PREPOSITIONS
Prepositions are short words (on, in, to) that usually stand in front of nouns (sometimes also in front of gerund verbs).
Even advanced learners of English find prepositions difficult, as a 1:1 translation is usually not possible. One preposition in your
native language might have several translations depending on the situation.
There are hardly any rules as to when to use which preposition. The only way to learn prepositions is looking them up in a
dictionary, reading a lot in English (literature) and learning useful phrases off by heart (study tips).
The following table contains rules for some of the most frequently used prepositions in English:
Prepositions – Time
English Usage Example
on days of the week on Monday
in months / seasons in August / in winter
time of day in the morning
year in 2006
after a certain period of time (when?) in an hour
at for night at night
for weekend at the weekend
a certain point of time (when?) at half past nine
since from a certain point of time (past till now) since 1980
for over a certain period of time (past till now) for 2 years
ago a certain time in the past 2 years ago
before earlier than a certain point of time before 2004
to telling the time ten to six (5:50)
past telling the time ten past six (6:10)
to / till / marking the beginning and end of a period of time from Monday to/till Friday
until
English Usage Example
till / in the sense of how long something is going to last He is on holiday until Friday.
until
by in the sense of at the latest I will be back by 6 o’clock.
up to a certain time By 11 o'clock, I had read five pages.
Prepositions – Place (Position and Direction)
English Usage Example
in room, building, street, town, country in the kitchen, in London
book, paper etc. in the book
car, taxi in the car, in a taxi
picture, world in the picture, in the world
at meaning next to, by an object at the door, at the station
for table at the table
for events at a concert, at the party
place where you are to do something typical (watch at the cinema, at school, at work
a film, study, work)
on attached the picture on the wall
for a place with a river London lies on the Thames.
being on a surface on the table
for a certain side (left, right) on the left
for a floor in a house on the first floor
for public transport on the bus, on a plane
for television, radio on TV, on the radio
by, next left or right of somebody or something Jane is standing by / next to / beside the car.
to,
beside
English Usage Example
under on the ground, lower than (or covered by) the bag is under the table
something else
below lower than something else but above ground the fish are below the surface
over covered by something else put a jacket over your shirt
meaning more than over 16 years of age
getting to the other side (also across) walk over the bridge
overcoming an obstacle climb over the wall
above higher than something else, but not directly over it a path above the lake
across getting to the other side (also over) walk across the bridge
getting to the other side swim across the lake
through something with limits on top, bottom and the sides drive through the tunnel
to movement to person or building go to the cinema
movement to a place or country go to London / Ireland
for bed go to bed
into enter a room / a building go into the kitchen / the house
towards movement in the direction of something (but not go 5 steps towards the house
directly to it)
onto movement to the top of something jump onto the table
from in the sense of where from a flower from the garden
Other important Prepositions
English Usage Example
from who gave it a present from Jane
of who/what does it belong to a page of the book
English Usage Example
what does it show the picture of a palace
by who made it a book by Mark Twain
on walking or riding on horseback on foot, on horseback
entering a public transport vehicle get on the bus
in entering a car / Taxi get in the car
off leaving a public transport vehicle get off the train
out of leaving a car / Taxi get out of the taxi
by rise or fall of something prices have risen by 10 percent
travelling (other than walking or horseriding) by car, by bus
at for age she learned Russian at 45
about for topics, meaning what about we were talking about you
Multiple words
Prepositions comprising of two words
1. according to
2. adjacent to
3. ahead of
4. apart from
5. as for
6. as of
7. as per
8. as regards
9. aside from
10. astern of
11. back to
12. because of
13. close to
14. due to
15. except for
16. far from
17. inside of
18. instead of
19. left of
20. near to
21. next to
22. opposite of
23. opposite to
24. out from
25. out of
26. outside of
27. owing to
28. prior to
29. pursuant to
30. rather than
31. regardless of
32. right of
33. subsequent to
34. such as
35. thanks to
36. up to
prepositions comprising of three words
1. as far as is one example of the many expressions which can be analyzed as as+adjective+as rather than a multiword
preposition
2. as opposed to
3. as soon as
4. as well as
Preposition + (article) + noun + preposition
English has many idiomatic expressions that act as prepositions that can be analyzed as a preposition followed by a noun
(sometimes preceded by the definite or, occasionally, indefinite article) followed by another preposition. [1] Common examples
include:
1. at the behest of
2. by means of
3. by virtue of
4. for the sake of
5. in accordance with
6. in addition to
7. in case of
8. in front of
9. in lieu of
10. in order to
11. in place of
12. in point of
13. in spite of
14. on account of
15. on behalf of
16. on top of
17. with regard to (sometimes written as "w/r/t")
18. with respect to
19. with a view to
PREPOSITIONS,MEANINGS AND EXAMPLES IN SENTENCES
Preposition Meaning Examples
above higher than, or over The sun is above the clouds.
across from one side to the other It's dangerous to run across the road.
- following something - The boy ran after the ball.
after
- later than - I'll phone you after lunch.
- in opposition to - Stealing is against the law.
against
- in contact with - The sofa is against the wall.
along from one end to the other They are walking along the street.
among surrounded by Peter was among the spectators.
- in a circle - He walked around the table.
around
- near, approximately - It costs around 50 euros.
- earlier than - The day before yesterday.
before
- in front of - He bowed before the king.
behind at the back of Passengers sit behind the driver.
below lower than His shorts are below his knees.
beneath under The pen was beneath the books.
beside next to The bank is beside the cinema.
in the space separating two
between Mary sat between Tom and Jane.
things
by near, at the side of The restaurant is by the river.
close to near The school is near the church.
down from higher to lower She pulled down the blind.
for what is intended I bought this book for you.
where something starts or
from The wind is blowing from the north.
originates
in at a point within an area The pen is in the drawer.
in front of directly before The child ran out in front of the bus.
inside on the inner part of The bird is inside the cage.
into enter a closed space He went into the shop.
near close to The school is near the church.
next to beside The bank is next to the cinema.
off down or away from He fell off the horse.
on in a position touching a surface The plate is on the table.
onto move to a position on a surface The cat jumped onto the roof of the car.
opposite facing, on the other side Eva sat opposite Tom at the table.
- move from a closed space - He got out of the taxi.
out of
- without - She's out of work.
opposite of inside,
outside The garden is outside the house.
on the outer side
- above/across - The plane flew over the Atlantic.
over
- on the surface of - She put a sheet over the furniture.
past beyond She drove past the supermarket.
round in a circular movement The earth moves round the sun.
through from one side to the other The Seine flows through Paris.
The virus spread throughout the
throughout in every part of
country.
to in the direct of / towards On the way to the station.
towards in the direction of The child ran towards her father.
under beneath, below Water flows under the bridge.
underneath beneath There was dust underneath the rug.
up towards or in a higher position She walked up the stairs.