o’clock
which an event must be completed tomorrow morning.”
until a continuous event that will “Daniel can’t sneak out of the house
terminate at a specific point in the until his parents go to bed.”
future
before something prior to a specific time or “The moon rose before sunset.”
event
after something following a specific time or “Katrina made a promise to help out
event after work today.”
to time in relation to the next hour of “My watch says it’s 10 minutes to three
the day right now.”
past time in relation to the previous hour “Ideally, the party would start no later
of the day than a quarter past eight.”

Prepositions of place
A preposition of place describes where something is located in reference to something else, or where
something occurred or will occur. Like prepositions of time, the most common prepositions of place are
also at, in, and on. The usages of these and other prepositions of place are explained below:

Preposition of Place What it Describes Example Sentences

at specific points or locations “Ben is planning on staying the night at a
hotel.”
in enclosed spaces “The rice is in the cabinet.”
on surfaces or tops of things “Leave the towel on the counter.”
by, near, close to lack of distance “The library is by/near/close to the train
station.”
next to, beside adjacency “Many people consider it rude to sit
next to/beside a stranger in a movie
theater.”
between something in the middle of two “To make a sandwich, simply put
people or things something between two slices of
bread.”
behind something at the back of something “I stood behind my sister while we
waited in line.”
in front of something situated before something “Let’s put the dresser in front of the
window.”
above, over* something higher than something “The arch above/over the hallway
reminded Natalie of a castle she’d
visited.”
below, under** something lower than something “All children fear the monsters
below/under their beds.”

2|P a ge
(*Over and above both describe something higher than something else, but over can also describe
something directly in contact with and covering something beneath it. For example: “I draped my jacket
over the couch” is correct, whereas “I draped my jacket above the couch” is incorrect.)

(**Under and below can both describe something lower than something else, but under can also
describe something that is directly in contact with something on top of it. For example: “The puppy hid
under the blanket” is correct, whereas “The puppy hid below the blanket” is incorrect.)

Prepositions of direction or movement

A preposition of direction or movement describes how, where, or in what way something moves. The
following table highlights the most common prepositions of direction and movement, as well as their
different usages:

Preposition of Direction What it Describes Example Sentences

or Movement
to movement with a specific aim,
direction, or destination “My brother went to Europe with his
friends.”
from movement with a specific point
of origin “She told stories about the time she
walked to Spain from France.”
over movement higher than and “The bird flew over the trees.”
across something else
above movement to a point higher than “He shot his arrow above the target.”
something else
under/beneath movement lower than something “That large worm went under/beneath
the dirt.”
along movement on a straight line or
edge “The childhood friends rode their
bicycles along the road.”
around movement in a circular direction
“The couple held hands and skated
around the rink.”
across movement from one end to the “I walked across the flimsy bridge.”
other
through
movement from one side of an “The burglar entered the house through
enclosed space and out of the the basement window.”
other
into movement ending inside
something “If you jump into the water like this, you
can make a big splash.”
out of movement ending outside
something “Get out of that cave before the bear

3|P a ge
 comes back!”
toward(s)* movement closer to something
“Laughing, she threw up her hands and
ran toward(s) the park.”
away from movement farther from “Get away from the fire before you get
something burned.”
onto movement ending on top of “Be careful climbing onto that ledge.”
something
off movement down or away from
something “Parents are always yelling at their kids
to get off the furniture.”
up movement heading up
“When you use a fireplace, smoke goes
up the chimney.”
down movement heading down “He jumped down and hurt his knee.”
(*Toward and towards are interchangeable. In formal American English, “toward” is preferred.)

Prepositions of agency
A preposition of agency describes a person or a thing that has caused or is causing something to occur.
Sentences containing prepositions of agency are usually written in the passive voice and employ the
prepositions by (for people) and with (for things). For example:

“The house was built by the three siblings.” (passive)

“The three siblings built the house.” (active)

“Her heart is filled with emotion.” (passive)

“Emotion filled her heart.” (active)

Prepositions of instrument or device

A preposition of instrument or device is used when describing certain technologies, machines, or
devices. These prepositions are by, with, and on. Typically, by refers to methods of transportation,
whereas with and on describe the use of machines and other devices. For example:

“Aunt Patricia returned home by ferry.”

“She opened the locked door with an old key.”

“May I finish my homework on your computer?”

Prepositions of reason or purpose

4|P a ge
A preposition of reason or purpose describes why something has occurred or will occur. Common
prepositions of reason or purpose include for, through, because of, on account of, and from. For
example:

“Everything I did was for you.”

“Through her bravery, we were able to escape unharmed.”

“Because of the delay, I was late to the parade.”

“The employees refused to work on account of their low pay.”

“He knows from experience how to deal with them.”

Prepositions of connection
A preposition of connection describes possession, relationships, or accompaniment. Of is used for
possession, to for relationships between people or things, and with for accompaniment. For example:

“The Statue of Liberty is located in New York Harbor.”

“A well-written essay is impressive to teachers.”

“Lisa wanted to go to the concert with Victor.

Origin
When we describe a person or thing’s origin (such as nationality, hometown/state, ethnicity, the place
where something was built or designed, etc.), we typically use the preposition from (and, to a lesser
degree, of). For example:

“I met the most delightful couple from Italy.”

“I’m from New York originally, but I’ve lived in Dallas for many years.”

“The new professor is of Turkish descent.”

“The new computer from the tech giant should be revolutionary.”

Collected By

Mohammad Sajib

5|P a ge