Prepositions can be used as single-words or as a group of words.
The most common single-word prepositions are:
- about
Do you know anything about Mike?
- above
She rented a flat above the market.
- after
Let’s go to the cinema after work.
- against
They acted against the law.
- along
We walked along the river all night long.
- around
They gathered around the table to play cards.
- as
He works as a doctor.
- at
I’ll meet you at the market in 3 hours.
- beneath (same meaning as below)
She hid her diary beneath the bed.
- between
The river is between the city and the village.
- beyond
My house is just beyond the school.
- by
This book was written by Charlotte Bronte.
- despite
I enjoyed my trip despite the bad weather.
- during
She worked during the night last week.
- except
I work every day except Sunday.
- for
There is a letter for you on your desk.
- in
My grandparents live in a huge house with a large garden.
- like
He has a phone like mine.
- near
Don’t sit near the window, you may get cold.
- of
A friend of mine was hired in a well-known company.
- on
Don’t put that thing on the table!
- over
The plane was flying over the city.
- until
I stayed up until 3 o’clock in the morning.
- with
I was with Jerome that time.
- since
He hasn’t studied English since last year.
- without
I couldn’t do it without you.
The most common group of words that form prepositions are:
- ahead of
Just ahead of you, you’ll see the airport.
- apart from (also aside from)
I’ve finished the homework apart from the last exercise.
- as for (considering or speaking about something)
As for your actions, we’ll discuss with your parents later.
- because of
We delayed our trip because of the bad weather.
- except for (excluding)
Except for Tom, everybody is ready to travel.
- instead of
You should do something instead of complaining.
- in addition to
In addition to the speech, we can also mention the terms of the contract.
- in front of
She was standing in front of the class without saying a word.
- in place of
You can take the car in place of the motorbike.
- inside of
I finished that homework inside of 2 hours.
- in spite of
In spite of her illness, she continued working.
- on account of
He doesn’t drink coffee on account of his health.
- out of
I am out of the town this week.
- outside of (except of)
Outside of us three, nobody knows what happened there.
- on top of
There is a small statue on top of the building.
- up to
It’s up to the manager to organize well the meeting.
- such as
Countries such as Spain, Italy and Greece have a tropical climate.
- thanks to
Thanks to Laura, I found a roommate.