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List of Prepositions: 100 Important Prepositions in English for ESL Learners!

List of Prepositions: 100 Important Prepositions in English for ESL Learners!

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Prepositions are the words that link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words within a sentence. Understanding prepositions is crucial because they help us describe relationships between different entities and frame our sentences properly to convey clear meaning. Following is a list of prepositions from A to Z  in English. They have been chosen especially for ESL learners.

Understanding Prepositions

List of Prepositions: 100 Important Prepositions in English for ESL Learners!

Definition and Usage

Definition: A preposition is a word that connects nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words in a sentence. It typically indicates the temporal, spatial, or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence.

Usage: We use prepositions to give information about direction, time, location, and other relationships. For example, in the sentence “The book is on the table,” the preposition on shows the relationship between ‘book’ and ‘table’.

Types of Prepositions

Simple Prepositions: These are single-word prepositions used in most circumstances. Examples include at, by, for, in, of, off, on, out, over, to, and with.

Compound Prepositions: These consist of two or more words functioning as a single preposition. For instance, according to, because of, next to, and due to.

Phrase Prepositions (or Prepositional Phrases): These are groups of words that include a preposition, its object, and the object’s modifiers. An example is in spite of the rain.

Type Examples
Simple Prepositions at, by, in, to, with
Compound Prepositions according to, next to, because of
Phrase Prepositions in spite of, in front of, along with

Function in a Sentence

Prepositions function to show the relationship between the object and another word in the sentence. They answer questions such as “Where?”, “When?”, “How?”, and “Whom?”

  • Location: The cat is under the table. (under answers “Where?”)
  • Time: We will meet after the movie. (after answers “When?”)
  • Means/Manner: She traveled by train. (by answers “How?”)
  • Possession: This is a picture of us. (of answers “Whose?”)

Understanding and correctly using prepositions allows us to express clear and precise meaning in our sentences.

List of Prepositions

Learn 100 prepositions in English with examples:

Prepositions Example Sentence
Abroad She traveled abroad for her semester exchange program.
About He wrote a book about the history of the Roman Empire.
Above The airplane flew above the clouds.
According to According to the weather forecast, it will rain tomorrow.
Across She walked across the bridge to reach the other side.
After After the movie, they went out for ice cream.
Against The painting leaned against the wall.
Ago He moved to this city two years ago.
Ahead of She finished her project ahead of the deadline.
Along We strolled along the beach at sunset.
Amidst Amidst the chaos, she remained calm.
Among He was sitting among his friends at the concert.
Amongst She distributed the snacks amongst the children.
Apart They decided to live apart for a while.
Around The rumors about the merger circulated around the office.
As She works as a teacher at the local school.
As far as As far as I know, the meeting is still scheduled for 3 PM.
As well as He plays the guitar as well as the piano.
Aside She stepped aside to let the others pass.
At Meet me at the entrance of the museum.
Away The cat ran away when it saw the dog.
Barring Barring any delays, we should arrive by 6 PM.
Because of The game was postponed because of the rain.
Before Finish your homework before you watch TV.
Behind The sun disappeared behind the mountain.
Below Temperatures dropped below freezing overnight.
Beneath The fish swam beneath the surface of the water.
Beside She sat beside her friend during the bus ride.
Besides Besides mathematics, he is also interested in physics.
Between The small alley runs between the two buildings.
Beyond The hiker ventured beyond the marked trail.
But Everyone but Luke attended the meeting.
By The book was written by a famous author.
By means of They communicated by means of sign language.
Circa The castle was built circa 1400.
Concerning The manager will address all issues concerning the merger.
Despite Despite the rain, the parade continued.
Down The cat climbed down the tree.
Due to The flight was delayed due to fog.
During She fell asleep during the movie.
In They live in a small town.
In accordance with In accordance with the rules, please wear a helmet.
In addition to In addition to her job, she volunteers on weekends.
In case of In case of emergency, break the glass.
In front of He waited for her in front of the restaurant.
In lieu of In lieu of gifts, please make a donation to charity.
In place of Use yogurt in place of sour cream in the recipe.
In spite of In spite of his injury, he completed the marathon.
In to She turned in to the parking lot.
Inside The keys are inside the drawer.
Instead of They had tea instead of coffee.
Into She poured the milk into the bowl.
Except Everyone except Jane has submitted the report.
Except for The park was empty except for a few joggers.
Excluding The price is $30, excluding tax.
For This gift is for you.
Following Following the meeting, they went out for lunch.
From He traveled from New York to Los Angeles.
Hence She is not feeling well and hence will not be attending.
Like He runs like the wind.
Minus The temperature dropped to ten degrees minus zero.
Near The coffee shop is near the train station.
Next The next item on the agenda is the budget report.
Next to The library is next to the bank on Main Street.
Past He drove past the house without stopping.
Per The charge is $20 per hour.
Prior to Prior to the event, they sent out invitations.
Round We took a round trip to the island.
Off The cat jumped off the counter.
On (prepositions of time and place: at in on) The book is on the table.
On account of The match was canceled on account of the storm.
On behalf of On behalf of the team, I accept this award.
On to The detective is on to the suspect’s trail.
On top of There’s a cherry on top of the cake.
Onto The child climbed onto the playground equipment.
Opposite Their house is opposite the park.
Out He walked out the door.
Out from The rabbit hopped out from the bushes.
Out of She took a cookie out of the jar.
Outside It’s cold outside, so wear a coat.
Over The plane flew over the mountains.
Owing to Owing to the delay, we missed our connection.
Than She is taller than her brother.
Through The road goes through the forest.
Throughout Snow fell throughout the night.
Till I worked till late at night.
Times The rent is four times higher than it used to be.
To I go to the gym every morning.
Toward She walked toward the door.
Towards The cat crept towards the bird.
Under The cat hid under the bed.
Underneath The spare key is underneath the doormat.
Unlike Unlike my sister, I prefer chocolate ice cream.
Until Wait here until I return.
Unto Do unto others as you would have
Up She walked up the stairs quietly.
Upon Upon his arrival, everyone cheered.
Via We will be traveling to the conference via train.
With She came with her friends to the party.
With a view to He is saving money with a view to buying a new car.
Within The document needs to be completed within two weeks.
Without He went out without his umbrella, despite the rain.
Worth The old painting turned out to be worth a lot of money.

Preposition List | Image

List of Prepositions: 100 Important Prepositions in English for ESL Learners!

among us

Tuesday 30th of August 2022

i like turtles do you like

Jeff Bezoz

Saturday 29th of January 2022

Love it

Madison Garner

Thursday 20th of January 2022

Nice

nuriula

Sunday 21st of March 2021

this is great

No Body

Sunday 14th of March 2021

🤭 💪👕💪 🩳