When speaking or writing in English, you often come across prepositions. These are vital in showing relationships between words or phrases in a sentence. This reference provides a comprehensive list of prepositions commonly used in both spoken and written English. You will find sections covering different types of prepositions like those of time, place, movement, and manner. This resource is useful to enhance your English fluency.
Contents
List of Prepositions
Prepositions are words that tell how one thing is relating to or interacting with another. For example, “The man sat on the chair.” The preposition in this sentence is on. Prepositions tell us where something is in relation to something else. The man isn’t under the chair, for example. He’s on it.
There are around 150 prepositions in the English language, and we’re going to list all of them we could find. They are broken down into categories of prepositions, based on how that type of preposition functions.
This list contains one-word prepositions as well as complex prepositions. Complex prepositions are when more than one word works together as a preposition. This is not the same as a prepositional phrase, which is a phrase starting with a preposition but ending in a noun.
Some of these prepositions can function in multiple categories, depending on how they’re used. They will appear in more than one list.
Some of these words also fit into other speech categories, especially adverbs and conjunctions.
Prepositions of time
Prepositions of time are prepositions that we use to indicate something’s relationship with time.
- About
- After
- Ago
- Around
- At
- Before
- By
- Circa
- During
- Following
- For
- From
- Gone
- In
- On
- Past
- Prior to
- Since
- Until/till
- Up to
- Up until
Prepositions of Place
Prepositions of place are ones that tell where one thing is in space compared to another.
- Aboard
- Above
- Across
- Against
- Alongside
- Amid
- Among
- Apart from
- Astride
- At
- Atop
- Behind
- Below
- Beneath
- Beside
- Between
- Beyond
- By
- Close to
- Far
- Far from
- Forward of
- From
- In
- In between
- In front of
- Inside
- Into
- Minus
- Near
- Near to
- Next to
- Of
- Off
- On
- On board
- On top of
- Onto
- Upon
- Opposite
- Out
- Out of
- Outside
- Outside of
- Over
- Round
- Through
- Throughout
- To
- Together with
- Toward/towards
- Whether this word ends with an -s depends on what region’s English is being used.
- Under
- Underneath
- Up against
- With
- Within
- Without
Prepositions of Movement
Prepositions of movement (also known as prepositions of direction) tell how something moves in relation to another thing. Many of these are also prepositions of place. Prepositions of place tell where something is, and prepositions of movement tell how something is moving.
- Above
- Across
- Against
- Ahead
- Along
- Along with
- Amid
- Around
- Away
- Away from
- Behind
- Below
- Beneath
- By means of
- Down
- Further to
- In between
- Into
- Off
- Off of
- On
- Onto
- Over
- Out of
- Past
- Round
- Through
- Toward/towards
- Under
- Up
- Via
Prepositions of Manner
Prepositions of manner (also known as prepositions of agency or prepositions of instrument) tell us how something is done. This category also includes many legal phrases and whether or not people are includes or excluded.
- About
- According to
- Anti
- As
- As for
- As per
- As to
- As well as
- Aside from
- Bar
- Barring
- Because of
- Besides
- But for
- By
- But
- Concerning
- Considering
- Contrary to
- Counting
- Cum
- Depending on
- Despite
- Due to
- Except
- Except for
- Excepting
- Excluding
- Given
- In addition to
- in case of
- In face of
- In favor of/in favour of
- In light of
- In spite of
- In view of
- Including
- Instead of
- Less
- Like
- Notwithstanding
- Of
- On account of
- On behalf of
- Other than
- Owing to
- Pending
- Per
- Plus
- Preparatory to
- Pro
- Re
- Regarding
- Regardless of
- Save
- Save for
- Saving
- Than
- Thanks to
- Unlike
- Versus
- With
- With reference to
- With regard to
- Worth
Prepositions with Examples
Prepositions in Sentences
The following are some examples of prepositions being used in sentences. There is one example for each category of preposition we include in the list of prepositions below.
That happened during the 1900s.
This is a preposition that shows how the event relates to time. Prepositions of time have a lot of overlap with adverbs, and many words are listed as both adverbs and prepositions.
The ball is on the box.
This preposition shows where the ball is in relation to the box. It is a preposition of place.
He ran around the corner.
This preposition tells how he moved in relation to the corner. It is a preposition of movement or direction.
She wrote the paper with Sarah.
This preposition tells the manner in which the paper was written in relation to these two people. This category is a little more open, and it’s named differently according to who you consult. It primarily focuses on how people or things relate to functioning together. This category of prepositions often includes words that are also conjunctions.
More examples of prepositions:
– about: She was talking about her trip to Paris.
– above: The birds were flying above the clouds.
– across: We walked across the bridge to get to the other side.
– after: We went to the movies after dinner.
– against: The soccer team played against their rivals.
– along: We took a scenic drive along the coast.
– among: The children played among the trees in the park.
– around: The dog ran around the backyard chasing its tail.
– at: We met at the coffee shop for a quick chat.
– before: We need to finish our work before the deadline.
– behind: The car was driving behind us on the highway.
– below: The fish swam below the surface of the water.
– beneath: The treasure was hidden beneath the sand.
– beside: She sat beside her best friend during the movie.
– between: The cat was hiding between the two pillows on the couch.
– beyond: The mountain range was beyond the horizon.
– by: The book was written by Jane Austen.
– concerning: The meeting was about the new policy concerning vacation time.
– despite: Despite the bad weather, we still went for a hike.
– down: The leaves fell down from the trees in the autumn.
– during: We learned a lot during our trip to Japan.
– except: Everyone was invited to the party except for Mark.
– for: She bought a gift for her sister’s birthday.
– from: The package was shipped from China.
– in: He was born in New York City.
– inside: The cat was hiding inside the box.
– into: The bird flew into its nest in the tree.
– like: She danced like a ballerina on stage.
– near: The store was located near the train station.
– of: The color of the sky was blue.
– off: The plane took off from the runway.
– on: She placed the book on the table.
– onto: He climbed onto the roof to fix the shingles.
– out: The fire went out after we poured water on it.
– outside: The children played outside in the park.
– over: The plane flew over the mountains.
– past: We drove past the gas station without stopping.
– regarding: She received an email regarding her job application.
– round: We walked round the block to get some exercise.
– since: She has been working at the company since 2015.
– through: We walked through the tunnel to get to the other side.
– throughout: The festival lasted throughout the weekend.
– to: She gave a present to her mother for Mother’s Day.
– toward: The car was driving toward the city center.
– under: The cat was hiding under the bed.
– underneath: The keys were underneath the pile of papers.
– until: We waited until the store opened to buy our groceries.
– up: He climbed up the ladder to reach the top shelf.
– upon: The prince rode upon his white horse into the sunset.
– with: He cooked dinner with his girlfriend.
Prepositions of Place with Examples
Learn the preposition words list with pictures, meanings, and example sentences.
In
Meaning: Indicates the location of someone or something within a specific container, place, or area.
Example: The basketball is in the box.
On
Meaning: Used to indicate when an object is touching or supported by a surface.
Example: The basketball is on the box.
Under
Meaning: Refers to something being in a lower position or covered by something else.
Example: The basketball is hiding under the box.
Next to
Meaning: Something is situated closer to the front than another thing or person.
Example: There is a basketball next to the box.
Between
Meaning: Indicates a position in the middle of two objects or places.
Example: The basketball is hiding between the two boxes.
Among
Meaning: Refers to being in the midst of other people or things.
Example: The basketball is hiding among the boxes.
In front of
Meaning: Indicates something is located ahead of someone or something else.
Example: The basketball is situated in front of the box.
Behind
Meaning: Indicates something is located at the back of something else is “behind.”
Example: The basketball is hiding behind the box.
Above
Meaning: Indicates that something is in a position higher than something else.
Example: The basketball is above the box.
Below
Meaning: Indicates something is positioned at a lower level than another object.
Example: The basketball is below the box.
Near
Meaning: Indicating proximity, but with a slight distinction in distance between the two objects.
Example: The basketball is situated near the box.
Far from
Meaning: Indicates a significant distance between two things.
Example: The basketball is located far from the box.
At
Meaning: Specify the precise location of something or someone.
Example: The basketball is at the door.
Prepositions of Movement with Examples
Learn prepositions list with pictures, meaning, and example sentences.
Down
The meaning of the preposition “down” is to move from a higher position to a lower one.
Example: The tennis ball comes down the stairs.
Up
The preposition up is used to show that something is moving from a lower position to a higher one.
Example: The tennis ball goes up the stairs.
Out of
The preposition “out of” indicates a transition from within a space to the exterior of that space.
Example: The basketball bounced out of the box.
Into
The preposition “into” denotes movement from outside to inside a three-dimensional space, often indicating movement towards something and potentially resulting in contact.
Example: The basketball bounced into the box.
Toward
The preposition toward is used to indicate movement, direction, or orientation towards a person, place, or thing.
Example: The basketball is moving toward the box.
Away
The preposition away is used to say that someone leaves a place or person, or stays some distance from a place or person.
Example: The basketball is rolling away from the box.
Past
The word “past” is a preposition that indicates movement beyond or at the far side of something.
Example: The basketball has rolled past the box.
Over
The preposition “over” is typically used to describe movement from one side of a place to another, particularly on two-dimensional surfaces like lawns or tables, or to indicate something positioned on the opposite side of a line such as a river or a bridge.
Example: The basketball bounced over the box.
Onto
The preposition onto is often used to indicate movement towards or onto a specific location.
Example: The tennis ball bounced onto the box.
Off
The preposition “off” is used to indicate movement away from something.
Example: The tennis ball gets off the box.
Around
The preposition around indicates moving in a circular direction along the edge of something.
Example: The tennis ball goes around the box.
Under
The preposition under indicates a motion beneath the surface of an object.
Example: The basketball is moving under the box.
Along
The preposition “along” has multiple uses, including indicating movement along a line, indicating a specific position in relation to a line, or indicating when things are positioned in a line.
Example: The tennis ball is rolling along the road.
Across
The preposition across is used to indicate a position that extends from one place to another or from one side to the other.
Example: The tennis ball is rolling across the street.
Through
The preposition “through” is commonly used to describe movement from one point to another or from one end to the other.
Example: The tennis ball goes through the tunnel.
Prepositions List | Video
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