Prepositions

‘The cat is sleeping on the table.’ Don’t you wonder where exactly the cat is sleeping? Without the word ‘on’, the sentence would lose its clarity. Prepositions are used in the English language to indicate the relationship between different elements in a sentence, often showing position, direction, time, or manner. In this article, we will explore the meaning, definition, types of prepositions and more. You will also find clear examples to help you understand how they function in sentences, along with a list of common prepositions for your reference.

Table of Contents

• What is a Preposition?
• Definition of a Preposition
• Types of Prepositions
• List of Common Prepositions in English
• Prepositions Following Verbs and Adverbs
• Ending a Sentence With a Preposition

What is a Preposition?

A preposition is a word that comes before a noun or pronoun in a phrase to indicate how it relates to another word. Prepositions frequently provide information about place, time, direction, and style. For example: "The keys are on the table." The keys are located here on the displays.

Examples of common prepositions are in, on, at, by, with, for, of, and to.

Definition of a Preposition

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, a preposition is "a word that connects a noun, a noun phrase, or a pronoun to another word, especially to a verb, another noun, or an adjective." A preposition is defined as "a word or group of words, such as in, from, to, out of, and on behalf of, used before a noun or pronoun to show place, position, time, or method" by the Oxford Learner's Dictionary.

According to the Collins Dictionary, a preposition is "a word like 'by,' 'for,' 'into,' or 'with,' which typically has a noun group as its object." The meaning given by the Merriam Webster Dictionary is a little different. "A function word that usually combines with a noun phrase to form a phrase which usually expresses a modification or predication" is how it defines a preposition.

Types of prepositions

People categorise prepositions in different ways, and there is no official grouping for that. However, the most common prepositions are classified into four, with a fifth category for additional types. Keep in mind that a preposition can have more than one meaning, and sometimes, the same preposition belongs to more than one type. Here are the main five types of prepositions:

Prepositions of place

Prepositions of place indicate the location of an event or an object. For example, "under the table" can represent a location concerning something else, or the objects of prepositions of place can relate to a specific area.

1. They’re building an amusement park near my apartment.
2. Today I’m cleaning the dust above the refrigerator.
3. The health food is between the snacks and the sodas.
4. I have a sandwich in my bag.
5. Meet me at the restaurant.

Prepositions of time

Prepositions of time show when something happened or will happen (and sometimes its duration). They always describe verbs, such as when the verb’s action occurs.

1. We have to be ready at 5:00 pm.
2. Don’t eat before bedtime.
3. I suddenly get energy after the sun sets.
4. Our teacher fell asleep during recess.
5. Your homework is due by Monday.

Prepositions of direction or movement

Prepositions of direction or movement indicate how something is moving or which way it’s going. The prepositional phrase "in a circle," for instance, explains how the dog ran rather than where it ran in the sentence "The dog ran in a circle." Typically, verbs of motion are used with these prepositions.

1. The defense recovered the fumble and ran across the entire field.
2. The baby took her first steps toward her mother.
3. My daydreaming friend walked into a river!
4. It’s easier to go through the woods than around the woods.
5. He shot the basketball over his opponent’s head.

Prepositions of manner, cause, or purpose

Prepositions of manner, cause, or purpose describe how or why something occurs, for example, by explaining how or why something happened. This covers comparisons as well as explanations of feelings or viewpoints.

1. When I’m late, my dad takes me to school by car.
2. She drives like a maniac.
3. He only competes for honour, not money.
4. Everyone was eating in silence.
5. Ava reads with difficulty if she isn’t wearing her glasses.

Prepositions of Spatial Relationships

To refer to a spatial relationship, use the prepositions above, across, against, ahead of, along, among, around, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, from, in front of, inside, near, off, out of, through, toward, under, and within.

1. Mean scores across the domains ranged from 3 to 4.5.
2. I would like to thank my entire committee for their support along my doctoral path.
3. I sought to discover relationships between the ideas.
4. Place a check mark within the box.

List of Common Prepositions in English

Prepositions are small but powerful words that connect different parts of a sentence and show relationships between them—such as time, place, direction, cause, manner, and possession, as we discussed above.

By familiarising yourself with these categories, like simple, compound, phrasal/group, and participle prepositions, you can improve both your sentence structure and overall fluency in English. Here are the most useful prepositions for school exams and daily usage.

• Simple Prepositions: at, by, for, in, of, off, on, out, to, up, with
• Compound Prepositions: above, across, along, around, behind, below, beyond, inside, outside, underneath
• Phrasal/Group Prepositions: according to, because of, in addition to, instead of, next to, owing to, concerning, etc.
• Participle Prepositions: concerning, considering, during, including, notwithstanding, regarding
• Regular practice with these words can boost your grammar accuracy and writing confidence.

Prepositions Following Verbs and Adverbs

Some verbs and adjectives are followed by a specific preposition. Sometimes verbs and adjectives are followed by distinct prepositions, which gives the sentence different meanings. Memorising these sentences rather than just the preposition is the most beneficial.

Some Common Verb + Preposition Combinations

About:

argue, complain, know, think, worry

• Participant 2 complained about limited access to resources.
• I thought about using a quantitative method, but a qualitative method better addressed my research questions.
• Participants indicated the need for security so that they do not have to worry about managing access controls.

At:

arrive, hint, look, point

• Previous researchers have arrived at the same results.
• Smith (2018) hinted at weaknesses in the previous research.
• I specifically looked at publications within the past 5 years.

From:

abstain, differ,distinct, graduate, recover, resign,suffer

• The results differ from the original hypothesis.
• Delimitations included excluding employees who resigned from their positions in the past year.
• In this study, I focused on best practices to support patients who suffer from dementia.

For:

account, allow, apply, ask, prepare, search

• It was necessary to account for any discrepancies in the results.
• I returned the transcripts to the interviewees to allow for revisions to be made.
• I searched for the key terms in Academic Search Complete, Business Source Complete, and MEDLINE.

In:

believe, confide, participate, occur, result, specialise, succeed

• The same problem occurred in 3 out of 4 cases.
• My recruitment strategies resulted in finding 10 participants.
• I succeeded in implementing a staff training series for the employees.

Of:

approve, consist

• The superintendent approved of my plan to research best practices in teaching math.
• Phenomenological long interviews consist of one or two broad questions.

On:

base, comment, concentrate, depend, elaborate, insist, rely

• Participant 8 commented on the lack of professional development at his school.
• The employees depend on each other to get the job done.
• I will elaborate on the results in Chapter 4.

To:

adapt, add, agree, belong, consent, contribute, lead, object, react, refer, reply, speak, talk

• I hope to contribute to the previous research.
• My results will lead to future research on the topic.
• Please refer to my previous explanation.

With:

(dis)agree, coincide, compare, comply, deal

• Participant 2 agreed with Participant 4 about receiving adequate in-house training support.
• I complied with all the standards for ethical research.
• The nurses often deal with inadequate staffing on their floor.

Ending a Sentence With a Preposition

At one time schools taught students that no sentence should end with a preposition. This rule is linked with Latin grammar, and while many features of Latin have found their way into English, following this particular grammatical rule might result in confused or difficult phrase patterns. Because the goal of writing is to effectively explain ideas, it is appropriate to conclude a sentence with a preposition if the alternative would cause misunderstanding or seems too formal.

1. The participants were aware of the commitment they were taking on.
2. Where did you originally come from?
3. In my research, I focus on the community the students lived in.
4. I avoided bias by not interviewing people I am working with.