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The meanings of prepositions The meanings of prepositions The table below gives the most usual meanings of English prepositions Each meaning is illustrated by an example About 1 On the subject of This[.]
The meanings of prepositions The table below gives the most usual meanings of English prepositions Each meaning is illustrated by an example About On the subject of: This is a story about elephants Approximately: He is about ten years old Above Higher than; over: The plane flew above the clouds Earlier on a page: There is a heading above each diagram Across From one side to the other: We walked across the field On the other side of: There is a store across the street After Later in time: after ten o'clock; after lunch Later in a series: Q comes after P in the alphabet In pursuit of: The dog ran after the cat Against In opposition to: Theft is against the law Touching; supported by: I leaned my bicycle against the wall Along Following the length of: We walked along the road Among Within a group: The money was shared among three people Note: In formal English, among is usually used only when referring to more than two persons or things In contrast, between is used when referring to two persons or things Around Circling something: We walked around the block Surrounding: There is a fence around the garden In different parts of: I looked around the house for the keys In the other direction: We turned around and went back home Approximately: He is around six feet tall At A specific location: at 23 Chestnut Street; at the park A point in time: at o'clock; at Christmas A condition: at peace; at war; at rest An activity: at work; at school; at play Towards: Look at someone; wave at someone Note: When referring to a specific location or to a point in time, at is usually used When referring to a certain street or a certain day, on is usually used When referring to a location as an area, or when referring to a unit of time longer than a day, in is usually used e.g at Christmas; on Christmas day; in the Christmas holidays Before Earlier in time: before two o'clock; before Christmas Earlier in a series: S comes before T in the alphabet Behind At the back of: The little girl hid behind her mother Late: I am behind in my work Cause; origin: Who was behind that idea? Below Lower than; under: below freezing; below sea level Later on a page: Footnotes are provided below the text Beneath Lower than; below: beneath the earth Beside Next to; at the side of: I sit beside her in class Besides Also; as well as: We study other languages besides English Note the differing meanings of beside and besides Beside is usually used with reference to a physical location Between An intermediate location: Toronto lies between Montreal and Vancouver An intermediate time: between Christmas and New Year's Day Intermediate in a series: B comes between A and C in the alphabet An intermediate amount: between five and ten people Within a group of two: The money was shared between two people Beyond Farther than: The mountains lie beyond the horizon Further than; exceeding: That was beyond my expectations But Except: I have read all but the last chapter Note: But is used more often as a conjunction than as a preposition By Near: a house by the sea Past: He waved as he drove by the house Not later than: Try to finish the work by next week In units of: cheaper by the dozen; sold by weight Through the means of: travel by plane; written by him Note: By is often used in combination with verbs in the Passive Voice Concerning Connected with; about: He studies everything concerning trees Despite In spite of: We walked downtown despite the rain Down To a lower position: The ball rolled down the hill Further along: He lives down the street During Throughout a period: She works during the day Sometime within a period: An accident occurred during the night Except Not including: I have visited everyone except him For Duration of time: We walked for two hours Distance: I walked for five kilometers Purpose: I bought this jacket for you In the direction of: She left for New York In favor of: We are for the proposal Considering: The boy is clever for his age From Place of origin: We left from Boston; he comes from Mexico Start of a period of time: from now on; from yesterday until today Start of a range: From 20 to 30 people were present Cause: He suffers from nervousness Source: I first heard the story from you In Place thought of as an area: in London; in Europe Within a location: in the room; in the building Large units of time: That happened in March, in 1992 Within a certain time: I will return in an hour By means of: write in pencil; speak in English Condition: in doubt; in a hurry; in secret A member of: He is in the orchestra; in the navy Wearing: the boy in the blue shirt With reference to: lacking in ideas; rich in oil Inside Within: They are inside the house Into To the inside of: We stepped into the room Change of condition: The boy changed into a man Like Resembling: That looks like him Appearing possible: It looks like rain Be in a suitable mood for: I feel like going swimming Minus Less: Three minus two equals one Near Close to: near the school; near the ocean Of Location: east of here; the middle of the road Possession: a friend of mine; the sound of music Part of a group: one of us; a member of the team Measurement: a cup of milk; two meters of snow Off Not on; away from: Please keep off the grass At some distance from: There are islands off the coast On Touching the surface of: on the table; on the wall A certain day: That happened on Sunday, on the 6th of June A certain street: on South Street About: a book on engineering A state or condition: on strike; on fire; on holiday By means of: live on a pension; shown on television Onto To a position on: The child climbed onto the table Opposite Facing: The library is opposite the fire station Out of To the outside of: She went out of the room From among: We won two games out of three Motive: We spoke to them out of politeness Material: The bridge is made out of steel Beyond: out of control; out of danger Outside On the outer side of: outside the house Beyond the limits of: outside my experience Over Above; higher than: There are cupboards over the sink Covering: We spread an extra blanket over the bed Across: I jumped over a puddle More than: It cost over ten dollars; it took over an hour During: I saw him several times over the past week By means of: We made plans over the telephone Past Up to and beyond: I walked past the house After (in time): It was past o'clock; half past two Beyond: past belief Per For each: 60 kilometers per hour; price per liter Plus With the addition of: Six plus four equals ten Since From a specific time in the past: I had been waiting since two o'clock From a past time until now: I have been waiting here since noon Through Across; from end to end of: the main road through town For the whole of a period: I slept through the night By means of: Skill improves through practice Throughout In every part of: throughout the world For the whole of a period: throughout the winter Till Note: Till can be used instead of until However, at the beginning of a sentence, until is usually used To In the direction of: Turn to the right Destination: I am going to Rome Until: from Monday to Friday; five minutes to ten Compared with: They prefer hockey to soccer With indirect object: Please give it to me As part of infinitive: I like to ski; he wants to help In order to: We went to the store to buy soap Toward (or Towards) In the direction of: We walked toward the center of town Near; just before (time): It rained towards evening Under Beneath: under the desk; under the trees Less than: Under 100 people were present In circumstances of: under repair; under way; under discussion Underneath Below, under: underneath the carpet Until Up to a certain time: She will stay until Friday; until p.m Upon Note: On and upon have similar meanings Upon may be used in certain expressions, as in once upon a time, and following certain verbs, as in to rely upon someone Up To a higher place: We went up the stairs In a higher place: She lives up the hill Up to As far as: up to now; I have read up to page 100 Depending on: The decision is up to you As good as; ready for: His work is up to standard Versus Against (sports, legal): The next game is England versus Australia Via By way of: He went to Los Angeles via San Francisco With Accompanying: He came with her; I have my keys with me Having; containing: Here is a book with a map of the island By means of; using: I repaired the shoes with glue Manner: with pleasure; with ease; with difficulty Because of: We were paralyzed with fear Within Inside of: within twenty minutes; within one kilometer Without Not having: Do not leave without your coat; without money Multiple Choice Exercises their way to the station they were caught _ the rain and before long were wet _ a by/in/into b on/on/through c on/in/through (*) d by/into/through I ran an old school-mate of yours the other day and he promised to drop _our place one of these day a across/on/to b into/in/at (*) c through/out/of d into/off/on Say something to cheer her _, she is _ low spirits today a up/on b up/under c up/in(*) d on/under the two sisters the youger was a much better actress, always leaving the elder sister the shade a among/on b in/under c of/in (*) d of/under She got _ the shock _ a speed I never expected _ her a over/at/of(*) b over/with/to c into/in/of d on/at/to He insisted _ going _ the details of the accident a on/at b on/into (*) c on/in d on/with The doctor hesitated to practise the new treatment _ the patient, he wasn't sure _ the effect it might have _ the man'heart a on/of/on (*) b on/about/by c with/of/on d by/about/with The weather was quickly changing the worse, and the climbers turned and headed _ the camp a for/back/for(*) b down/into/for c by/up/in d over/back/for The train is due five, that leaves us twenty minutes _ a quick meal a to/for b on/with c at/for(*) d at/with 10 It's quite unbelievable that she shouldn't have said anything her defence a In(*) b about c with d at 11 I see no cause his displeasure, the matter was settled _ his own terms a ~/down b for/on(*) c ~/on d for/up 12 How could she have let them ! They put all their trust her a out/on b off/in c down/on d down/in(*) 13 He was so infuriated the play that he walked _ the middle the first act a with/along/in/of b with/out/in/of (*) c by/away/in/of d all are correct 14 "What's the best way _ cooking a lobster?"" cook it boiling salted water, and served it cold _ mayonnaise a of/under/with b of/on/with c for/under/with d of/in/with(*) 15 I find I work best when I'm _ pressure a on b with c under(*) d for 16 She's always the go I don't know where she gets her energy a with/from b on/from(*) c over/with d of/from 17 My landlady is chasing me up the rent, as it's now three weeks late a About(*) b for c with d of 18 He said he was debt and asked me _ a loan _ $50 a on/for/of b in/for/with c on/by/of d in/for/of(*) 19 I can't that job as well I've enough my plate as it is a On(*) b into c under d in 20 I had a crash yesterday afternoon Fortunately I didn't too much damage my car a with b in c to(*) d about 21 This morning I received a cheque in the mail _ one thousand dollars a about b on c for(*) d with 22 I arrived _work early this morning a in b on c at(*) d to 23 She wasn't short, she wasn't tall; she was _average height a on b under c of(*) d at 24 There was a lot of coughing the performance of Moniusko's 'Fairy Tale' symphony a on b since c during(*) d in 25 Simon is completely useless _sports a in b for c at (*) d about 26 Mr Taylor was hired because he has a background hotel management a about b of c in(*) d with 27 the event of a cancellation, the airline will noi give a full refund a from b at c in(*) d on 28 I'm sorry but that smells terrible because I'm afraid the meat is _ a out b over c off(*) 29 She just left him, said she was with him and disappeared a on b in c through(*) d along 30 He's always interested in elections and is very much politics a at b in c into(*) d to 31 I believe that after all those arguments they agreed their marriage was a both are correct b off c over(*) d both are not correct 32 I honestly don't think I can make it tonight as I'm feeling a little the weather a in b above c under(*) d off 33 She pays at the checkout, loads the groceries _ the boot (trunk) of her car, and drives home a into/back b inside/ ~ c into/ ~ (*) d inside/ back 34 I didn't get time to come and visit you last Tuesday a on b during c ~(*) d in 35 let the cat sit _ my lap, but then suddenly it jumped my face! a in/over b on/over c on/at(*) d above/at 36 Kevin and Mack are out practicing _ the football field a in b at c on(*) d near 37 The old house had so much grime _ the windows that Bradley could hardly see inside a in b over c on(*) d around 38 I'll use my cellular phone when I'm the bus, but never while I'm _ the car a in/in b on/at(*) c on/in 39 The audience threw tomatoes the terrible comedian a to b away c at(*) d in 40 Washington played an important role the founding the United States a at/of b with/of c in/of(*) d in/with 41 The meats the burgers vary _ the culture _ the country a of/with/of b for/in/of c for/with/of(*) d of/with/in 42 The large sandstone rock formation is also known Ayers Rock _ honour _ Sir Henry Ayers, who was a Premier South Australia _ 1873 a like/with/of/of/in b as/with/of/for/in c as/in/of/of/in(*) d like/in/of/in/in 43 The sandstone is infused minerals that reflect the red light _ sunrise and sunset a to/by b of/of c with/of(*) d with/with 44 The car crashed a fence _ the other side of the road a into/in b towards/on c into/on(*) d onto/at 45 I am answerable my supervisor at work a with b at c to(*) d of 46 There was a photograph attached the e-mail a up b on c to(*) d in 47 The police have caught the suspected thief and he's arrest a into b on c under(*) d off 48 That restaurant on the corner of High Street is _new management a above b on c under (*) d over 49 Visiting Moscow was great but the temperature was 25 freezing a with b on c below (*) d under 50 Unemployment has just risen again; this time _0.5% It's now 5.5% a to b on c by (*) d about 51 Look, it's nearly midnight It's _ time we went a in b on c about(*) d at 52 Medicine should not be placed reach of small children a in b on c within(*) d under 53 You should not it because it is the rules a in b on c against (*) d off 54 The mother divided the birthday cake the children at the party a into b for c among (*) d to 55 The yacht was riding _ anchor in the bay a on b to c at(*) d over 56 The salesman did not have to pay for his car as it was provided his company's expense a in b for c at(*) d with 57 She is rather old-fashioned and the times a off b under c behind(*) d beyond 58 It was such an extremely bad thing to have done that it was _contempt a below b under c beneath (*) d beyond 59 Now he is no longer as indifferent criticism as he used to be a From b Of c To(*) d With 60 Doctors must expect to have their lives interrupted when they are _ call a In b At c On(*) d By