Prepositions beginning with A

One-word prepositions

aboard

• We went aboard the boat.
• Is there a doctor aboard the plane?

about

• What do you think about Mary?
• Let's talk about something different.
• I've just read a book about President Kennedy.
• The lion was pacing about its cage.

above

• We are flying above the clouds.
• We live in the hills, 1,000 metres above sea-level.
• It's only two degrees above freezing point. [+2ºC]
• Who came above you in the test results?

across

• We drove across the desert.
• The dog ran across the road.
• There is a bridge across the river.
• She lives in the house across the street. It's nearly opposite mine.

after (also conjunction)

• We had lunch [1pm] after the meeting [11am].
• Let's meet the day after tomorrow.

against

• Did you vote for or against the suggestion?
• He put his bicycle against the wall.

along

• We walked along the beach for two miles.
• There are trees along the road.
• The toilet is along the corridor.

alongside

• Their boat came alongside our boat.
• Team A worked alongside Team B during construction.

amid | amidst (poetic)

• I couldn't hear her amid the noise.
• We were lost amidst the trees.

among | amongst (mainly British English)

• Is there a doctor among us?
• There were secret police among the crowd.
• I was amongst strangers. I didn't know anyone.

anti

• He seems to be anti my idea.
• Some people are anti everything.

around

• We walked around the town for an hour.
• They all sat around the camp fire.
• There is a big fence around the house.
• He was born around 1570.
• Let's meet around 7pm.

as (also conjunction)

• He is working as a waiter.
• The risk is as nothing compared to the profit.
• Ram is as tall as Anthony.

astride

• She sat astride the horse.

at

• He is at school.
• We first met at a party.
• Let's start the meeting at 9 o'clock.
• He started work at 17 (years of age).
• We are aiming at sales of $1,000,000.

atop (poetic)

• The church is situated atop a hill.

Complex prepositions

according to

• According to John, Mary was late. I believe John.

ahead of

• Anthony is ahead of Rachel in the race. He'll win.
• We have a long day ahead of us. Let's get going!

à la (from French)

• It's a TV show à la CNN. Same style, similar content.

along with

• Do you want some pork along with the chicken?

apart from

• Nobody objected apart from you, so we did it.

as for

• As for Matt, he will arrive later.

aside from

• I have another car aside from this one. Both are red.

as per

• We must work strictly as per the law.

as to

• As to your behaviour, I think you were wrong.

as well as

• You should telephone as well as write, just to be sure.

away from

The cat ran away from the dog and escaped.

 

Prepositions beginning with B

One-word prepositions

bar

• Everyone came bar Angela.
• He is the best bar none.

barring

• Barring rain, we'll play tennis tomorrow.

before (also conjunction)

• We had lunch [1pm] before the meeting [3pm].
• We met the day before yesterday.
• She was before me in the queue.
• I would rather die before doing that.

behind

• There is a police car behind us. It's following us.
• We have a garden behind our house.
• The child was hiding behind the tree.
• I am behind your project. I will support it.
• Vonica finished behind Shirley in the race.
• She is behind the other children in her class.

below

• Much of Holland is below sea-level.
• There is a family in the flat below us.
• The temperature is 5 degrees below freezing point. [-5ºC]
• I came below Vonica in the test.
• You can buy it if it's below $50.

beneath

• Our garage is beneath our house.
• The tunnel runs beneath the sea.
• Laurence is beneath the General Manager.
• It was beneath his dignity to do that.

beside

• The river runs beside our house.
• James was sitting beside Miriam.

besides

• What shall we have besides coffee?

between

• Tara was sitting between Ram and Ati.
• Between you and me, I think she's crazy.
• I can meet you between 1pm and 2pm.

beyond

• Can you see someone in the distance, beyond that house?
• This is too difficult. It's beyond me.
• The meeting continued beyond midnight.

but (also conjunction)

• Everyone came but Andrea.

by

• We came by car.
• Fireworks were invented by the Chinese.
• He was shot by a professional killer.
• It happened by accident.
• He lost the race by five seconds.
• The room is 10 metres by 6 metres.
• We must finish by Tuesday.
• We were sitting by the window.
• By my calculation he must be 73.

Complex prepositions

because of

• We can't play tennis because of the rain.

but for

• It's your fault! But for you, I'd have been on time.

by means of

• You open a door by means of its handle.

 

Prepositions beginning with C

One-word prepositions

circa

• He died circa 1270.

concerning

• Your teacher talked to me concerning your homework.
• I have some questions concerning your decision.

considering

• Considering the poor quality, I think the price is too high.
• I think I must be going, considering the time.

counting

• There were four people, or five counting the baby.
• That makes $70, not counting the tax.

cum

• I have a study-cum-bedroom.
• She is a kind of secretary-cum-receptionist.

Complex prepositions

close to

• My car is close to your car. About two cars away.

contrary to

• Contrary to expectations, the euro fell in value.

 

Prepositions beginning with D

One-word prepositions

despite

• We went swimming despite the cold water.
• He passed the test despite being ill.

down

• They ran down the hill.
• The post office is down the road.
• They have had many wars down the years.

during

• He fell asleep during the meeting.
• I want to go swimming during the weekend.
• I was bored during the whole film.

Complex prepositions

depending on

• We'll play tennis tomorrow, depending on the rain.

due to

• The cancellation was due to the rain. There was no other reason.

 

Prepositions beginning with E

One-word prepositions

except

• You can have any colour except blue. There is no more blue.
• They all came except Stephen. He didn't want to come.

excepting

• I can eat anything excepting pork. It makes me sick.
• Excepting Jo, everyone was present. No-one knew where Jo was.

excluding

• It costs $70, excluding $10 for delivery. (Total = $80.)
• We open every day excluding Christmas Day. On Christmas Day we have a holiday.

Complex prepositions

except for

• Everyone was present, except for Mary. She stayed at home.

 

Prepositions beginning with G

One-word prepositions

given

• He is in very good health, given his age. He's at least 95.
• Given the time, you ought to leave now.

gone (mainly British English)

• It's certainly gone 11 o'clock. It must be 11.30.
• He's gone 50. He must be nearly 60 years old.

 

Prepositions beginning with I

One-word prepositions

in

• Monkeys live in the jungle.
• John is the man with his hand in his pocket.
• I live in an apartment.
• She lives in Bangkok.
• Tara was born in 1977.
• Trains were invented in the nineteenth century.
• I'll come back in two weeks.
• Let's meet in the morning.
• There are 60 seconds in a minute.

including

• The price is $70 including $10 for delivery. (Total = $70.)
• There were four of us, including the baby.

inside

• It was dark inside the tunnel.
• My modem is inside my computer. It's an internal modem.

into

• John went into that shop.
• If you heat ice it turns into water.
• We cut the cake into ten pieces.
• Five into ten makes two.

Complex prepositions

in addition to

• There were two people in addition to me. So that made three of us.

in between

• He is in between the two opinions. He wants to compromise.

in case of

• You can phone me in case of need. Day or night.

in face of

• He reacts bravely in face of danger.

in favour of

• I am not in favour of your idea. It won't work.

in front of

• You can park your car in front of my house.
• I couldn't see the film because the woman in front of me was wearing a big hat.

in lieu of

• I don't have any dollars. Can I pay euro in lieu of dollars?

in spite of

• We went swimming in spite of the cold water.

instead of

• We don't have any tea. Would you like coffee instead of tea?

in view of

• In view of your illness, we will wait for a week.

 

Prepositions beginning with L

One-word prepositions

less

• 10 less 3 = 7.

like

• She is like her sister.
• She sings like a bird.
• It's not like John to complain.
• Do it like this.
• I feel like swimming.
• It looks like rain.
• I want something cold, like iced-coffee.

 

Prepositions beginning with M

One-word prepositions

minus

• 10 minus 3 = 7.
• The temperature is minus 30 degrees centigrade.

 

Prepositions beginning with N

One-word prepositions

near

• The school is near the post office.
• It's 20 December. We are very near Christmas Day.

notwithstanding

• Notwithstanding the low price, I don't want it.
• They went swimming, notwithstanding the rain.
• They went swimming, the rain notwithstanding.

Complex prepositions

near to

• There is a restaurant near to my office. Just two minutes away.

next to

• The school is next to the bank. Between the hotel and the bank.

 

Prepositions beginning with O

One-word prepositions

of

• I live in the house at the end of the road.
• Where is the key of the car?
• Do you like the work of Shakespeare?
• What was the cost of this book?
• He lives in the City of Westminster.
• It was kind of you to help me.
• This is the cause of the problem.
• He died of cancer.
• Most tables are made of wood.
• Can I have a cup of coffee?
• I know some of these people.
• I don't know any of these people.
• He lives south of London.
• He lives in the south of London.

off

• Please take your shoes off the table.
• Keep off the grass.
• It fell off the table and broke.
• They live in a street off Fifth Avenue.

on

• Please don't put your shoes on the table.
• The picture is on page 7.
• We live on a busy road. It's very noisy.
• She is sunbathing on the beach.
• Is there water on the Moon?
• I need a book on bio-chemistry.
• My birthday is on Monday.
• I start work on 7 May.
• Let's meet on the weekend. (American English)
• I'll see you on Christmas Day.
• You must be on time.
• He broke his leg on getting out of the car.

onto (mainly American English) see on to

• The cat jumped onto the chair.
• The police are onto us. (slang)

opposite

• There is a post office opposite my house.
• She sat opposite him and looked into his eyes.

outside

• I don’t live in London. I live outside London.
• It was very cold outside the car.
• This is outside my scope.

over

• We are flying over the mountains.
• Put the blanket over the bed.
• The cat jumped over the wall.
• Let’s discuss it over dinner.
• The king ruled over the country for many years.
• The town is just over the border.
• It cost over $50. It was $53.25.
• There is rain over the whole country.
• It took over an hour to do my homework.
• The population has increased over the past twenty years.
• Can you stay with us over Christmas?

Complex prepositions

on account of

• Don't worry on account of me. Think about yourself.

on behalf of

• I'm calling you on behalf of Mr Brown. I represent him in legal matters.

on board

• Is there a doctor on board this plane?

on to (mainly British English) see onto

• The cat jumped on to the chair.

on top of

• The cat is sitting on top of the television.

opposite to

• There is a tree opposite to the house. Straight across the road.

other than

• Sorry, we're out of whisky. But we have every drink other than whisky.

out of

• Take your hands out of your pockets and help me!
• He went out of the room to smoke a cigarette.
• We're out of eggs. Shall I buy some?

outside of

• They stopped outside of the city to check the map before entering.

owing to

• We didn't go swimming, owing to the cold weather.

 

Prepositions beginning with P

One-word prepositions

past

• I saw you yesterday when we drove past your school.
• The post office is just past the police station.
• Don't work past your bed-time.
• This is difficult. It's past me.
• It's nearly ten minutes past five. 5.09 to be precise.

pending

• We cannot supply you pending payment.
• Pending his return, we can do nothing.
• There were many arguments pending the negotiations.

per

• The speed limit is 70 miles per hour.
• The carpet costs $10 per square metre.

plus

• 2 plus 2 = 4.
• There will be three of us, plus the baby. So that's four in total.

pro

• Are you pro capital punishment or against it?
• He is very modern. He is generally pro new ideas.

Complex prepositions

preparatory to

• I made a graph preparatory to the meeting, so everything was ready.

prior to

• I never spoke French prior to living in France. But I learned quickly after coming to France.

 

Prepositions beginning with R

One-word prepositions

re

• Re: your letter dated 21 May
• I want to talk you re the proposed meeting.

regarding

• I would like to speak to you regarding my homework.
• Regarding John, let's talk later.

respecting

• I would like to speak to you respecting my homework.
• I am writing to you respecting our latest products.

round

• I live round the corner.
• They all sat round the fire.
• There is a hedge round the house.

Complex prepositions

regardless of

• I don't want it, regardless of the price. Even if it's free, I just don't want it.

 

Prepositions beginning with S

One-word prepositions

save (formal)

• All save Mrs Jones were present.

saving (formal)

• Saving yourself, nobody thanked me.

since (also conjunction)

• I haven't seen Josef since Monday.
• Mr Brown has worked in a bank since 1985.

Complex prepositions

save for

• Everyone came, save for Lek who had to work.

 

Prepositions beginning with T

One-word prepositions

than (also conjunction)

• He is a writer than whom there is no finer.
• Your car is bigger than my car.

through (also thru - American English)

• The train goes through a tunnel.
• I can see light through the keyhole.
• You have been through a difficult experience.
• You went thru a red light.
• The error occurred through my own stupidity.
• They worked Monday through Thursday. (American English)

throughout

• It is raining throughout the whole country.
• He worked throughout the day, and most of the night.

till (also conjunction)

• I work from 9am till 5pm.
• Please wait till I come.

to

• Could you give this to Kob?
• My car does 10 miles to the litre.
• To his surprise, the door was open.
• The museum is open from Monday to Friday.
• The time is ten to five. [4.50]

touching

• Touching your homework, I think we need to speak.

towards (mainly British English), toward (mainly American English)

• He drove off toward(s) the mountain.
• I'd better go. It's getting toward(s) midnight.
• He contributed $100,000 toward(s) the new building.
• It's the first step toward(s) peace.
• He has a positive attitude toward(s) his work.

Complex prepositions

thanks to

• Thanks to Shirley, we arrived on time.

together with

• I'd like chicken please, together with vegetables.

 

Prepositions beginning with U

One-word prepositions

under

• The mouse ran under the chair.
• The bucket is under the sink.
• Submarines can travel under water.
• We drove under a bridge.
• I have a T-shirt under my pullover.
• Who do you work under? Who is your boss?
• I am under orders from the President.
• What is the subject under discussion?
• Under the company rules, we can't do that.
• Please buy it if it's under $50.

underneath

• The nurse put a pillow underneath his head.
• There is a big cellar underneath our house.

unlike

• That's very unusual. It's unlike Andrea to be so rude.
• This problem is unlike any we have met before.

until (formal; also conjunction)

• They continued the meeting until 11pm.
• Please wait until I come.

up

• Jack and Jill ran up the hill.
• There is a post office up the street.

upon (formal)

• Please don't put your shoes upon the table.
• There are now no dinosaurs upon Earth.
• I need a book upon bio-chemistry.
• We met upon a Monday.
• He broke his leg upon getting out of the car.

Complex prepositions

up against

• We are up against a powerful enemy.

up to

• There was a shop here up to 1990. But it closed that year.

up until

• We worked up until they came. Then we stopped.

 

Prepositions beginning with V

One-word prepositions

versus

• He was the judge in the case of Gore versus Bush.
• We should choose peace versus war.

via

• We flew from Paris to Bangkok via Dubai.

Complex prepositions

vis-à-vis (from French)

• I prefer Jaguar cars vis-à-vis BMW cars.
• I need to speak to you vis-à-vis your homework.

 

Prepositions beginning with W

One-word prepositions

with

• Do you live with your parents?
• He's been with EnglishClub.com for two years.
• I discussed it with her.
• With your permission, I'd like to go.
• If you mix red with yellow you get orange.
• Muriel is the girl with black hair.
• Do you want to come with us?
• I made this chair with my own hands.
• You'll forget her with time.

within

• There is a modem within the computer.
• I will finish within 30 minutes.
• He lives within 10 miles of his work.
• It's not within my power to help you.

without

• I want trousers without buttons.
• I came without my wife because she is working.
• He watched without speaking.

worth

• This car is worth $10,000.

Complex prepositions

with reference to

• With reference to your comments, I'll reply soon.
• I am writing with reference to your order.

with regard to

• I'd like to speak to you with regard to your work.