Prepositions

PREPOSITIONS
Preposition Meaning Examples
above higher than or over 1. The sun is above the clouds.
2. The wire over my head is a pain in the
1. Over or higher than: neck.
2. Superior to in rank, position, or number; 3. A shot that was heard above the music.
greater than: put principles above expediency.
3. Beyond the level or reach of 4. I am not above trying to bribe you.
Do you think you are above bagging your own
4. In preference to: chose quality above quantity. groceries?
5. Too honorable or proud to undertake: 5. The dam is ten miles above the city.
6. More than: somewhat above normal temperature. 6. Chandigarh is above Ambala.
7. Upstream of:
8. North of:

across from one side to the other It's dangerous to run across the road.
1. On, at, or from the other side of: The Bank is across the street.
2. So as to cross; through: She quickly drew lines across the paper.
3. From one side of to the other: The bridge runs across the river.
I recently came across a professional
4. Into contact with: photographer
after - following something - The dog ran after the ball.
- later than - I'll call you after the meeting.
a. Behind in place or order: Obviously T comes after S in the alphabet.
b. Next to or lower than in order or importance. Set number 25B is after Seat number 25
2. In quest or pursuit of: Seek after fame; go after big money.
3. Concerning: asked after you. Asked after you
4. Subsequent in time to; At a later time than: come after dinner.
5. Subsequent to and because of or regardless of: They are still friends after all their differences.
6. Following continually: Year after year.
7. In the style of or in imitation of: Satires after Horace.
8. With the same or close to the same name as; Named after her mother.
in honor or commemoration of: A tenor after my own heart.
9. According to the nature or desires of; in conformity
to: Five minutes after three.
10. Past the hour of:

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against - in opposition to
1. In a direction or course opposite to:
2. So as to come into forcible contact with:
3. In contact with so as to rest or press on:
4. In hostile opposition or resistance to:
5. Contrary to; opposed to:
6. In competition with:
7. In contrast or comparison with
the setting or background of:
8. In preparation for; in anticipation of:
9. As a defense or safeguard from:
10. To the account or debt of:
11. Directly opposite to;
- in contact with
along 1. Over the length of: from one end to the other
2. On a line or course parallel and close to;
continuously beside:
3. In accordance with:
among 1. In the midst of; surrounded by:
2. In the group, number, or class of:
3. In the company of; in association with:
4. By many or the entire number of; with many:
5. By the joint action of:
6. With portions to each of:
7. With or against one another:
around - in a circle
- near, approximately
before - earlier than
- in front of
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- Stealing is against the law.
row against the current.
waves dashing against the shore.
leaned against the tree.
struggle against fate.
against my better judgment.
raced against the record holder.
dark colors against a fair skin.
food stored against winter.
protection against the cold.
drew a check against my bank balance.
facing.
- The sofa is against the wall.
They are walking along the street.
walked along the path.
rowed along the shore; the trees along the
avenue.
The committee split along party lines over the
issue.
a pine tree among cedars. Mark was among his
friends
She is among the wealthy.
traveling among a group of tourists.
a custom popular among the Greeks.
Among us, we will finish the job.
Distribute this among you.
Don't fight among yourselves
- He walked around the table.
- It costs around 50 euros.
- The day before yesterday.
- He bowed before the king.
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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 The restaurant is by the river.
He is sitting by the window.
At or to: stopped by the bakery; came by the house.
In the amount of: letters by the thousands.
To the extent of: shorter by two inches.
played by the rules.
According to:
With respect to
: siblings by blood.
In the name of:
swore by his son.
was killed by a bullet.
Through the agency or action of:
Used to indicate a succession of specified One by one they left. They were persuaded
individuals, groups, or quantities: little by little.
a. Used in multiplication and division:
b. Used with measurements: Multiply 4 by 6 to get 24.
c. Toward. Used to express direction with points a room 12 by 18 feet.
of the compass: south by east.

close to near The school is near the church.

In the period of; during: sleeping by day.

down from higher to lower She pulled down the blind.

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 his mule.

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Preposition Meaning Examples
onto move to a position on a surface The cat jumped onto the roof of the car.

out of - move from a closed space - He got out of the taxi.

- without - She's out of work.
outside opposite of inside The garden is outside the house.
over - above/across - The plane flew over the Atlantic.
- on the surface of - 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.

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Three Groups of Prepositions:

a. Prepositions of place, position and direction.

b. Prepositions of time.
c. Prepositions for other relationships.

SOME COMMON PREPOSITIONS

PLACE POSITION DIRECTION TIME OTHER
above beyond On after except
across by Opposite before as
along down out (of) at like
among from Outside by about
at in Over for with
away from in front of Around during without
behind inside Through from by
below into To in for
beside near Towards
between off Under
Up

Although prepositions are hard to generalize with separate rules, there is one simple rule about them. And, unlike most
rules, this rule has no exceptions.

Rule:
They are always followed by a "noun", never followed by a verb.
By "noun" we include:

• Noun (man, animal, office, house, ship)

• Proper Noun (name) (New Delhi, Martin, Jackie)
• Pronoun (you, him, us, our)
• Noun Group (my team of experts)
• Gerund (walking)

If we want to follow with a verb, we must use the "-ing" form which is really a gerund or verb in noun form.
Subject + Verb Preposition "noun"
The pen is on the table.
He lives in England.
Henry is looking for you.
The newspaper is under your green book.
Pascal is used to English people.
She isn't used to working.
We ate before coming.

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Prepositions of Time / Place at, in, on
• At for a PRECISE TIME
• In for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS
• On for DAYS and Dates
At In On
At 4:30 pm in March on Monday
At 3 o'clock In Winter On 6 March
At noon In the summer On 22 Dec.2012
At dinnertime In 1990 On Christmas Day
At bedtime In the next century On your birthday
At the moment In the future On New Year's Eve

Notice that use of the prepositions of time in and on in these common expressions:

• In the morning /On Monday morning

• In the mornings / On Sunday mornings
• In the afternoon(s) / On Sunday afternoons
• In the evening(s) / On Friday evenings

When we say next, last, this, every we do not use at, in, on.

• I went to Bombay last June (not in last June)

• She is coming back next Monday. (not on next Monday)
• I go home every Sunday. (not at every Sunday)
• We'll call you this afternoon. (not in this afternoon)

Place: at, in, on

In General:
• At for a POINT (dog, money, love)
• In for an ENCLOSED SPACE; AREA
• On for a SURFACE
At In On
In New Delhi, In Connaught
At the station Place On the wall
At the corner In the park On the ceiling
At the gate In a box On the table
At the crossing In a premises On the carpet
At the top of the page In a car On a page

Some other common uses of at / on / in

At In On
At home In a car On a bus
At work In a taxi On a train
At school In a helicopter On a plane

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 At university In an elevator On a bicycle
At the top In the sky On the radio
At the bottom In the street On the left
At the side In a row On a horse
At reception In a boat On a boat

Notice how we can use on a boat or in a boat depending on the type and the size of the particular boat/ship.

More Prepositions

Prepositions use Example

during the meeting, during the flight, during my
during while in graduation years.
for for two days, for an hour
from / to from Saturday to Monday, from 10 to 6
between 1950 and 2014, between Saturday
between the time period from one to another and Monday
until/till before a certain time until/till Sunday,5 o'clock
By next year, by Tuesday, by next month, by
by at the least tomorrow
to movement towards to school, to work, to the station

movement towards inside

into something into the cinema, into the car
out of to leave a place/a thing out of the theater, out of the car
by near/next to/beside LINK stand by me, by the lake
through through the tunnel, through the room
across opposite ends across the river, across the street
against against the wall, against the door

movement towards inside

into something into the cinema, into the car

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