List of English Prepositions

By Matthew, 3 December 2008 - 2:30pm
5
 
 

A list of the major prepositions used in English: in; on; at; to; from... etc


Prepositions are words which show the relations between things. They mainly show location, direction or movement.

>> Learn more about Prepositions

aboard I am aboard the ship.
about I bought a book about cats.
above The painting is above the sofa.
across The cofee shop is across the road.
after I will meet you after work.
against The sofa is against the wall.
along They lined up along the wall.
among You are among friends.
around I have never seen you around here.
at See you at 2.
before Call me before you leave.
behind The carpark is behind the department store.
below There is a bookcase below the window.
beneath Please put it in the box beneath the desk.
beside Put your bag on the floor beside you.
besides No one will know besides me.
between There is a book shop between the supermarket and the shoe store.
beyond The zoo is beyond the park.
by Please wait by the exit.
concerning I read an article concerning the war in Iraq.
down Go down the street and turn left.
during I will be away during May.
except Everyone came, except Michael.
for This letter is for Peter.
from This is a souvenir from Peru.
in He left it in the office.
inside Look inside the bag!
into Plug this into the wall please.
like Do you feel like a coffee?
near I prefer to live near the sea.
of Elizabeth the Second is the Queen of England.
off Please take your shoes off.
on Leave it on my desk, please.
out She threw it out the window!
over She jumped over the puddle.
past The station is just past the supermarket.
since They have been together since the office Christmas party.
through Drive through the city centre.
throughout The band was popular throughout the seventies.
till They waited till the end of the day.
to Throw it to me!
toward Walk toward the station.
under It was under the bridge downtown.
underneath Maybe it is underneath those papers?
unto Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
up The workman was up the ladder.
upon He sat upon his horse.
with Come with me please.
within Please call me within the hour.
without I can't live without you!

Note:

  1. A more complete list of prepositions can be found on Wikipedia.
  2. There are about 150 prepositions used in English.
  3. People have a lot of trouble with prepositions, since the same word in English can translate to many different things in other languages.
  4. Some prepositions can also be adverbs.
  5. Phrasal verbs are a combination of verbs and prepostions (or adverbs). To really master phrasal verbs, a good understanding of prepositions helps.