Confused about how to connect your thoughts in a sentence? You aren’t alone. The burning question of the moment is often, “What are prepositions?”
English has about 150 of these tricky little words. You likely use them every day without realizing what they are or why they matter. They act like glue, holding different parts of a sentence together.
We will explain exactly what prepositions are, show you how to use them correctly, and share a massive list of examples to boost your vocabulary.
Key Takeaways
- Prepositions connect nouns or pronouns to other words in a sentence.
- They clarify relationships regarding time, space, direction, and location.
- Common types include simple, double, compound, participle, and phrasal.
- Using the wrong preposition can completely change the meaning of a sentence.
What Are Prepositions?
Prepositions are words that connect nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other parts of the sentence. They establish a relationship between two elements. Without them, our sentences would be a jumbled list of words with no direction or context.
Think of a preposition as a bridge. It tells you where something is, when something happens, or how two things relate.
For example, the word “in” shows location: “the ball is in the box.” The word “on” shows position: “the cat is on the mat.” The word “under” implies movement or placement: “the dog ran under the table.”
English grammar categorizes these into several types. Here is a quick breakdown.
Simple Prepositions
These are the most common. They are short, single words that show relationships between nouns and verbs or adjectives. You use these dozens of times a day. Examples include at, by, for, from, in, of, on, out, through, and with.
Double Prepositions
Sometimes, one word isn’t enough. A double preposition combines two simple prepositions to create a specific meaning. For example, in the phrase “out of,” you are combining out and of. Other examples include inside of or from behind.
Compound Prepositions
Compound prepositions (or complex prepositions) usually consist of two or more words working as a single unit. They often sound a bit more formal. For example, saying “She arrived on behalf of the company” uses a compound preposition. Other examples include in addition to and in front of.
Participle Prepositions
These words look like verbs because they end in “-ed” or “-ing,” but they function as prepositions. Common examples are concerning, considering, regarding, and during. For instance: “Considering the rain, we stayed inside.”
Phrasal Prepositions
A phrasal preposition is a group of words that functions as a single preposition. This is distinct from a prepositional phrase (which includes the object). Examples include along with, in spite of, and thanks to.
How To Use Prepositions in a Sentence
Sentences rarely make sense without these connecting words. However, the trick is choosing the right one to clarify the relationship between two subjects.
Imagine you have “the man” and “the woman.” The reader needs to know how they interact.
You could say:
- The man was below the woman.
- The man was without the woman.
- The man was following the woman.
Each choice completely changes the narrative. You must select the word that accurately depicts the physical location, time, or relationship. Here are five clear examples.
Preposition Sentence Examples:
The cat is under the tree. (Location)
The man traveled across the world. (Direction)
The egg was in the pan. (Containment)
He left without his bag. (Relationship/Absence)
She waited until 7 o’clock. (Time)
List of 90 Common English Prepositions
Some words appear far more frequently than others. If you need a quick reference for the essentials, this table covers 90 of the most common options.
| Aboard | Considering | Pending |
| About | Counting | Per |
| Above | Cum | Plus |
| Across | Despite | Down |
| After | Down | Re |
| Against | During | Regarding |
| Along | Except | Respecting |
| Alongside | Excluding | Round |
| Amid | Following | Save |
| Among | For | Saving |
| Anti | From | Since |
| Around | Given | Than |
| As | Gone | Through |
| Astride | In | Throughout |
| At | Including | Till |
| Atop | Inside | To |
| Bar | Into | Touching |
| Barring | Less | Toward |
| Before | Like | Under |
| Behind | Minus | Underneath |
| Below | Near | Unlike |
| Beneath | Of | Until |
| Beside | Off | Up |
| Besides | On | Upon |
| Between | Onto | Versus |
| Beyond | Opposite | Via |
| But | Out | With |
| By | Outside | Within |
| Circa | Over | Without |
| Concerning | Past | Worth |
Complete List of Prepositions in Alphabetical Order
Ready to master your grammar? We have compiled a comprehensive list of 143 English prepositions sorted alphabetically.
We also included example sentences for every single one. This helps you see exactly how they function in a real-world context.
Prepositions That Begin With A
Aboard – John has climbed aboard the plane.
About – Rubbish was all about the place.
Above – Dave was sitting above Diane in the stands.
According to – Jane completed the work according to the instructions.
Abreast – They sat four abreast at the show.
Absent – Mary was absent from the workplace.
Across – The waves crash across the bay.
After – Jane arrived after Sophie.
Against – They all lined up against the wall.
Ago – He was supposed to be here two hours ago.
Ahead – Tim is ahead of us.
Aloft – The team held the trophy aloft.
Along – She walked along the road.
Alongside – The Queen sat alongside the King.
Along with – The kids came along with the parents.
Amid – She was calm amid the chaos.
Amidst – There was a traitor amidst the group.
Among – There was a cat among the dogs.
Apart from – The purse was empty apart from one coin.
Around – The car drove around the cat.
As – She was as beautiful as a butterfly.
Aside from – The box was empty, aside from a ball.
As per – You need to finish by the deadline, as per the boss.
Aslant – The girl’s hair fell aslant her face.
Astride – The child sat astride their parent’s lap.
As well as – It’s for your own sake as well as hers.
At – She was at home.
Atop – They sat atop the cliff.
Away – Say nothing and walk away.
Away from – New York is far away from London.
Prepositions That Begin With B
Bar – They were all there, bar Kevin.
Barring – The play can continue, barring any more rain.
Because of – She was angry because of his reaction.
Before – She sat before him.
Behind – He stood behind her.
Below – The beach was below them.
Beneath – The basement was beneath them.
Beside – Alex sat beside her.
Between – Nothing would come between them.
Beyond – Cassie went beyond expectation.
But – Martin was excited but anxious.
But for – She would have been home in time but for the traffic.
By – They sat by the water.
By means of – He only won the competition by means of cheating.
Prepositions That Begin With C
Circa – They met circa 2012.
Come – He will come at 5 o’clock.
Concerning – I have a problem concerning this item.
Considering – She did well considering the circumstances.
Contrary to – He was not the favorite, contrary to popular belief.
Counting – It came to a total of $23, not counting the administrative fee.
Cum – He grows his plants in the shed-cum-glasshouse.
Prepositions That Begin With D
Depend on – Whether we go depends on the weather.
Despite – They were happy despite the challenges.
Down – He knelt down to her.
Due to – Her success was due to hard work.
During – They exceeded the budget during the build.
Prepositions That Begin With E
Effective – It was an effective strategy.
Ere – It wasn’t long ere she came by.
Except – They all attended, except Ashley.
Excepting – I’ve read the book, excepting the last chapter.
Excluding – She got her revenge by excluding him from the game.
Prepositions That Begin With F
Failing – They were failing as a team.
Far – The child was tired from walking so far.
Far from – She was far from home.
Following – One car was following another.
For – He fell for her.
From – The tourists were from America.
Further to – Further to our meeting last week.
Prepositions That Begin With G
Gone – She would be gone for two days.
Given – He’s extremely clever, given his age.
Prepositions That Begin With I
In – The two adults were in love.
In addition to – She needed to buy milk and eggs in addition to the bread.
In between – Their house is in between a lake and a road.
In case of – The bell will ring in case of any trouble.
Including – All the money was there, including the coins.
In front of – She read her book in front of the fireplace.
Inside – She slept inside the sleeping bag.
In spite of – She was very humble, in spite of her success.
Instead of – He had an appetizer instead of a full meal.
Into – Tom threw the ball into the water.
Prepositions That Begin With L
Less – Marco was less than happy.
Like – She loves all smells like lavender.
Prepositions That Begin With M
Minus – He arrived, minus a tie.
Prepositions That Begin With N
Near – The ball landed near the stands.
Next – The prince was next in line to the throne.
Notwithstanding – Her nerves notwithstanding, she did well in the interview.
Prepositions That Begin With O
Of – He cut half of the team.
Off – She cut off his phone.
Off of – He jumped off of the bridge.
On – The building was on fire.
On account of – He did not arrive on account of the weather.
On behalf of – The boss spoke on behalf of his employees.
On board – She was already on board the aircraft.
Onto – She jumped onto the roof.
On top of – The ladder fell on top of him.
Opposite – Sam sat opposite Jack.
Other than – The restaurant was famous for nothing other than the chef.
Out – He went out of the shop.
Outside – He waited outside for her.
Over – The horse jumped over the fence.
Prepositions That Begin With P
Past – It’s in the room past mine.
Pending – The transfer is complete pending contracts.
Per – The song had 100 beats per minute.
Plus – I have him a card plus some money.
Post – He’s recovering well post-surgery.
Pre – The couple pre-booked their table.
Prior to – You must fasten your seat belt prior to leaving.
Pro – The group is pro-human rights.
Prepositions That Begin With R
Re – Matilda wanted to speak to him re the letter.
Regarding – The coach had a problem regarding the scoreline.
Regardless of – The sports club welcomes all, regardless of age.
Respecting – They made no exceptions respecting the salaries.
Round – They sat round the table.
Prepositions That Begin With S
Save – They were all there save for Marshall.
Saving – Barry was saving money for a new home.
Since – It hasn’t snowed since last winter.
Prepositions That Begin With T
Than – She had more money than sense.
Thanks to – He saved her life thanks to his quick thinking.
Through – He barged through the door.
Throughout – There have been wars throughout history.
Times – There were twenty times as many people as before.
To – He gave a ring to his fiancé.
Together with – His weight, together with the branch’s weakness, caused it to break.
Towards – The police ran towards the danger.
Prepositions That Begin With U
Under – The deal was made under the bridge.
Underneath – They kissed underneath the starry sky.
Unlike – She was blonde, unlike her mother.
Until – The prices were frozen until next year.
Unto – The captain forced him unto the plank.
Up – Florence walked up the stairs.
Up against – The shelf leaned up against the wall.
Upon – They sat upon the wall.
Up to – The choice is up to you.
Up unitl – The game will continue up until 9 pm.
Prepositions That Begin With V
Versus – It was David versus Goliath.
Via – They traveled to New York via Texas.
Prepositions That Begin With W
Wanting – The crowd analyzed the game and found it wanting.
With – They left with the watch.
Within – They stayed within the castle walls.
Without – He was released without any charges.
With reference to – With reference to your letter last month.
With regard to – Let’s organize a meeting with regard to your request.
Worth – The castle is worth visiting.
FAQS about Prepositions
How Many Types of Prepositions Are There?
There are generally five distinct types of prepositions recognized in English grammar: simple, double, compound, participle, and phrasal prepositions.
However, you can also categorize them by function:
- Time: When something happens (e.g., at 5pm, in the morning).
- Place: Where something is located (e.g., in the box, at the park).
- Direction: Where something is going (e.g., through the tunnel, towards the door).
- Agency: Who or what caused an action (e.g., the book was written by her).
- Instrument: What device was used (e.g., she opened the lock with a key).
Are Prepositions Capitalized?
No, you typically do not capitalize prepositions unless they are the first word in a sentence. In titles (like book or movie titles), style guides vary. Generally, short prepositions like of, in, or to are not capitalized in titles, while longer ones might be.
Can You Start a Sentence With a Preposition?
Yes, you absolutely can. Old-school grammar rules often advised against it, but in modern English, it is perfectly acceptable. Starting a sentence with a preposition can act as a great introductory phrase. For example: “After the movie, we went for dinner.”
Can a Preposition Be Used at the End of a Sentence?
Yes, ending a sentence with a preposition is fine in casual conversation and writing. While extremely formal writing might avoid it (e.g., “For whom are you looking?”), it is much more natural to say, “Who are you looking for?”
What Is a Prepositional Phrase?
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun (the object). It modifies a verb, noun, or adjective in the sentence. For example, in the sentence “The dog ran into the house,” the phrase “into the house” is the prepositional phrase.
What Is the Difference Between a Preposition and an Adverb?
The main difference is the object. A preposition always needs an object (a noun or pronoun) to connect to. An adverb stands alone and modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb.
For example:
- Preposition: “She walked down the stairs.” (Connects “walked” to “stairs”).
- Adverb: “She sat down.” (Modifies “sat,” with no object following it).
Conclusion
Prepositions are the heavy lifters of the English language. They might be small, but they define the relationships between everything we talk about. While the rules can seem tricky at first, mastering these words will make your writing clearer and more precise. Bookmark this list and you will never be stuck looking for the right connecting word again.
