Prepositions:

Locators in

Time and Place

A preposition describes a relationship between other words in a sentence. In itself, a word like "in" or
"after" is rather meaningless and hard to define in mere words. For instance, when you do try to define a
preposition like "in" or "between" or "on," you invariably use your hands to show how something is
situated in relationship to something else. Prepositions are nearly always combined with other words in
structures called prepositional phrases. Prepositional phrases can be made up of a million different
words, but they tend to be built the same: a preposition followed by a determiner and an adjective or
two, followed by a pronoun or noun (called the object of the preposition). This whole phrase, in turn,
takes on a modifying role, acting as an adjective or an adverb, locating something in time and space,
modifying a noun, or telling when or where or under what conditions something happened.

Consider the professor's desk and all the prepositional phrases we can use while talking about it.

You can sit before the desk (or in front of the desk). The professor can sit on the desk (when he's being
informal) or behind the desk, and then his feet are under the desk or beneath the desk. He can stand
beside the desk (meaning next to the desk), before the desk, between the desk and you, or even on the
desk (if he's really strange). If he's clumsy, he can bump into the desk or try to walk through the desk
(and stuff would fall off the desk). Passing his hands over the desk or resting his elbows upon the desk,
he often looks across the desk and speaks of the desk or concerning the desk as if there were nothing
else like the desk. Because he thinks of nothing except the desk, sometimes you wonder about the desk,
what's in the desk, what he paid for the desk, and if he could live without the desk. You can walk toward
the desk, to the desk, around the desk, by the desk, and even past the desk while he sits at the desk or
leans against the desk.

All of this happens, of course, in time: during the class, before the class, until the class, throughout the
class, after the class, etc. And the professor can sit there in a bad mood [another adverbial construction].

Those words in bold blue font are all prepositions. Some prepositions do other things besides locate in
space or time — "My brother is like my father." "Everyone in the class except me got the answer." — but
nearly all of them modify in one way or another. It is possible for a preposition phrase to act as a noun —
"During a church service is not a good time to discuss picnic plans" or "In the South Pacific is where I long
to be" — but this is seldom appropriate in formal or academic writing.
Click HERE for a list of common prepositions that will be easy to print out.

You may have learned that ending a sentence with a preposition is a serious breach of grammatical
etiquette. It doesn't take a grammarian to spot a sentence-ending preposition, so this is an easy rule to
get caught up on (!). Although it is often easy to remedy the offending preposition, sometimes it isn't,
and repair efforts sometimes result in a clumsy sentence. "Indicate the book you are quoting from" is not
greatly improved with "Indicate from which book you are quoting."

Based on shaky historical precedent, the rule itself is a latecomer to the rules of writing. Those who
dislike the rule are fond of recalling Churchill's rejoinder: "That is nonsense up with which I shall not
put." We should also remember the child's complaint: "What did you bring that book that I don't like to
be read to out of up for?"

Is it any wonder that prepositions create such troubles for students for whom English is a second
language? We say we are at the hospital to visit a friend who is in the hospital. We lie in bed but on the
couch. We watch a film at the theater but on television. For native speakers, these little words present
little difficulty, but try to learn another language, any other language, and you will quickly discover that
prepositions are troublesome wherever you live and learn. This page contains some interesting
(sometimes troublesome) prepositions with brief usage notes. To address all the potential difficulties
with prepositions in idiomatic usage would require volumes, and the only way English language learners
can begin to master the intricacies of preposition usage is through practice and paying close attention to
speech and the written word. Keeping a good dictionary close at hand (to hand?) is an important first
step.

Prepositions of Time: at, on, and in

We use at to designate specific times.

#The train is due at 12:15 p.m.

We use on to designate days and dates.

#My brother is coming on Monday.

#We're having a party on the Fourth of July.

We use in for nonspecific times during a day, a month, a season, or a year.

#She likes to jog in the morning.

#It's too cold in winter to run outside.

#He started the job in 1971.

#He's going to quit in August.

Prepositions of Place: at, on, and in

We use at for specific addresses.

#Grammar English lives at 55 Boretz Road in Durham.

We use on to designate names of streets, avenues, etc.

#Her house is on Boretz Road.

And we use in for the names of land-areas (towns, counties, states, countries, and continents).

#She lives in Durham.

#Durham is in Windham County.

#Windham County is in Connecticut.

Prepositions of Location: in, at, and on

and No Preposition

IN

(the) bed*
the bedroom

the car

(the) class*

the library*

school*

AT

class*

home

the library*

the office

school*

work

ON

the bed*

the ceiling

the floor

the horse

the plane

the train

NO PREPOSITION

downstairs

downtown

inside

outside

upstairs
uptown

* You may sometimes use different prepositions for these locations.

Prepositions of Movement: to

and No Preposition

We use to in order to express movement toward a place.

#They were driving to work together.

#She's going to the dentist's office this morning.

Toward and towards are also helpful prepositions to express movement. These are simply variant
spellings of the same word; use whichever sounds better to you.

#We're moving toward the light.

#This is a big step towards the project's completion.

With the words home, downtown, uptown, inside, outside, downstairs, upstairs, we use no preposition.

#Grandma went upstairs

#Grandpa went home.

#They both went outside.

Prepositions of Time: for and since

We use for when we measure time (seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years).

#He held his breath for seven minutes.

#She's lived there for seven years.

#The British and Irish have been quarreling for seven centuries.
We use since with a specific date or time.

#He's worked here since 1970.

#She's been sitting in the waiting room since two-thirty.

Prepositions with Nouns, Adjectives, and Verbs.

Prepositions are sometimes so firmly wedded to other words that they have practically become one
word. (In fact, in other languages, such as German, they would have become one word.) This occurs in
three categories: nouns, adjectives, and verbs.

NOUNS and PREPOSITIONS

approval of

awareness of

belief in

concern for

confusion about

desire for

fondness for

grasp of

hatred of

hope for

interest in

love of

need for
participation in

reason for

respect for

success in

understanding of

ADJECTIVES and PREPOSITIONS

afraid of

angry at

aware of

capable of

careless about

familiar with

fond of

happy about

interested in

jealous of

made of

married to

proud of

similar to

sorry for

sure of
tired of

worried about

VERBS and PREPOSITIONS

apologize for

ask about

ask for

belong to

bring up

care for

find out

give up

grow up

look for

look forward to

look up

make up

pay for

prepare for

study for

talk about

think about

trust in
work for

worry about

A combination of verb and preposition is called a phrasal verb. The word that is joined to the verb is then
called a particle. Please refer to the brief section we have prepared on phrasal verbs for an explanation.

Idiomatic Expressions with Prepositions

agree to a proposal, with a person, on a price, in principle

argue about a matter, with a person, for or against a proposition

compare to to show likenesses, with to show differences (sometimes similarities)

correspond to a thing, with a person

differ from an unlike thing, with a person

live at an address, in a house or city, on a street, with other people

Unnecessary Prepositions

In everyday speech, we fall into some bad habits, using prepositions where they are not necessary. It
would be a good idea to eliminate these words altogether, but we must be especially careful not to use
them in formal, academic prose.

She met up with the new coach in the hallway.

The book fell off of the desk.

He threw the book out of the window.

She wouldn't let the cat inside of the house. [or use "in"]

Where did they go to?

Put the lamp in back of the couch. [use "behind" instead]

Where is your college at?

Prepositions in Parallel Form

(Click HERE for a definition and discussion of parallelism.) When two words or phrases are used in
parallel and require the same preposition to be idiomatically correct, the preposition does not have to be
used twice.

#You can wear that outfit in summer and in winter.

#The female was both attracted by and distracted by the male's dance.

However, when the idiomatic use of phrases calls for different prepositions, we must be careful not to
omit one of them.

#The children were interested in and disgusted by the movie.

#It was clear that this player could both contribute to and learn from every game he played.

#He was fascinated by and enamored of this beguiling woman.

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 in the
house now, Bill! means something very different from I want to see you on 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.

I prefer to read in the library.

He climbed up the ladder to get onto the roof.

Please sign your name on the dotted line after you read the contract.

Go down the stairs and through the door.

He swam across the pool.

Take your brother with you.

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, and 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:

I was born on July 4th, 1982.

I was born in 1982.

I was born at exactly 2am.

I was born two minutes before my twin brother.

I was born after the Great War ended.

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:

I first met John in 1987.

It’s always cold in January

Easter falls in spring each year.

The Second World War occurred in the 20th century.

We eat breakfast in the morning.

For days, dates and specific holiday days, use the preposition on.

We go to school on Mondays, but not on Sunday

Christmas is on December 25th.

Buy me a present on my birthday.

For times, indicators of exception and festivals, use the preposition at:

Families often argue at Christmas time.

I work faster at night.

Her shift finished at 7pm.

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.

Before I discovered this bar, I used to go straight home after work.

We will not leave before 3pm.

David comes before Bryan in the line, but after Louise.

Other prepositions of time could include: During, about, around, until and throughout.

The concert will be staged throughout the month of May.

I learned how to ski during the holidays.

He usually arrives around 3pm.

It was about six in the morning when we made it to bed.

The store is open until midnight.

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.

The cat is on the table.

The dogs are in the kennel.

We can meet at the crossroads.

The guidelines can be broken down as follows:

On is used when referring to something with a surface:

The sculpture hangs on the wall.

The images are on the page.

The specials are on the menu, which is on the table.

In is used when referring to something that is inside or within confined boundaries. This could be
anything, even a country:
Jim is in France, visiting his aunt in the hospital.

The whiskey is in the jar in the fridge.

The girls play in the garden.

At is used when referring to something at a specific point:

The boys are at the entrance at the movie theater.

He stood at the bus stop at the corner of Water and High streets.

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.

The cat is under the table.

Put the sandwich over there.

The key is locked inside the car.

They stepped outside the house.

Major is ranked above corporal.

He is waving at you from below the stairs.

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.
He has gone on vacation to France.

She went to the bowling alley every Friday last summer.

I will go to bed when I am tired.

They will go to the zoo if they finish their errands.

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.

Mike travelled across America on his motorcycle.

Rebecca and Judi are swimming across the lake.

Through refers to moving directly inside something and out the other end.

The bullet Ben shot went through the window.

The train passes through the tunnel.

Into refers to entering or looking inside something.

James went into the room.

They stare into the darkness.

Up, over, down, past and around indicate directions of movement:

Jack went up the hill.

Jill came tumbling down after.

We will travel over rough terrain on our way to Grandma’s house.

The horse runs around the track all morning.

A car zoomed past a truck on the highway

Prepositions with Nouns

There are lots of different nouns that carry specific prepositions to consolidate their meaning. These are
called dependent prepositions. Again, there isn’t a set rule that says a particular type of noun will take a
dependent preposition, although they normally follow the noun. Moreover, there are many possible
combinations. Essentially, it’s case of familiarizing yourself with the different possibilities of nouns and
dependent prepositions. Examples:

He displayed cruelty towards his dog.

She had knowledge of physics.

The trouble with Jack.

21 is the age at which you are allowed to drink.

Bolt made another attempt at the world record.

The police held an inquiry into the murder.

Prepositions with Verbs

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:

He admitted to the charge.

I go to Vancouver on vacation twice a year.

William can relate to the character in the play.

Verb + for:

He must apologize for his actions.

We searched for ages before we found the perfect apartment.

I provide for my family by working two jobs.

Verb + with:

I don’t agree with your claim.

The lawyer said he will meet with your representatives.

They began with a quick warm-up.

Verb + of:

I dream of a better life.

Have you heard of Shakespeare?

The bread consists of dough, raisins and a little honey.

Verb + in:

Does Rick believe in miracles?

Fallon lives in New York.

The bus accident resulted in my being late to work.

Verb + at

We arrived at our destination.

Ilene excels at singing.

Will the baby smile at her mother?

Verb + on:

We should really concentrate on our studies now.

Helen insisted on Brenda’s company.

Morris experimented on some canvas.

Verb + from:

Since turning 80, she suffers from lapses in concentration.

Dad retired from the navy in the 1970s.

Billy Bob, please refrain from doing that.

Prepositions with Adjectives

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.

I am happily married to David.

Ellie is crazy about this movie.

Michelle is interested in politics.

We are sorry for your loss.

Jane will be delighted with her results.

Is he still angry at the world?

The entire room was astonished by the election results.

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:

Frightened of, afraid of, scared of, terrified of

Indeed, when adjectives have opposite meaning they might also take the same preposition:

Good at, great at, superb at, wonderful at

Bad at, terrible at, woeful at, inept at

There are always many exceptions to the above, but it can help that there seems to be some

consistency when adjectives have the same meaning or opposite meaning.

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.

I am good at sports means I have some athletic talent.

The nurse was good to my mother means she took care of her and was nice, kind, and helpful.

I am good with animals means I get along with them and handle them well.

Swimming is good for your health.

That was good of you to come means you were begin nice and good to visit.

My little brother is good inside (his body) means even though you can’t see how he thinks and feels, he
is good. Even if his behavior is bad.

The blueberry jam will be good on toast.

Prepositions Exercises
The following exercises will help you gain greater understanding about how prepositions work. Choose
the best answer to complete each sentence.

1. The bone was _______ the dog.

a. About

b. For

c. After

d. Considering

Answer: b. The bone was for the dog.

2. We are going on vacation _______ August.

a. On

b. At

c. In

d. Since

Answer: c. We are going on vacation in August.

3. Please put the vase ________ the table.

a. In

b. On

c. For

d. Over

Answer: b. Please put the vase on the table.

4. I received a present ________ Janet.

a. From

b. Of

c. By

d. About

Answer: a. I received a present from Janet.

5. School begins ________ Monday.

a. In

b. On

c. From

d. Since

Answer: b. School begins on Monday