Prepositions — Definition, Examples, and Types
What is a preposition?
A preposition is a word that connect a noun or pronoun to another word or phrase in the rest of the sentence. Prepositions are common in the English language and often identify spatial relationships, time, location, direction, and possession. Examples of prepositions are “on,” “to,” “of,” “at,” and “in.”
Use of prepositions
A proposition must always be placed after the sentence’s subject and verb and then followed by a noun. Prepositions must be linked to an object of the preposition (noun or pronoun). A verb should never follow a preposition.
Typically, a preposition plays a modifying role, acting as an adjective or adverb that provides additional information to the noun, pronoun, noun phrase, or verb it modifies.
The correct use of a preposition depends on its position in a sentence.
Preposition examples
Some common examples of prepositions are the words “for,” “from,” “before," and “with.” The following is a list of prepositions commonly used in English:
| about | as | during | like | through |
| after | at | for | of | to |
| against | before | from | on | under |
| among | between | in | out | with |
| around | by | into | over | without |
Many prepositions do not function solely as a preposition, so it is important to identify the function of the word within a sentence to determine its part of speech.
Prepositions sentences
The following sentences contain one or more prepositions:
He left on the boat with the treasure they found in the middle of the island.
Did you buy a gift for Sarah’s birthday?
Once Jeff arrived at the lake, he immediately jumped into the water.
After their vacation, the Smith family spent the rest of the summer relaxing.
Leah decided she would buy a new leash for her dog at the pet store in the mall.
Prepositional phrases
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that contain a preposition, an optional modifier, and an object of a preposition. The object can be a noun, gerund (verb ending in -ing), or clause.
The most common examples of prepositions used within prepositional phrases include the following:
| about | by | of |
| after | during | over |
| at | in | to |
| before | for | under |
| behind | from | with |
When a writer uses a noun or verb to modify (describe) the object, they are called adjectival phrases or adverbial phrases, respectively. Therefore, each phrase is structured as follows:
Basic Prepositional Phrase: Preposition + object
Adjectival Prepositional Phrase: Preposition + noun modifier + object
Adverbial Prepositional Phrase: Preposition + verb modifier + object
Examples of prepositional phrases
Basic prepositional phrases:
The class started on time.
Preposition: on
Object: time
He forgot his homework at home.
Preposition: at
Object: home
Adjectival prepositional phrases:
The dog on Sam's porch quickly fell asleep.
Preposition: on
Object: porch
Modifier: Sam (noun)
Hazel thought the garden in her backyard was too overgrown.
Preposition: in
Object: backyard
Modifier: her (noun)
Adverbial prepositional phrases:
Violet decided it was time to step into the car.
Preposition: into
Object: car
Verb Modified: step
Ted ran out of the school when the last bell rang.
Preposition: of
Object: school
Verb Modified: ran
Preposition grammar
Grammatically, there are multiple rules to follow when using a preposition:
Rule 1: Prepositions must be linked to an object.
The object of a sentence is the person/thing that receives the action.
Mitch left the tray in the kitchen.
The preposition (in) is linked to the object (kitchen).
Rule 2: The object cannot be a verb.
Prepositions are never followed by a verb.
Incorrect: The treat was for walked.
Correct: The treat was for the dog.
Rule 3: Place the preposition before the pronoun/noun to which it has a relationship.
The prefix pre- means "before," which helps indicate the position of the preposition.
Rule 4: Pronouns following a preposition should be in object form.
The objective pronoun form consists of me, her, them, etc. The subjective pronoun form (I, she, they, etc.) should not be used following a preposition.
Incorrect: That's between him and I.
Correct: That's between him and me.
Rule 5: Prepositions do not have a specific form.
Most prepositions are simply one word; however, there are some two- or three-word phrases called complex prepositions.
One-word: at, in, of, on, and for
Complex: but for, according to, on account of, and in spite of
Rule 6: To (preposition) has a different meaning as to (infinitive).
Avoid confusing the infinitive participle "to" with the preposition "to."
Infinitive participle: The children love to sing; They were going to leave tomorrow.
Preposition: They loved singing to the audience; They were going to the zoo tomorrow.
Types of prepositions
There are eight different types of prepositions:
| Type | What it Describes | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Time | when or for how long | at, by, for, in, on, to |
| Place | where something is located in reference to something else | above, at, behind, by, in, in front of, on |
| Direction or Movement | how, where, or in what way something moves | across, from, into, onto, over, to, under |
| Manner | the way something happens or how something happens | by, in, like, on, with |
| Agent or Instrument | action on something or someone by something or someone | by, on, with |
| Measure | quantity of something | by, of |
| Source | origin of something or someone | by, from, of |
| Possession | ownership of something or by someone | of, to, with |
Example sentences including each category of preposition:
| Category | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Time | Willow started studying the night before the exam. |
| Place | Owen wanted to work in an office setting. |
| Direction or Movement | Quinn jumped on the trampoline. |
| Manner | Levi took his first tour of Italy by train. |
| Agent or Instrument | Nora was unable to unlock her door with the key. |
| Measure | Leo determined that half of the class didn't complete the assignment. |
| Source | Aubrey is originally from New York. |
| Possession | Emmett had no money on him to pay for lunch. |