Prepositions: Definition, a Full List by Time, Place and Direction, and Common Errors

A preposition is a word such as in, on, at, by, with or after that links a noun, pronoun or noun phrase to another part of the sentence and shows a relationship of time, place, direction or manner. It is always followed by an object ("on the table", "after dinner"). Below are the main lists, the rules for in, on and at, US vs UK differences and a quiz.

The short answer

A preposition is a short word that shows how a noun, pronoun or noun phrase relates to something else in the sentence. The relationship is usually about time (after lunch), place (under the bridge), direction (towards the station) or manner and purpose (by train, for you). The noun phrase that follows is called the object of the preposition, and the two together form a prepositional phrase: in the kitchen, during the meeting, with a pen.

English has roughly 100 prepositions, but a few of them (of, in, to, for, with, on, at, by, from) do most of the work in everyday writing. This guide gives you the lists grouped by job, the rules that decide between in, on and at, the differences between American and British usage, and the errors that appear most often in student and workplace writing.

How to recognise a preposition

Use two quick tests.

1. The object test. A preposition is followed by a noun, pronoun or noun phrase. "She sat beside him." "The report is on my desk."
2. The position test. A preposition often fits in the blank of "The cat ran ___ the box" (into, around, past, behind, across) and changes the meaning with each swap.

If the same word stands alone with no object, it is an adverb, not a preposition. Compare "She walked past the shop" (preposition, object the shop) with "She walked past" (adverb). The same applies to in, up, down, off, out: "Come in" is an adverb; "in the room" is a prepositional phrase. See parts of speech for how the eight word classes fit together.

Prepositions of time

Two pairs cause constant confusion. For gives a duration (for two hours); since gives a start point (since two o'clock). By is a deadline (submit by noon); until is how long something continues (the library is open until noon).

Prepositions of place

Between is traditionally used for two or for clearly separate items, and among for a group that is not individually counted. The rule is not rigid. "A treaty between five countries" is normal because each country is named separately.

Prepositions of direction and movement

To shows movement toward a place, while at shows position: "She went to the station" but "She waited at the station". Into stresses entering, while in describes being inside.

Other common jobs of prepositions

Prepositions also express manner (by email, with a pen, on foot), purpose and recipient (a gift for you), cause (tired from the journey, closed because of the weather), topic (a lecture about climate, a book on economics), exception (everyone except Priya) and comparison (like a storm, unlike his brother).

The rules for in, on and at

The three most-used prepositions follow a pattern from large to small, which works for both time and place.

Useful fixed uses: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening but at night; on Monday morning; at the weekend (UK) or on the weekend (US); on time (punctual) versus in time (soon enough); in the end (finally) versus at the end (of something).

US vs UK differences

Prepositions are one of the places where American and British English drift apart. Follow the variety your teacher, publisher or employer requires and stay consistent.

The British "in hospital" and the American "in the hospital" are both fully standard. Mixing them in one document is what looks careless. The spell checker lets you choose American or British English word lists, and the in, on and at guide goes deeper on those three words.

Prepositional phrases

A prepositional phrase has a preposition, its object and any modifiers: in the old library. It works as one of two things.

• Adjective phrase, describing a noun: "The woman in the red coat is my tutor."
• Adverb phrase, describing a verb, adjective or sentence: "We met after the lecture." "She is good at mathematics."

Long strings of prepositional phrases make sentences heavy: "The review of the results of the analysis of the survey was delayed." Cut some: "The survey analysis review was delayed" or, better, "The team delayed the review of the survey results."

Prepositions that follow certain words

Many adjectives, verbs and nouns require a particular preposition. These pairings are idiomatic, so they must be learned as units.

Verbs combined with prepositions or adverbs form phrasal verbs such as look up, give in and run out of, whose meaning is often different from the verb alone.

Can you end a sentence with a preposition?

Yes. The ban comes from Latin grammar, and modern style guides do not enforce it. "What are you waiting for?" is natural; "For what are you waiting?" is stiff. Drop a final preposition only when it adds nothing: "Where is the library at?" should be "Where is the library?"

Common mistakes and fixes

The last one deserves a note. After a preposition, pronouns take the object case: to her, with them, for John and me. Hypercorrect "between you and I" is common in speech and is still considered an error in formal writing.

Exam and workplace habits

Prepositions turn up in school and university English tests, and in the grammar-focused tasks of language courses, mainly through the fixed pairings above. At work, the repeat offenders are discuss about, revert back, cope up with and comprise of. A grammar checker flags many wrong-preposition errors, but idiomatic choices still need your judgement.

Quick checklist

1. Does every preposition have an object? If not, it may be an adverb.
2. Time: at (clock), on (day), in (month, year, season)?
3. Place: in (enclosed), on (surface), at (point)?
4. Does the verb, adjective or noun require a specific preposition?
5. Is your variety of English consistent (at the weekend or on the weekend)?
6. After a preposition, is the pronoun in the object form (me, him, her, us, them)?
7. Could you cut a preposition without losing meaning (discussed about, despite of)?

Quiz: choose the correct preposition

Fill each blank with the right word. Answers follow.

1. The lecture starts ___ 9.30 ___ Thursday.
2. She has worked here ___ 2021.
3. Submit the essay ___ Friday at the latest.
4. He is very good ___ writing summaries.
5. We discussed ___ the budget (write the sentence with or without a preposition).
6. The cat jumped ___ the table.
7. I live ___ Queen Street (British English).
8. She is afraid ___ spiders.
9. They sat ___ the two teachers.
10. Wait ___ me ___ the station.

Answers

1. at, on: clock time takes at, a day takes on.
2. since: a start point.
3. by: a deadline.
4. at: good at.
5. no preposition: "We discussed the budget."
6. onto (or on to): movement onto a surface.
7. in: British usage with street names; American English would use on.
8. of: afraid of.
9. between: two people.
10. for, at: wait for someone, at a place.

If you missed more than two, review the "prepositions that follow certain words" table.

Using AdeptWrite to practise

Paste a paragraph into the Grammar Checker to see flagged errors with each change highlighted, set American or British English in the Spell Checker, or untangle chained of phrases with the Sentence Rewriter. Free runs accept up to 3,000 characters, and you decide which suggestions to accept.

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