65 Prepositions in English + Charts and Examples
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If you’re studying the way to converse English or some other language, it’s necessary to be as clear as attainable. Components of speech like prepositions inform readers and listeners the place one thing is, when an occasion or motion occurred, and the way two nouns are linked to one another. Discover this useful information to prepositions in English and sound extra like a fluent English speaker right now!
What’s a preposition?
Prepositions are elements of speech that present relationships in a sentence. You should use them to attach nouns with different phrases in a sentence. For instance, within the sentence I’m married to Jessica, the pronoun to connects the noun Jessica to the verb married.
When you solely mentioned I’m married, somebody may ask “Who’re you married to?” Utilizing the preposition to within the phrase to Jessica helps you present the connecting data quicker.
There are 4 predominant sorts of prepositions:
- Prepositions of location present the place an individual or object is.
- Prepositions of route present the place somebody or an object goes.
- Temporal prepositions present when an motion or occasion occurred.
- I went to the shop earlier than lunch.
- Prepositions of method or goal present how nouns are linked to one another.
- I went to the shop for ice cream.
Fluent English audio system use prepositions of their sentences to be as particular as attainable. If you’re studying English, you possibly can observe including prepositions to sentences to make them simpler to grasp.
The commonest English prepositions
So what number of prepositions are there in English? Despite the fact that there are over 100 prepositions within the English language, you gained’t use that many on a regular basis. Right here’s an inventory of English prepositions that starting and intermediate English learners will need to know.
| Preposition | Pronunciation | Sort of Preposition |
| aboard | uh-BOHRD | location |
| about | uh-BOUT | method or goal |
| above | uh-BUHV | location |
| throughout | uh-KRAWS | route or location |
| after | AF-ter | time |
| in opposition to | uh-GENST | location, method, or goal |
| in the past | uh-GOH | time |
| forward of | uh-HED uhv | location, method, or goal |
| alongside | uh-LAWNG | route |
| other than | uh-PART fruhm | location, method, or goal |
| amid | uh-MID | location |
| amongst | uh-MUHNG | location |
| round | uh-ROUND | location, route |
| as | az | method or goal |
| at | at | location, time |
| away | uh-WEY | route |
| backward(s) | BAK-werd | route |
| due to | bih-KUHZ uhv | method or goal |
| earlier than | bih-FOHR | time |
| beneath | bih-LOH | location |
| beneath | bih-NEETH | location |
| beside | bih-SAHYD | location |
| between | bih-TWEEN | location, method, or goal |
| past | bee-OND | location, method, or goal |
| by | bahy | location, method, or goal |
| regardless of | dih-SPAHYT | method or goal |
| down | doun | route or location |
| resulting from | doo too | method or goal |
| throughout | DOOR-ing | time |
| besides | ik-SEPT | method or goal |
| following | FOL-oh-ing | time |
| for | fawr/fer | time, method, or goal |
| from | fruhm | route, time, method, or goal |
| in | in | location, time |
| together with | in-CLOOD-ing | method or goal |
| inside | in-SAHYD | location |
| into | IN-too | route |
| like | lahyk | method or goal |
| close to | neer | location |
| subsequent to | nekst too | location |
| of | uhv | method or goal |
| off | awf | location, method, route, or goal |
| on | awn | location, method, time, or goal |
| on prime of | awn prime uhv | location |
| onto | AWN-too | route |
| reverse | OP-uh-sit | location |
| outdoors | out-SAHYD | location |
| over | OH-ver | location, route |
| previous | previous | route, time |
| since | sins | time |
| by means of | throo | route, time |
| all through | throo-OUT | route, time |
| until | til | time |
| to | too | route, method, or goal |
| towards(s) | tohrd | route |
| beneath | UHN-der | location, route |
| beneath | uhn-der-NEETH | location |
| in contrast to | uhn-LAHYK | method or goal |
| till | uhn-TIL | time |
| up | uhp | route |
| upon | uh-PON | route |
| through | VEE-uh or VAHY-uh | route, method, or goal |
| with | with | method or goal |
| inside | with-IN | location or time |
| with out | with-OUT | method or goal |
Varieties of prepositions in English
When you understand how to make use of prepositions, you need to use them to explain various things in a sentence. Some prepositions can be utilized for a wide range of meanings, like this:
- I made dinner for you.
- I made dinner for three hours.
- He danced round the desk.
- He danced round 5:00.
- The film was about polar bears.
- The film was about two hours lengthy.
It simply relies upon the way you’re utilizing the preposition in a sentence and which phrases come after the preposition in a prepositional phrase. Study extra with these examples of prepositions and the way they will add that means to your sentences.
Use prepositions to explain location
The commonest manner to make use of prepositions in English is to point out the place one thing is. These are referred to as prepositions of location or prepositions of place. The place a part of the phrase preposition can let you know the way it works.
A standard manner to consider prepositions on this manner is by imagining a cat and a field. A cat could be above a field, or in a field, or close to a field.
| Preposition of Location | Sentence |
| above | The dishes are above the sink. |
| at | John is at college. |
| beside | My canine sleeps beside the sofa. |
| in | We reside in a giant metropolis. |
| inside | The guide is inside my backpack. |
| on | Your keys are on the desk. |
| close to | They reside close to the library. |
| beneath | My ball rolled beneath the fence. |
Use prepositions to point out motion
You can too use English prepositions to point out how one thing is shifting. These are referred to as prepositions of motion or route. They arrive after a verb in English so as to add extra details about the motion.
For instance, the sentence Hannah ran shouldn’t be very particular. However in the event you add to the mailbox, you get the sentence Hannah ran to the mailbox. Now you’ve much more details about the place Hannah is working.
| Preposition of Motion | Sentence |
| round | We walked across the metropolis. |
| into | Melissa went into the home. |
| from | I got here from one other nation. |
| by means of | My canine walked by means of the tunnel. |
| to | The kids went to the playground. |
Use prepositions to establish time
If you use prepositions of time (additionally referred to as temporal prepositions), you possibly can present when one thing occurred, or for the way lengthy. For instance, within the sentence Hannah ran for 5 minutes, the prepositional phrase for 5 minutes tells you extra particular details about how lengthy Hannah ran.
| Preposition of Time | Sentence |
| after | We left after the present. |
| earlier than | My mother arrived earlier than 7:00. |
| throughout | He referred to as throughout dinner. |
| for | They watched tv for 2 hours. |
| since | Kelly has been dwelling since 2:00. |
Use prepositions to make connections
Different examples of prepositions are useful to attach extra particular particulars about occasions, objects, or conditions. These prepositions of method or goal inform us how or why an motion occurred.
For instance, Hannah ran for an area charity tells us why she is working, however the sentence Hannah ran along with her mates provides us extra details about how she is working.
| Preposition of Connection | Sentence |
| about | My class discovered about electrical energy. |
| by | The guide was written by Mark Twain. |
| for | This reward is for my instructor. |
| of | I’d love a cup of espresso. |
| with | We walked to highschool with our neighbors. |
Find out how to use prepositions
English sentences solely want a noun and a verb to be full sentences, like I’m or You eat. Prepositions and the phrases that come after them are further elements of a sentence, so that they’re not essential to make a sentence full. Nevertheless, they do add necessary data to the noun and verb in your sentence.
Prepositions in English join nouns or pronouns and different phrases within the sentence. They’re the primary phrases in prepositional phrases, that are normally made like this:
- (Noun + Verb + Preposition + Object of the preposition)
The article of the preposition is one other noun. Let’s create an instance sentence with a prepositional phrase.
- Noun: Matthew
- Verb: hid
- Preposition: beneath
- Object of the preposition: the mattress
If you put these phrases collectively, you get:
- Matthew hid beneath the mattress.
You possibly can change the preposition and alter the that means of the sentence.
- Matthew hid close to the mattress.
- Matthew hid on the mattress.
- Matthew hid in the mattress.
These sentences all present Matthew hiding someplace totally different simply by altering the preposition. That’s why selecting the best preposition is so necessary!
Preposition or conjunction?
When you’ve already discovered about English conjunctions, these lists of prepositions in English could also be a bit complicated. In any case, aren’t phrases like after and since conjunctions?
It’s true that some prepositions additionally work as conjunctions to attach two clauses (noun + verb) in a sentence collectively. However they will additionally work as prepositions once they’re including extra details about a noun within the sentence.
For instance:
- Preposition: I completed my work after college.
- Conjunction: I completed my work after I acquired dwelling.
The phrase after works as a preposition when it connects with a direct object (which is the noun college) on this case. When after comes earlier than a clause (which features a noun and verb) then it’s performing as a conjunction.
Frequent methods English prepositions are confused
A few of the commonest errors English learners make is mixing up English prepositions. When you can keep away from these errors, you’ll sound much more like a local English speaker.
‘In’ ‘at’ and ‘on’
The prepositions in, at, and on are prepositions that describe location and time. However English audio system use them in numerous methods, so mixing them up can change the that means of your sentence.
If you describe time, you utilize the phrase at for a particular time, whereas in signifies a interval or size of time. On can be utilized to point a time-frame.
- I’ll be there at 5:00.
- I’ll be there in ten minutes.
- I’ll be there on Sunday.
At additionally describes a particular location. In is used when speaking about being in an enclosed house or space like a automotive or a area. On describes the place an individual or object is situated, typically at a particular time.
- Alice is at the bus cease.
- Alice is in the automotive.
- Alice is on the best way dwelling.
When you mentioned Alice is on the automotive, you’ll imply that Alice is standing close to the automotive. And that is likely to be appropriate, relying on what you’re speaking about. But when she is sitting contained in the automotive, you’ll use in.
‘On’ and ‘in’
English learners additionally combine up in with the preposition on, principally as a result of they sound much like newcomers. If you use them to explain areas, in signifies that a noun is inside an object or space, whereas on means it’s on prime of an object or factor.
- The cat slept in the mattress. (beneath the blankets)
- The cat slept on the mattress. (on prime of the blankets)
On can be a preposition of method when it describes what one thing is about. In isn’t used this fashion.
- The check is on English verbs.
- My report shall be on well-known innovations.
When you mentioned The check is in English verbs, it sounds just like the check is inside English verbs, which doesn’t make sense. As an alternative, you say that it’s on English verbs as one other technique to say that it’s about English verbs.
‘From’ and ‘for”
It’s simple to combine up from and for, particularly while you’re speaking about presents. English audio system use from to explain the particular person giving the reward and for to explain the particular person receiving the reward.
- The brand new tv is from Steve.
- The brand new tv is for Kelly.
In each of those sentences, Steve gave the tv to Kelly, so you’ll use from Steve and for Kelly.
‘In’ ‘inside’ and ‘into’
Even superior English audio system combine up in, inside, and into typically! In and inside can present location, whereas into exhibits route.
- Gina was in the shop.
- Gina was inside the shop.
- Gina went into the shop.
These sentences could look practically an identical, however they’re a bit totally different. In tells us about Gina’s location. Inside places a stronger give attention to Gina being inside the shop as an alternative of outdoor, nevertheless it nonetheless exhibits her location.
Into is a preposition of route, so it tells us the motion of Gina shifting from the skin to the within of the shop.
Prepositions in English assist us perceive extra
As you be taught English, you’ll discover that utilizing the fitting phrases and phrases is essential. English prepositions are only one technique to inform readers and listeners extra concerning the nouns and verbs in a sentence, making English simpler to be taught.
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