What are the examples of preposition?

Prepositions are words that show the relationship between nouns, pronouns, and other words in a sentence. They are usually short words like “at”, “on”, “to”, “from”, “up”, “down”, etc. Prepositions indicate direction, place, time, comparison, and other relationships. They often provide context and enhance the meaning of sentences. Some common examples of prepositions include:

at	on	to	from	up
down	in	out	over	under
above	across	against	among	around
before	behind	below	beneath	beside
between	beyond	during	except	for

Prepositions typically indicate time, place, direction, comparison, or other contextual relationships. They answer questions like “where?”, “when?”, “how?”, and “what kind?” Let’s explore some common examples of how prepositions are used:

Prepositions of Time

Prepositions of time show when something happens, how long it lasts, or the starting or ending point. Common prepositions of time include:

• at – a specific time or date (at 5pm, at dinner time, at midnight)
• on – days and dates (on Sunday, on November 5th)
• in – nonspecific times, months, seasons, years (in the morning, in November, in the winter)
• for – duration of time (for 2 weeks, for 5 minutes)
• since – starting point (since Monday, since 1992)
• until, till – ending point (until tomorrow, till later)
• during – throughout a period (during the film, during the storm)

Examples:

• I’ll see you at 8pm.
• The meeting is on Tuesday.
• She will be in London next month.
• I lived there for 10 years.
• They have been married since 2010.
• I will wait until you get here.
• Many events were cancelled during the pandemic.

Prepositions of Place

Prepositions of place indicate location or position. Common prepositions of place:

• in – enclosed spaces (in the house, in the box)
• at – specific points (at the corner, at the office)
• on – surfaces (on the table, on the wall)
• by – alongside (by the door, by the window)
• under – lower than something (under the bed, under the car)
• over – above something (over the rainbow, over the hill)
• between – in the space separating two things (between the shelves)
• in front of – ahead of something (in front of the TV)
• behind – at the back of something (behind the tree)
• opposite – facing something (opposite the bank)

Examples:

• The dog is in the house.
• My keys are at home.
• The picture hangs on the wall.
• There is a spider under the table.
• Clouds drift over the mountains.
• She sits between her two friends.
• A garden is in front of the museum.
• There are mountains behind the village.

Prepositions of Movement and Direction

Prepositions of movement or direction indicate the course someone or something takes. Common prepositions of movement and direction:

• to – motion toward (go to school, drive to work)
• from – motion away from (come from home, exit from the freeway)
• into – entering (walk into the building)
• out of – exiting (run out of the room)
• through – movement within (travel through the desert)
• across – movement from one side to the other (walk across the field)
• up – ascending (climb up the ladder)
• down – descending (slide down the banister)
• along – movement beside (walk along the shoreline)
• past – movement beyond (drove past the exit)
• around – circling movement (walk around the park)

Examples:

• We’re driving to grandma’s house.
• The letter is from my brother.
• The rabbit jumped into its hole.
• Smoke rose out of the chimney.
• We hiked through the forest.
• The bird flew across the road.
• Climb up the ladder slowly.
• The ball rolled down the hill.
• We strolled along the beach at sunset.
• I accidentally drove past my exit.
• We walked around the block after dinner.

Prepositions for Comparison

Prepositions of comparison indicate similarities, differences, and degrees of things in relation to each other. Common prepositions for comparison:

• like – similar to (snow is like glitter)
• as – similar to (fresh as a daisy)
• than – in comparison (sweeter than sugar)
• of – forming part of a whole (one of many)

Examples:

• This tastes like lemonade.
• She runs as fast as a cheetah.
• Almonds are healthier than peanuts.
• Twenty is one of the numbers between 10 and 30.

Prepositions for Cause or Purpose

Prepositions of cause or purpose answer “why?” They explain reasons, intentions, goals, and consequences. Common prepositions of cause/purpose:

• for – purpose (study for the exam)
• because – cause/reason (missed the bus because I woke up late)
• so – consequence (was hungry, so I ate breakfast)
• to – purpose (go to the store to buy milk)
• due to – cause (cancelled due to bad weather)
• as – role (works as a teacher)

Examples:

• I’m saving money for a vacation.
• She couldn’t come because she was sick.
• He worked hard, so he achieved his goals.
• I’m going to the park to walk my dog.
• The flight was cancelled due to heavy fog.
• She works as a programmer.

Prepositions for Relationships

Prepositions of relationships describe how words relate to each other in a sentence. Common prepositions for relationships:

• by – next to (sit by me)
• with – accompanying (tea with lemon)
• without – lacking (without you)
• about – concerning (book about art)
• after – following in time (after you)
• before – preceding in time (before now)
• despite – notwithstanding (succeeded despite challenges)
• near – close to (near the lake)

Examples:

• Please sit by me.
• She drinks coffee with cream.
• I can’t live without music.
• We talked about travel plans.
• I’ll go after you.
• We need to finish before Monday.
• He graduated despite his injury.
• There is a nice trail near the river.

Prepositions in Phrasal Verbs

Many phrasal verbs contain prepositions. A phrasal verb is a verb combined with one or two particles (prepositions or adverbs) to create a new meaning. Examples of phrasal verbs with prepositions:

• give up – stop trying
• look after – take care of
• look into – investigate
• come across – discover/find accidentally
• go over – review
• point out – identify
• break down – stop functioning
• check in – arrive and register
• fill in – complete
• make up – invent, create

Used in sentences:

• I’m giving up candy for Lent.
• We looked after our neighbor’s dog.
• The police will look into the case.
• I came across an old photo album.
• Let’s go over the instructions again.
• She pointed out the spelling mistakes.
• Our car broke down on the highway.
• We checked in to the hotel at noon.
• Please fill in the application form.
• The children made up a story about monsters.

Prepositions in Idiomatic Expressions

Many idioms and figures of speech contain prepositions. These expressions have a meaning unique to the phrase that may seem unrelated to the individual words. Some examples of idioms using prepositions:

• at last – finally
• at stake – in jeopardy, at risk
• by heart – memorized
• for good – permanently
• from scratch – starting from the beginning
• in detail – giving thorough information
• on purpose – intentionally, deliberately
• on time – punctually, precisely at the scheduled time
• out of breath – breathing heavily, winded
• under the weather – feeling unwell or sick

Used in sentences:

• At last, it’s the weekend!
• Lives are at stake if we don’t find a solution.
• I know the poem by heart.
• We have moved away for good.
• She made the cake completely from scratch.
• He described the event in detail.
• Did you break it on purpose?
• We arrived on time for the movie.
• The runners were out of breath at the finish line.
• I’m feeling under the weather today.

Conclusion

In summary, prepositions are important words that provide context and enhance meaning in sentences. The examples provided highlight some of the most common uses of prepositions to express time, place, movement, comparison, cause/purpose, relationships, and idiomatic expressions. Paying attention to prepositions and how they are used in sentences can help strengthen writing skills and verbal communication. The next time you read or speak, be on the lookout for prepositions and how they contribute to the overall meaning.