The Prepositions
The information below gives the most usual meanings of English prepositions.
Each meaning is illustrated
by an example.
About:
1. On the subject of: This is a story about elephants.
2. Approximately: He is about ten years old.
Above:
1. Higher than; over: The plane flew above the clouds.
2. Earlier on a page: There is a heading above each diagram.
Across:
1. From one side to the other: We walked across the field.
2. On the other side of: There is a store across the street.
After:
1. Later in time: after ten o'clock; after lunch
2. Later in a series: Q comes after P in the alphabet.
3. In pursuit of: The dog ran after the cat.
Against:
1. In opposition to: Theft is against the law.
2. Touching; supported by: I leaned my bicycle against the wall.
Along:
1. Following the length of: We walked along the road.
Among:
1. within a group: The money was shared among three people.
Note: In formal English, among is usually used only when referring to more than two
About:
1. On the subject of: This is a story about elephants.
2. Approximately: He is about ten years old.
Above:
1. Higher than; over: The plane flew above the clouds.
2. Earlier on a page: There is a heading above each diagram.
Across:
1. From one side to the other: We walked across the field.
2. On the other side of: There is a store across the street.
After:
1. Later in time: after ten o'clock; after lunch
2. Later in a series: Q comes after P in the alphabet.
3. In pursuit of: The dog ran after the cat.
Against:
1. In opposition to: Theft is against the law.
2. Touching; supported by: I leaned my bicycle against the wall.
Along:
1. Following the length of: We walked along the road.
Among:
1. within a group: The money was shared among three people.
Note: In formal English, among is usually used only when referring to more than two
persons or
things. In contrast, between is used when referring to two
persons or things.
Around:
1. Circling something: We walked around the block.
2. Surrounding: There is a fence around the garden.
3. In different parts of: I looked around the house for the keys.
4. In the other direction: We turned around and went back home.
5. Approximately: He is around six feet tall.
At:
1. A specific location: at 23 Chestnut Street; at the park
2. A point in time: at 5 o'clock; at Christmas
3. A condition: at peace; at war; at rest
4. An activity: at work; at school; at play
5. Towards: Look at someone; wave at someone
Note: When referring to a specific location or to a point in time, at is usually used. When referring to a certain street or a certain day, on is usually used. When referring to a location as an area, or when referring to a unit of time longer than a day, in is usually used.
e.g. at Christmas; on Christmas day; in the Christmas holidays
Before:
1. Earlier in time: before two o'clock; before Christmas
2. Earlier in a series: S comes before T in the alphabet.
Behind:
1. At the back of: The little girl hid behind her mother.
2. Late: I am behind in my work.
3. Cause; origin: Who was behind that idea?
Below:
1. Lower than; under: below freezing; below sea level
2. Later on a page: Footnotes are provided below the text.
Beneath:
1. Lower than; below: beneath the earth
Beside:
1. Next to; at the side of: I sit beside her in class.
Besides:
1. Also; as well as: We study other languages besides English.
Note the differing meanings of beside and besides. Beside is usually used with reference to a physical location.
Between:
1. An intermediate location: Toronto lies between Montreal and Vancouver.
2. An intermediate time: between Christmas and New Year's Day
3. Intermediate in a series: B comes between A and C in the alphabet.
4. An intermediate amount: between five and ten people
5. Within a group of two: The money was shared between two people.
Beyond:
1. Farther than: The mountains lie beyond the horizon.
2. Further than; exceeding: That was beyond my expectations.
But:
1. Except: I have read all but the last chapter.
Note: But is used more often as a conjunction than as a preposition.
By:
1. Near: a house by the sea
2. Past: He waved as he drove by the house.
3. Not later than: Try to finish the work by next week.
4. In units of: cheaper by the dozen; sold by weight
5. Through the means of: travel by plane; written by him
Note: By is often used in combination with verbs in the Passive Voice.
Down:
1. To a lower position: The ball rolled down the hill.
2. Further along: He lives down the street.
During:
1. Throughout a period: She works during the day.
2. Sometime within a period: An accident occurred during the night.
For:
1. Duration of time: We walked for two hours.
2. Distance: I walked for five kilometers.
3. Purpose: I bought this jacket for you.
4. In the direction of: She left for New York.
5. In favor of: We are for the proposal.
6. Considering: The boy is clever for his age.
From:
1. Place of origin: We left from Boston; he comes from Mexico
2. Start of a period of time: from now on; from yesterday until today
3. Start of a range: From 20 to 30 people were present.
4. Cause: He suffers from nervousness.
5. Source: I first heard the story from you.
In:
1. Place thought of as an area: in London; in Europe
2. Within a location: in the room; in the building
3. Large units of time: That happened in March, in 1992.
4. Within a certain time: I will return in an hour.
5. By means of: write in pencil; speak in English
6. Condition: in doubt; in a hurry; in secret
7. A member of: He is in the orchestra; in the navy
8. Wearing: the boy in the blue shirt
9. With reference to: lacking in ideas; rich in oil
Inside:
1. Within: They are inside the house.
Into:
1. To the inside of: We stepped into the room.
2. Change of condition: The boy changed into a man.
Of:
1. Location: east of here; the middle of the road
2. Possession: a friend of mine; the sound of music
3. Part of a group: one of us; a member of the team
4. Measurement: a cup of milk; two meters of snow
Around:
1. Circling something: We walked around the block.
2. Surrounding: There is a fence around the garden.
3. In different parts of: I looked around the house for the keys.
4. In the other direction: We turned around and went back home.
5. Approximately: He is around six feet tall.
At:
1. A specific location: at 23 Chestnut Street; at the park
2. A point in time: at 5 o'clock; at Christmas
3. A condition: at peace; at war; at rest
4. An activity: at work; at school; at play
5. Towards: Look at someone; wave at someone
Note: When referring to a specific location or to a point in time, at is usually used. When referring to a certain street or a certain day, on is usually used. When referring to a location as an area, or when referring to a unit of time longer than a day, in is usually used.
e.g. at Christmas; on Christmas day; in the Christmas holidays
Before:
1. Earlier in time: before two o'clock; before Christmas
2. Earlier in a series: S comes before T in the alphabet.
Behind:
1. At the back of: The little girl hid behind her mother.
2. Late: I am behind in my work.
3. Cause; origin: Who was behind that idea?
Below:
1. Lower than; under: below freezing; below sea level
2. Later on a page: Footnotes are provided below the text.
Beneath:
1. Lower than; below: beneath the earth
Beside:
1. Next to; at the side of: I sit beside her in class.
Besides:
1. Also; as well as: We study other languages besides English.
Note the differing meanings of beside and besides. Beside is usually used with reference to a physical location.
Between:
1. An intermediate location: Toronto lies between Montreal and Vancouver.
2. An intermediate time: between Christmas and New Year's Day
3. Intermediate in a series: B comes between A and C in the alphabet.
4. An intermediate amount: between five and ten people
5. Within a group of two: The money was shared between two people.
Beyond:
1. Farther than: The mountains lie beyond the horizon.
2. Further than; exceeding: That was beyond my expectations.
But:
1. Except: I have read all but the last chapter.
Note: But is used more often as a conjunction than as a preposition.
By:
1. Near: a house by the sea
2. Past: He waved as he drove by the house.
3. Not later than: Try to finish the work by next week.
4. In units of: cheaper by the dozen; sold by weight
5. Through the means of: travel by plane; written by him
Note: By is often used in combination with verbs in the Passive Voice.
Down:
1. To a lower position: The ball rolled down the hill.
2. Further along: He lives down the street.
During:
1. Throughout a period: She works during the day.
2. Sometime within a period: An accident occurred during the night.
For:
1. Duration of time: We walked for two hours.
2. Distance: I walked for five kilometers.
3. Purpose: I bought this jacket for you.
4. In the direction of: She left for New York.
5. In favor of: We are for the proposal.
6. Considering: The boy is clever for his age.
From:
1. Place of origin: We left from Boston; he comes from Mexico
2. Start of a period of time: from now on; from yesterday until today
3. Start of a range: From 20 to 30 people were present.
4. Cause: He suffers from nervousness.
5. Source: I first heard the story from you.
In:
1. Place thought of as an area: in London; in Europe
2. Within a location: in the room; in the building
3. Large units of time: That happened in March, in 1992.
4. Within a certain time: I will return in an hour.
5. By means of: write in pencil; speak in English
6. Condition: in doubt; in a hurry; in secret
7. A member of: He is in the orchestra; in the navy
8. Wearing: the boy in the blue shirt
9. With reference to: lacking in ideas; rich in oil
Inside:
1. Within: They are inside the house.
Into:
1. To the inside of: We stepped into the room.
2. Change of condition: The boy changed into a man.
Of:
1. Location: east of here; the middle of the road
2. Possession: a friend of mine; the sound of music
3. Part of a group: one of us; a member of the team
4. Measurement: a cup of milk; two meters of snow
Off:
1. Not on; away from: Please keep off the grass.
2. At some distance from: There are islands off the coast.
On:
1. Touching the surface of: on the table; on the wall
2. A certain day: That happened on Sunday, on the 6th of June.
3. A certain street: on South Street
4. About: a book on engineering
5. A state or condition: on strike; on fire; on holiday
6. By means of: live on a pension; shown on television
Onto:
1. To a position on: The child climbed onto the table.
Out of:
1. To the outside of: She went out of the room.
2. From among: We won two games out of three.
3. Motive: We spoke to them out of politeness.
4. Material: The bridge is made out of steel.
5. Beyond: out of control; out of danger
Outside:
1. On the outer side of: outside the house
2. Beyond the limits of: outside my experience
Over:
1. Above; higher than: There are cupboards over the sink.
2. Covering: We spread an extra blanket over the bed.
3. Across: I jumped over a puddle.
4. More than: It cost over ten dollars; it took over an hour
5. During: I saw him several times over the past week.
6. By means of: We made plans over the telephone.
Since:
1. From a specific time in the past: I had been waiting since two o'clock.
2. From a past time until now: I have been waiting here since noon.
Note: Because of its meaning, the preposition since is usually used in combination with a perfect tense. It should be noted that the preposition for can also be used with a perfect tense. However, when used with reference to time, for is usually followed by a phrase referring to a period of time; whereas since is usually followed by a phrase referring to a specific time.
1. I have known him for six months.
2.I have known him since January.
In the first example, for is followed by six months, which refers to a period of time. In the second example, since is followed by January, which refers to a specific time.
Through:
1. Not on; away from: Please keep off the grass.
2. At some distance from: There are islands off the coast.
On:
1. Touching the surface of: on the table; on the wall
2. A certain day: That happened on Sunday, on the 6th of June.
3. A certain street: on South Street
4. About: a book on engineering
5. A state or condition: on strike; on fire; on holiday
6. By means of: live on a pension; shown on television
Onto:
1. To a position on: The child climbed onto the table.
Out of:
1. To the outside of: She went out of the room.
2. From among: We won two games out of three.
3. Motive: We spoke to them out of politeness.
4. Material: The bridge is made out of steel.
5. Beyond: out of control; out of danger
Outside:
1. On the outer side of: outside the house
2. Beyond the limits of: outside my experience
Over:
1. Above; higher than: There are cupboards over the sink.
2. Covering: We spread an extra blanket over the bed.
3. Across: I jumped over a puddle.
4. More than: It cost over ten dollars; it took over an hour
5. During: I saw him several times over the past week.
6. By means of: We made plans over the telephone.
Since:
1. From a specific time in the past: I had been waiting since two o'clock.
2. From a past time until now: I have been waiting here since noon.
Note: Because of its meaning, the preposition since is usually used in combination with a perfect tense. It should be noted that the preposition for can also be used with a perfect tense. However, when used with reference to time, for is usually followed by a phrase referring to a period of time; whereas since is usually followed by a phrase referring to a specific time.
1. I have known him for six months.
2.I have known him since January.
In the first example, for is followed by six months, which refers to a period of time. In the second example, since is followed by January, which refers to a specific time.
Through:
1.
Across; from end to end of: the main road through town
2. For the whole of a period: I slept through the night.
3. By means of: Skill improves through practice.
Throughout:
2. For the whole of a period: I slept through the night.
3. By means of: Skill improves through practice.
Throughout:
Note: Till can be used instead
of until. However, at the beginning of a sentence, until is
usually used.
To:
To:
1.
In the direction of: Turn to the right.
2. Destination: I am going to Rome.
3. Until: from Monday to Friday; five minutes to ten
4. Compared with: They prefer hockey to soccer.
5. With indirect object: Please give it to me.
6. As part of infinitive: I like to ski; he wants to help.
7. In order to: We went to the store to buy soap.
Toward (or Towards):
2. Destination: I am going to Rome.
3. Until: from Monday to Friday; five minutes to ten
4. Compared with: They prefer hockey to soccer.
5. With indirect object: Please give it to me.
6. As part of infinitive: I like to ski; he wants to help.
7. In order to: We went to the store to buy soap.
Toward (or Towards):
1.
In the direction of: We walked toward the center of town.
2. Near; just before (time): It rained towards evening.
Under:
2. Near; just before (time): It rained towards evening.
Under:
1.
Beneath: under the desk; under the trees
2. Less than: Under 100 people were present.
3. In circumstances of: under repair; under way; under discussion
Underneath:
2. Less than: Under 100 people were present.
3. In circumstances of: under repair; under way; under discussion
Underneath:
Note: On and upon have
similar meanings. Upon may be used in certain expressions, as in once
upon a time, and following certain verbs, as in to rely upon
someone.
Up:
Up:
1.
As far as: up to now; I have read up to page 100.
2. Depending on: The decision is up to you.
3. As good as; ready for: His work is up to standard.
With:
2. Depending on: The decision is up to you.
3. As good as; ready for: His work is up to standard.
With:
1.
Accompanying: He came with her; I have my keys with me.
2. Having; containing: Here is a book with a map of the island.
3. By means of; using: I repaired the shoes with glue.
4. Manner: with pleasure; with ease; with difficulty
2. Having; containing: Here is a book with a map of the island.
3. By means of; using: I repaired the shoes with glue.
4. Manner: with pleasure; with ease; with difficulty
Prepositions
of Place and Direction
Preposition
|
Use
|
Examples
|
above
|
higher than sth.
|
The
picture hangs above
my bed.
|
across
|
from one side to the other side
|
You
mustn't go across this road here.
There isn't a bridge across the river. |
after
|
one follows the other
|
The
cat ran after
the dog.
|
against
|
directed towards sth.
|
The
bird flew against the window.
|
along
|
in a line; from one point to another
|
They're
walking along the beach.
|
among
|
in a group
|
I
like being among
people.
|
around
|
in a circular way
|
We're
sitting around
the campfire.
|
behind
|
at the back of
|
Our
house is behind the supermarket.
|
below
|
lower than sth.
|
Death Valley is 86 metres below sea level.
|
beside
|
next to
|
Our
house is beside the
supermarket.
|
between
|
sth./sb. is on each side[two]
|
Our
house is between
the supermarket and the school.
|
by
|
near
|
He
lives in the house by
the river.
|
close
to
|
near
|
Our
house is close to the supermarket.
|
down
|
from high to low
|
He
came down the hill.
|
from
|
the place where it starts
|
Do
you come from Tokyo?
|
in
front of
|
the part that is in the direction it faces
|
Our
house is in front
of the supermarket.
|
inside
|
opposite of outside
|
You
shouldn't stay inside the castle.
|
into
|
entering sth.
|
You
shouldn't go into the castle.
|
near
|
close to
|
Our
house is near the supermarket.
|
next
to
|
beside
|
Our
house is next to the supermarket.
|
off
|
away from sth.
|
The
cat jumped off
the roof.
|
onto
|
moving to a place
|
The
cat jumped onto
the roof.
|
opposite
|
on the other side
|
Our
house is opposite the supermarket.
|
out
of
|
leaving sth.
|
The
cat jumped out of the window.
|
outside
|
opposite of inside
|
Can
you wait outside?
|
over
|
above sth./sb.
|
The
cat jumped over
the wall.
|
past
|
going near sth./sb.
|
Go
past
the post office.
|
round
|
in a circle
|
We're
sitting round
the campfire.
|
through
|
going from one point to the other point
|
You
shouldn't walk through the forest.
|
to
|
towards sth./sb.
|
I
like going to
Australia.
Can you come to me? I've never been to Africa. |
towards
|
in the direction of sth.
|
We
ran towards
the castle.
|
under
|
below sth.
|
The
cat is under the table.
|
up
|
from low to high
|
He
went up
the hill.
|
Prepositions of Time
Preposition
|
Use
|
Examples
|
in
|
in months
|
in July; in September
|
year
|
in 1985; in 1999
|
|
seasons
|
in summer; in the summer of 69
|
|
part of the day
|
in the morning; in the
afternoon; in the evening
|
|
duration
|
in a minute; in two weeks
|
|
at
|
part of the day
|
at night
|
time of day
|
at 6 o'clock; at midnight
|
|
celebrations
|
at Christmas; at Easter
|
|
fixed phrases
|
at the same time
|
|
on
|
days of the week
|
on Sunday; on Friday
|
date
|
on the
25th of December*
|
|
special holidays
|
on Good Friday; on Easter
Sunday; on my birthday
|
|
a special part of a day
|
on the morning of September the 11th*
|
|
after
|
Later than sth.
|
after school
|
ago
|
how far sth. happened (in the past)
|
6
years ago
|
before
|
earlier than sth.
|
before Christmas
|
between
|
time that separates two points
|
between Monday and Friday
|
by
|
not later than a special time
|
by Thursday
|
during
|
through the whole of a period of time
|
during the holidays
|
for
|
period of time
|
for three weeks
|
from
... to
from... till/until |
two points form a period
|
from Monday to Wednesday
from Monday till Wednesday from Monday until Wednesday |
past
|
time of the day
|
23
minutes past 6 (6:23)
|
since
|
point of time
|
since Monday
|
till/until
|
no later than a special time
|
till tomorrow
until tomorrow |
to
|
time of the day
|
23
minutes to 6 (5:37)
|
up
to
|
not more than a special time
|
up to 6 hours a day
|
within
|
during a period of time
|
within a day
|
prepared by: B.Balalji Reddy, Asso. Professor, SVPCET, PUTTUR
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