Are you confused about prepositions? Understanding preposition definition rules is essential for mastering English grammar. In this post, we’ll break down what prepositions are, how they work, and provide a helpful list of common prepositions to make learning easier.
What is a preposition?
A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other elements in a sentence. Prepositions often indicate location, direction, time, or position.
Common Prepositions: In, on, at, by, with, for, about, from, to, of, over, under, between, among, during, before, after, against, through, into, across, behind, beside, beyond, within, without, upon, around.
Rules of Prepositions:
Prepositions Show Time, Place, or Movement:
- Time: He will arrive at 6 PM.
- Place: The book is on the table.
- Movement: She is walking towards the park.
Prepositions Must Be Followed by a Noun or Pronoun:
- Incorrect: She sat in.
- Correct: She sat in the chair.
Here, “chair” is the noun that follows the preposition “in.”
Avoid ending sentences with a preposition:
- Informal: This is the place I was talking about.
- Formal: This is the place about which I was talking.
Prepositions with Specific Time Expressions:
- At is used with specific times: at 6 PM, at sunrise.
- On is used with days and dates: on Monday, on July 4th.
- In is used with months, years, centuries, and long periods: in January, in 1999, in the morning.
Prepositions with Specific Place Expressions:
- At is used for specific locations: at the park, at school.
- In is used for enclosed spaces or larger areas: in the room, in the city.
- On is used for surfaces: on the table, on the wall.
Prepositions Indicating Direction:
- To indicates movement towards something: He walked to the store.
- Into indicates movement from outside to a point inside: She went into the room.
- Onto indicates movement towards a surface: He jumped onto the bed.
Prepositions with Objects of Verbs:
- Some verbs are always followed by specific prepositions. These are called “dependent prepositions.”
- Look at the picture.
- Listen to the music.
- Depend on someone.
- Some verbs are always followed by specific prepositions. These are called “dependent prepositions.”
Preposition Definition Rules And Preposition list
List of Preposition
- In
- On
- At
- By
- With
- For
- About
- From
- To
- Of
- Over
- Under
- Between
- Among
- During
- Before
- After
- Against
- Through
- Into
- Across
- Behind
- Beside
- Beyond
- Within
- Without
- Upon
- Around
- Above
- Below
- Near
- Along
- Off
- Down
- Up
- Underneath
- Inside
- Outside
- Toward
- Away
- Beneath
- Amongst
- Past
- Opposite
- Onto
- Via
- Amid
- Beside
- Besides
- Despite
- Concerning
- Considering
- Except
- Including
- Regarding
- Throughout
- According to
- Next to
- As
- Like
- Unlike
- Towards
- Apart from
- Out of
- Instead of
- In front of
- In spite of
- On behalf of
- Ahead of
- Close to
- Far from
- Due to
- Owing to
- Alongside
- Inside of
- Outside of
- Prior to
- Subsequent to
- As far as
- As well as
- In addition to
- In case of
- In light of
- In view of
- In line with
- In accordance with
- In place of
- In search of
- In favor of
- In charge of
- In exchange for
- On account of
- In relation to
- On top of
- In contrast to
- In response to
- With regard to
- With reference to
- In terms of
- In connection with
Difference types of propositions with examples
Prepositions of Time:
- The concert starts at 7 PM.
- We’ll visit them in the summer.
- She arrived on her birthday.
- I haven’t seen him since Monday.
- The project is due by Friday.
- We will complete the task before noon.
- He stayed awake during the movie.
- We’ll meet after the meeting.
Prepositions of Place:
- The keys are on the table.
- She lives in Paris.
- He waited at the station.
- The book is under the bed.
- The picture is above the fireplace.
- They are standing beside the car.
- The cat is hiding behind the curtain.
- The store is between the bank and the café.
Prepositions of Direction:
- She walked toward the door.
- He drove into the parking lot.
- The dog jumped onto the sofa.
- They ran across the street.
- He moved away from the fire.
- The boat sailed around the island.
- She climbed up the hill.
- They traveled through the tunnel.
Prepositions with Verbs:
- He apologized for the mistake.
- She is interested in painting.
- They are afraid of heights.
- He depends on his friends for support.
- She is thinking about moving to a new city.
- He is responsible for the project.
- They complained about the service.
- She laughed at the joke.
Prepositions in Idiomatic Expressions:
- He is on time.
- They are in trouble.
- She is under the weather.
- He is out of control.
- They are on vacation.
- She is in charge of the team.
- He is by her side.
- They are in touch with each other.
Prepositions with Nouns:
- There is a need for improvement.
- She is afraid of spiders.
- They have an interest in technology.
- He has a talent for music.
- There is a demand for more information.
- She has a passion for cooking.
- He has experience in marketing.
- They have a preference for outdoor activities.
Prepositions with Adjectives:
- She is good at dancing.
- They are excited about the trip.
- He is proud of his accomplishments.
- She is afraid of the dark.
- He is interested in history.
- They are famous for their art.
- She is worried about the exam.
- He is responsible for the event.
Preposition Definition Rules And Preposition list
FAQs on Preposition Definition Rules and Preposition List
- What are the preposition definition rules?
A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence. It usually indicates direction, time, place, or method. For example, in the sentence “The book is on the table,” “on” is the preposition, showing the relationship between “book” and “table.”
Preposition Definition Rules
- Prepositions are always followed by a noun or pronoun.
- They are used to indicate time, place, direction, or manner.
- Prepositions often form prepositional phrases, which can function as adjectives or adverbs.
What are prepositions with examples?
- In: The cat is in the box.
- On: The book is on the shelf.
- At: We will meet at the park.
- Under: The shoes are under the bed.
- Over: The plane flew over the mountains.
- Between: The ball is between the chairs.