preposition (s), prepositions (pl)

(showing a relationship between words)

preposition (s), prepositions (pl) (nouns)
A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or a pronoun and another word (or words) in a sentence.

A word that shows the relationship between its object; the noun or pronoun following the preposition, and other words in a sentence.

The following examples that are in bold type are prepositions:

  • The book on the table is a dictionary.
  • The book next to the table is a dictionary.
  • The book near the table is a dictionary.
common prepositions (pl)

The following list of common prepositions has only a few of the many prepositions that are available in English. When any of the prepositions have two or more words they are called compound prepositions.

  • about
  • above
  • according to
  • across
  • after
  • against
  • along with
  • among
  • apart from
  • around
  • aside from
  • at
  • because of
  • before
  • behind
  • below
  • beneath
  • beside
  • besides
  • between
  • beyond
  • by
  • despite
  • down
  • during
  • except
  • for
  • from
  • in
  • in addition to
  • in back of
  • in place of
  • inside
  • in spite of
  • instead of
  • into
  • in view of
  • like
  • near
  • next to
  • of
  • off
  • on
  • on account of
  • opposite
  • out
  • outside
  • over
  • prior to
  • through
  • throughout
  • to
  • toward
  • under
  • underneath
  • until
  • up
  • upon
  • with
  • within
  • without
prepositional phrase (s), prepositional phrases (pl)
A preposition is always part of a group of words called a prepositional phrase.

A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or a pronoun called the object of a preposition.

One or more modifiers may come between the preposition and its object. The prepositional phrases in the following sentences are shown in bold type:

  • During our English class, we saw a film about Julius Caesar.
  • Because of the snowstorm, traffic was a mess throughout the city."

You may return to this Parts of Speech for Word Entries Index to see explanations and examples of other parts of speech for a better understanding of their functions.