Prepositions

Information about what prepositions are and how to use them in English

Prepositions are words that indicate position, location, direction, or relation.  They are always followed by a noun or pronoun, called the object of the preposition.  Together, a preposition and its object, along with any modifiers, form a prepositional phrase.

One thing that may help you understand and identify prepositions is to remember that many of them express the relationship a bird might have with a cloud; birds can fly through clouds, over clouds, between clouds, around clouds, etc.  Not every preposition can be identified this way, but many of them can.

The list below includes most of the single-word prepositions commonly used in English.

about
above
across
after
against
along
amid
among
around
as
at
bar (meaning “except”)
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
besides
between
beyond
but (meaning “except”)
by

concerning
despite
down
during
except
excepting
for
from
in
including
inside
into
like
near
of
off
on
onto
out
outside
over
past

regarding
round
since
through
throughout
till
to
toward(s)
under(neath)
until
unto
up
upon
versus
via
with
within
without
worth

Some prepositions comprise more than one word. These are called compound prepositions. They function together as a unit, just as if they were single-word prepositions.

according to
ahead of
along with
apart from
as far as
as well as
because of
by way of
contrary to

in addition to
in back of (slang)
in front of
in lieu of
in place of
in regard to
in spite of
instead of
in view of

on account of (slang)
out of
rather than
such as
together with
up to
with regard to

Most English words can function as more than one part of speech. Many prepositions function also as adverbs, and some as conjunctions.

Choosing prepositions correctly, according to conventional usage, is an important part of speaking idiomatically correct English. Many nouns, verbs, and adjectives require specific prepositions, depending on the context in which they are used. For example, we say that a person is “interested in” something, not “interested on” something. For examples of how to use atin, and on correctly, see Prepositions Exercise 1: At, In, and On.

Be sure not to confuse the preposition to with the “infinitive to.” Infinitives are formed with the word to followed by a verb in its basic form: to run, to listen, to understand, etc. In infinitives, to is not considered a preposition.

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© 2006 and 2018 C. Brantley Collins, Jr.