A preposition is a word or group of words used before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase to show direction, time, place, location, spatial relationships, or to introduce an object. Some examples of prepositions are words like in, at, on, of, and to.
Prepositions in English are highly idiomatic. Although there are some rules for usage, much preposition usage is dictated by fixed expressions. In these cases, it is best to memorize the phrase instead of the individual preposition. In addition to the information on this page, also see the post on prepositions.
Note the italicization, bolding, and highlighting used for emphasis in the examples on this page.
To refer to a direction, use the prepositions to, (in)to, and on(to).
To refer to one point in time, use the prepositions in, at, and on.
Use in with parts of the day (not specific times), months, years, and seasons.
Use at with the time of day. Also use at with noon, night, and midnight.
Use on with days.
To refer to extended time, use the prepositions since, for, by, during, from…to, from…until, and (with)in.
To refer to a place/location, use the prepositions in, at, on, and inside.
To refer to an object higher than a point, use the prepositions over and above. To refer to an object lower than a point, use the prepositions below, beneath, under, and underneath. These positions can be literal or figurative.
To refer to an object close to a point, use the prepositions by, near, next to, between, among, and opposite.
To refer to a spatial relationship, use the prepositions above, across, against, ahead of, along, among, around, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, from, in front of, inside, near, off, out of, through, toward, under, and within.
Some verbs and adjectives are followed by a certain preposition. Sometimes verbs and adjectives can be followed by different prepositions, giving the phrase different meanings. To find which preposition(s) follow(s) the verb or an adjective, look the verb or adjective up in an online dictionary, such as Merriam Webster, or use a corpus, such as The Corpus of Contemporary American English. Memorizing these phrases instead of just the preposition alone is the most helpful.
About:
argue, complain, know, think, worry
At:
arrive, hint, look, point
From:
abstain, differ, distinct, graduate, recover, resign, suffer
For:
account, allow, apply, ask, prepare, search
In:
believe, confide, participate, occur, result, specialize, succeed
Of:
approve, consist
On:
base, comment, concentrate, depend, elaborate, insist, rely
To:
adapt, add, agree, belong, consent, contribute, lead, object, react, refer, reply, speak, talk
With:
(dis)agree, coincide, compare, comply, deal
Although verb + preposition combinations may appear similar to phrasal verbs, the verb and the particle (in this case, the preposition) in these combinations cannot be separated like phrasal verbs. See more about phrasal verbs on the verb choice page.
About
At
By
From
For
In
Of
To
With
Accustomed
X
Aware
Beneficial
Capable
Characteristic
Composed
Different
Disappointed
Employed
Essential
Familiar
Good
Grateful
Interested
Happy
Opposed
Proud
Responsible
Similar
Sorry
At one time, schools taught students that a sentence should never end with a preposition. This rule is associated with Latin grammar, and though many aspects of Latin have made their way into English, following this particular grammar rule sometimes creates unclear or awkward sentence structures. Because the purpose of writing is to communicate ideas clearly, it is acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition if the alternative would create confusion or seem overly formal.
Example: The participants were aware of the commitment they were taking on. Unclear Revision: The participants were aware of the commitment on which they were taking. (Unclear sentence. Take on is a phrasal verb here, and when the second part of the verb, on, is moved to the middle of the sentence, it becomes ungrammatical.)
Example: The participants were aware of the commitment they were taking on.
Unclear Revision: The participants were aware of the commitment on which they were taking. (Unclear sentence. Take on is a phrasal verb here, and when the second part of the verb, on, is moved to the middle of the sentence, it becomes ungrammatical.)
Example: Interview Question 1 was the following: Where did you originally come from? Overly Grammatical Revision: Interview Question 1 was the following: From where did you originally come? (Grammatical but overly formal. Nobody actually speaks like this.)
Example: Interview Question 1 was the following: Where did you originally come from?
Overly Grammatical Revision: Interview Question 1 was the following: From where did you originally come? (Grammatical but overly formal. Nobody actually speaks like this.)
However, in academic writing, it may be worth revising sentences to avoid ending with a preposition in order to maintain a more formal scholarly voice.
Example: In my research, I focus on the community the students lived in. Revision: In my research, I focus on the community in which the students lived.
Example: In my research, I focus on the community the students lived in.
Revision: In my research, I focus on the community in which the students lived.
Example: I avoided bias by not interviewing people I am working with. Revision: I avoided bias by not interviewing people with whom I am working.
Example: I avoided bias by not interviewing people I am working with.
Revision: I avoided bias by not interviewing people with whom I am working.
As with pronouns, using too many prepositional phrases in a sentence can create wordiness:
Example: I chose a mixed-method design to explain that the purpose of the study was to explore the leadership qualities of the principals in the schools as a means to gauge teacher satisfaction in the first year of teaching.
This type of sentence could be shortened and condensed to minimize the prepositional phrases and bring clarity to the writer's intent:
Revision: I chose a mixed-method design to explore the principals' leadership qualities and their impact on first-year teachers' satisfaction.
If the preposition is unnecessary, leave it out. This creates clearer, more concise writing.
Example: I left the uncompleted questions off of the results. Revision: I left the uncompleted questions off the results.
Example: I left the uncompleted questions off of the results.
Revision: I left the uncompleted questions off the results.
Example: I skipped over a couple interview questions. Revision: I skipped a couple interview questions.
Example: I skipped over a couple interview questions.
Revision: I skipped a couple interview questions.
OASIS