Preposition: What Is A Preposition?
Preposition: What Is A Preposition?
Preposition: What Is A 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 i n the house now, Bill! means
something very different from I want to see you o n the house now, Bill! In the house
means Bill should go through the door, walk inside, and stand in the hall or living room.
On the house means Bill would need to get a ladder and climb to the roof where he would
be on top of the 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, a nd 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:
The above makes it seem quite difficult, with five different prepositions used to indicate when
something happened. However, there is a set of guidelines that can help decide which preposition
to use:
For years, months, seasons, centuries and times of day, use the preposition in:
For days, dates and specific holiday days, use the preposition on.
For times, indicators of exception and festivals, use the preposition at:
Before and after should be much easier to understand than the other examples of prepositions of
time. Both are used to explain when something happened, happens or will happen, but
specifically in relation to another thing.
Other prepositions of time could include: During, about, around, until and throughout.
Prepositions of Place
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.
In is used when referring to something that is inside or within confined boundaries. This could
be anything, even a country:
1. Jim is in France, visiting his aunt in the hospital.
2. The whiskey is in the jar in the fridge.
3. The girls play in the garden.
1. The boys are at the entrance at the movie theater.
2. He stood at the bus stop at the corner of Water and High streets.
3. We will meet at the airport.
Lot’s of other prepositions of place, such as under, over, inside, outside, above and below are
used in English. There is, however, a lot less confusion as they refer to rigid positions rather than
abstract ones.
Prepositions of Movement
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.
Other more specific prepositions of movement include: through, across, off, down and into.
These prepositions can sometimes get mixed up with others. While they are similar, they have
individual meanings that add context to the movement.
Across refers to moving from one side to another.
Through refers to moving directly inside something and out the other end.
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.
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:
Verb + for:
Verb + with:
Verb + in:
Verb + at
Verb + on:
Verb + from:
Prepositions can form phrases with adjectives to give further context to the action, emotion or
thing the adjective is describing. Like verbs and nouns, adjectives can be followed by: to, about,
In, for, with, at and by.
There can sometimes be a pattern in deciding which prepositions go with adjectives, for
example, when adjectives have the same or very similar meaning to each other, they might take
the same preposition:
Indeed, when adjectives have opposite meaning they might also take the same preposition:
There are always many exceptions to the above, but it can help that there seems to be some
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.
List of Prepositions
While there are only about 150 prepositions in the English language, these words are among the
most important. Without them, the sentences we speak, read, and write would be difficult to
understand. The following list of prepositions is not a complete one, however it is among the
most comprehensive lists of prepositions available anywhere.
Aboard Before Excepting Opposite Save
At During On With
Without
Worth