English Grammar for ESL learners

PREPOSITIONS

List of English prepositions with their meaning and an example of use.

There are over 100 prepositions in English and using them correctly can be difficult, especially for learners.
Although most prepositions are single words such as 'at', 'on', 'to', 'from', some pairs and groups of words operate like single prepositions, for example 'up to', 'out of' 'in front of' etc.
Below is a list of commonly-used propositions with their meaning and a sentence showing how they are used.

Preposition	Meaning	Example
above	higher than, or over	The sun is above the clouds.
across	from one side to the other	It's dangerous to run across the road.
after	- following something - later than	- The boy ran after the ball. - I'll phone you after lunch.
against	- in opposition to - in contact with	- Stealing is against the law. - The sofa is against the wall.
along	from one end to the other	They are walking along the street.
among	surrounded by	Peter was among the spectators.
around	- in a circle - near, approximately	- He walked around the table. - It costs around 50 euros.
before	- earlier than - in front of	- The day before yesterday. - He bowed before the king.
behind	at the back of	Passengers sit behind the driver.
below	lower than	His shorts are below his knees.
beneath	under	The pen was beneath the books.
beside	next to	The bank is beside the cinema.
between	in the space separating two things	Mary sat between Tom and Jane.
by	- near, at the side of - not later than	- The restaurant is by the river. - The boss wants the report by Friday.
close to	near	The school is close to the church.
down	from higher to lower	She pulled down the blind.
for	what is intended	I bought this book for you.
from	where something starts or originates	The wind is blowing from the north.
in	at a point within an area	The pen is in the drawer.
in front of	directly before	The child ran out in front of the bus.
inside	on the inner part of	The bird is inside the cage.
into	enter a closed space	He went into the shop.
near	close to	The school is near the church.
next to	beside	The bank is next to the cinema.
off	down or away from	He fell off the horse.
on	in a position touching a surface	The plate is on the table.
onto	move to a position on a surface	The cat jumped onto the roof of the car.
opposite	facing, on the other side	Eva sat opposite Tom at the table.
out of	- move from a closed space - without	- He got out of the taxi. - She's out of work.
outside	- opposite of inside - on the outer side	The garden is outside the house.
over	- above/across - on the surface of	- The plane flew over the Atlantic. - She put a sheet over the furniture.
past	beyond	She drove past the supermarket.
round	in a circular movement	The earth moves round the sun.
through	from one side to the other	The Seine flows through Paris.
throughout	in every part of	The virus spread throughout the country.
to	in the direct of; towards	On the way to the station.
towards	in the direction of	The child ran towards her father.
under	beneath, below	Water flows under the bridge.
underneath	beneath	There was dust underneath the rug.
up	towards or in a higher position	She walked up the stairs.
within	inside	They live within the old city.
without	not have or lack something	I don't like coffee without milk.

See also: Prepositional Phrases

Try these online exercises

at-on-in	at-for-from-in- into-of-with	into-onto-off-over-up	preposition quiz
missing prepositions 1	missing prepositions 2	missing prepositions 3

more exercises

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Please note that British English spelling is used on this website.

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