Prepositions
Prepositions indicate relationships between words and ideas. Most prepositions deal with location and are easy to learn.
| above | below | over | under |
| inside | outside | around | through |
| beside | beyond | behind | in front of |
| near | nearby | by | next to |
| up | down | toward | along (side) |
| before* | after* | during | since* |
| with | without | within | until* |
| into | out (of) | off | upon |
| between | among | except | but* |
| like | as | than | about |
| despite | in spite of | beneath | underneath |
* These can also be used as conjunctions.
Some prepositions, however, have more than one meaning and can be very confusing.
| in | on | at | |
| to | from | for | of |
Generally, in, on and at indicate location.
See: Prepositions: In, On, and At
See also : Grammar – Prepositions of Location
To and from imply movement toward or away from something. However, to can also function as part of an infinitive.
See also : Grammar – Infinitives, To V or Not To V
To and for can introduce indirect objects.
See: To vs For in English
See also : Grammar – Indirect Objects
For and since can also indicate duration.
See also : Grammar – Present Perfect Progessive
Of is used in partitives (all of, some of . . .) and other expressions.
See also : Grammar – Quantifiers
Many prepositions are also used in expressions.
See also : Grammar – Preposition Collocations with “Be”; Verb and Preposition Collocations
For further reference:
Grammar : Prepositions and Time Words
Grammar : Adverbs and Prepositions
Grammar : Prepositions and Subordinators
The Preposition (from Grammar Bytes)
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