Preposition List (With Sentence Examples)

January 17, 2024

Let’s talk about a workhorse of the English language: the preposition. Without prepositions, we would just be spouting strings of nouns and verbs with no way of discerning any real message. In this article, you will learn all you need to know to start using prepositions like a pro, and you will come away with a comprehensive preposition list you can tuck away as a resource you can reference when you need a quick refresher.

Table of Contents

What is a Preposition?

In the simplest of terms, a preposition is a word or short phrase that serves to connect the subject (noun) to the ideas or action to form a cohesive string of information that makes sense.

The name pre-position breaks down to the root words pre=before and position=place.

The preposition is generally placed before the noun or pronoun and tells us how it relates to the rest of the sentence. Of course, like many rules of the English language, there are plenty of exceptions to this simplistic definition.

Let’s take a look at the different types of prepositions that you will encounter on the preposition list.

Preposition or Adverb?

Depending on the sentence structure, you’ll find some prepositions double-duty as adverbs.

As you are already aware prepositions modify a noun or pronoun, how about adverbs? It generally supplies additional information about verbs or adjectives, telling us how, when, or where the action is taking place.

The easiest way to tell the difference between a preposition and an adverb is the presence of an object. Prepositions modify or connect an object adverbs do not. Simple, right? Not so fast!

There are a subset of words that one could make a convincing argument for either a preposition or an adverb. These prepositional adverbs, or adverb particles as they are known, are confusing, even for English teachers, but there are still more exceptions to unearth.

Examples:

Adverb: He sat down.
Preposition: They walked down to the corner store.

Preposition or Phrasal Verb?

There are a few cases where a preposition, a prepositional adverb, or an adverb particle and a verb may be combined, forming a completely new word that is somewhere between a preposition and an adverb. We call these “phrasal verbs.” When it comes to “phrasal verbs,” the edges get even blurrier, but there is still an adverb describing a verb.

Examples:

Phrasal Verb: We are going to check out that new restaurant later.
Preposition: Did you check out your library books?

Preposition or Conjunction?

Prepositions and conjunctions both serve the same purpose. Both are used to provide us with information about the relationship between the other parts of the sentence. So, what is the difference? Prepositions connect nouns or pronouns to verbs, so you could say they are connecting the basic building blocks of one sentence.

Conjunctions connect phrases, ideas, or sentences, usually blending two related thoughts.

Examples:

Conjunction: As she realized the broad scope of the job, she decided she was going to need more time to finish the work.
Preposition: Learning about the extended scope of the project led them to extend the timeline.

Simple Preposition List

Simple prepositions are one-word prepositions that follow the rules and do what they were intended without adding any excess fuss or complexity. These are the classic prepositions that tell us the direction, time, place, location, and proximity of objects in a sentence. Of the approximately 150 known prepositions, just under 100 or so are simple prepositions.

The most popular simple prepositions currently in regular use are included in the simple preposition list below.

Aboard
About
Above
Across
After
Against
Along
Amid
Among
Anti
Around
As
At
Before
Behind
Below
Beneath
Beside
Besides
Between
Beyond
But
By
Concerning
Considering
Despite
Down
During
Except
Excepting
Excluding
Following
For
From
In
Inside
Into
Like
Minus
Near
Of
Off
On
Onto
Opposite
Outside
Over
Past
Per
Plus
Regarding
Round
Save
Since
Than
Through
To
Toward
Towards
Under
Underneath
Unlike
Until
Up
Upon
Via
With
Within
Without

Example sentences:

They are traveling via airplane.
They won’t stop until they are ranked number one in the world.
We couldn’t have done it without the whole team.

Compound Preposition List

Compound prepositions are two-word phrases made up of two individual prepositions. It is important to note the difference between prepositions combined to form a new one.

Ahead of
Apart from
As for
As to
Aside from
Because of
Close to
Due to
Except for
Far from
Instead of
Inside of
Left to
Near to
Out of
Outside of
Owing to
Prior to
Pursuant to
According to
Because of
Similar to
Subsequent to
Such as
Thanks to
Whereas
Up to

Example sentences:

I think I locked my keys inside my car.
The narrative centers around the story of one man.
She slowly climbed the stairs.

Prepositional Phrases List

Prepositional phrases are an entire group of words including the preposition, the noun and any modifiers.

Technically, all prepositions are part of prepositional phrases by definition since all prepositions are defined by their relationship to a noun or pronoun. But since the English grammar rules are so inconsistent when it comes to the application of prepositions, adverbs, and other modifiers, English learners are often taught to memorize the most common prepositional phrases instead.

We have provided a list of the most common prepositional phrases used in the English language below:

As well as
In time
In demand
In focus
In abundance
In advance
In an Instant
In answer To
In common
In addition to
In front of
In place of
In spite of
On account of
On top of
On display
On edge
On good terms
on no account
On purpose
On reflection

Example sentences:

Do you mean that boy in the second booth?
I know the couple in the red SUV.
The latest model is on display at the dealership now.

Prepositions of Time List

The prepositions in, at, and on are the three words you are most likely to hear in any reference to time in the English language. Of these three standard terms, “in” tends to be used for the largest spans of time, “on” is often used to speak of a specific time and date, and “at” is generally used for the smaller timespans. However, these popular time prepositions make up just a small portion. There are plenty of alternative prepositions commonly used to speak of time gone by, and the days yet to come. Here’s a preposition list of the most popular time references.

After
Later
Ago
Before
By
Until
During
While
From
To
Til
On
In
At
Past
For
As soon as
As long as

Example sentences:

We relocated to Canada as soon as we retired.
The memories are wonderful, but that was a long time ago.
The law was enacted before 1967 and lasted until it was rescinded in 2016.

Prepositions of Place List

Place prepositions are used to communicate the location of something or an item’s positioning in relation to another item. In short, they tell us where things are. Here are some of the most commonly used prepositions.

Above
Over
On
Under
Beneath
Below
Near
Beside
Next to
By
Beyond
Up
Down
In front of
Behind
In
Outside

Example sentences:

The coffee shop is next to the gift store
The freeway goes over the Hudson River.
The UFO was seen hovering just over the treeline outside of town.

Prepositions of Movement and Direction List

Prepositions of movement and direction are used to communicate which way someone or something was traveling during a given activity. It could also be on a more temporal level. For instance, to indicate the direction of an individual’s intended goals or life trajectory.

Into
Off
Around
Over
Down
Onto
Up
Toward
Under
From
Past
For
Behind

Example sentences:

They were heading north to the mountains the last time I saw them.
He has been on a downward spiral for the last year or so.
We are going to start moving toward a slower schedule.

Adjective + Preposition List

There are no solid rules about how you should use prepositions with adjectives. In this instance, it is better to memorize the phrases themselves. However, some loosely defined rules can at least offer a hint or point you to the best guess when choosing the right pairing.

For example, we tend to use “at” to describe someone’s or something’s ability, suitability, or skill “at” a certain activity. We are more likely to use the preposition about or of when we are discussing someone’s feelings or emotions. Here is a chart with some of the more common adjective + preposition pairings.

Preposition	Adjective	Example Sentence
angry	about	She is angry about the argument.
enthusiastic	about	We are enthusiastic about the merger.
good	at	They are good at their jobs.
hopeless	at	She is hopeless at math.
involved	in	Were you involved in planning the strategy?
committed	to	I am committed to reaching my goals.

Verb + Preposition List

The prepositions for, from, in, of, on, to, and with are the terms most likely to be paired with a verb. Knowing this general rule can help you determine the correct word choice if you are unsure. It may also provide a context clue to help you identify whether a term is being used as a preposition or an adverb.

Preposition	Verb	Example Sentence
waiting	for	We are waiting for the perfect time.
applied	for	He applied for the job.
approve	of	They don’t approve of her career choice.
agree	on	They don’t agree on much.
refer	to	How should I refer to your client?
live	with	We will have to live with our decision.