Prepositions
Definition
Prepositions are words that indicate location and time, and they almost always come in phrases.
The puppy runs to the food bowl.
The tallest puppy is in the middle.
Prepositional Phrases
A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition plus a noun. Sometimes modifiers
of the noun come in between, such as adjectives and articles.
Preposition + Optional Modifiers + Noun
In the spring, I always vow to plant tomatoes but end up buying them at the store.
Common prepositions
About
Above
According to
Across
After
Against
Along (with)
Among
Apart from
Around
As (for)
At
Because of
Before
Behind
Below
Beneath
Beside
Between
Beyond
By
By means of
Concerning
Despite
Down
During
Except (for)
Excepting
For
From
In
In addition to
In back of
In case of
In front of
In place of
In spite of
Including
Inside
Instead of
Into
Like
Near
Next
Of
Off
On
On top of
Onto
Out (of)
Outside
Over
Past
Regarding
Round
Since
Through
Throughout
To
Toward
Under
Underneath
Unlike
Until
Up (to)
Upon
With
Within
Without
Prepositions of time
At designates specific times.
The train is due at 12:15 p.m.
On designates days and dates.
My brother is coming on Monday.
We're having a party on the Fourth of July.
In designates 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.
For designates measuring time (seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, years).
He held his breath for two minutes.
The British and Irish have been quarreling for seven centuries.
Since is used with a specific date or time.
He's worked here since 1970.
She's been sitting in the waiting room since two-thirty.
Prepositions of Place
At is used for specific addresses.
Neville Billingsworth lives at 55 Bortez Road in Durham.
On is used to designate names of streets, avenues, and lanes.
His house is on Bortez Road.
In is used for names of land-areas (towns, counties, states, countries, and continents).
He live in Durham.
Durham is in Windham County.
Note: With downstairs, downtown, inside, outside, upstairs, and uptown we use no preposition.
Prepositions of Movement
To is used 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 interchangable, though toward is more common in the United States.
We're moving toward the light.
This is a big step towards the project's completion.