Preposition Combinations

Preposition Combinations

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Prepositions are short words (at, in, on) which are used to show position, location, direction, and time in English. This in-depth tutorial will take you from basic usage to advanced verb + preposition combinations. The following explains different types of prepositions and how they are used:

Types of Prepositions

1. Position Preposition

The following prepositions are used to indicate position:

Preposition	Example Sentence
above	The red ball is above the blue box.
across	The red bar is lying across the blue boxes.
against	The red bar is lying against the blue box.
among	The red ball is among the blue boxes.
around	The red balls are around the blue box.
behind	The red ball is behind the blue box.
below	The red ball is below the blue box.
beneath	The red ball is beneath the blue box.
beside	The red ball is beside the blue box.
between	The red ball is between the blue boxes.
by	The red ball is by the blue box.
in	The red ball is in the blue box.
in front of	The red ball is in front of the blue box.
inside	The red ball is inside the blue box.
near	The red ball is near the blue box.
next to	The red ball is next to the blue box.
on	The red ball is on the blue box.
outside	The red ball is outside the blue box.
over	The red ball is over the blue box.
through	The red bar is running through the blue box.
under	The red ball is under the blue box.
underneath	The red ball is underneath the blue box.

2. Direction Prepositions

The following prepositions are used to indicate direction. Direction prepositions are special because they show some type of movement:

Preposition	Example Sentence
across	The red ball bounced across the blue line
against	The red ball rolled against the blue box.
along	The red ball is rolling along the blue line.
around	The red ball is rolling around the blue box.
away from	The red ball is rolling away from the blue box.
down	The red ball is rolling down the blue stairs.
from	The red ball is coming from the blue box.
into	The red ball is bouncing into the blue box.
off of	The red ball is rolling off of the blue box.
onto	The red ball is bouncing onto the blue box.
out of	The red ball is bouncing out of the blue box.
over	The red ball is bouncing over the blue box.
through	The red ball is rolling through the hole in the blue box.
to	The red ball is rolling to the blue box.
toward(s)	The red ball is rolling towards the blue box.
under	The red ball is rolling under the blue box.
up	The red ball is rolling up the blue stairs.

Using From, To and Of with Direction Prepositions

You will notice that some prepositions are followed by an optional from, to or of. If you want to use these prepositions with a location object, you have to use the optional from, to or of. If there is no location object, you do not need to use the optional from, to or of.

Examples:

• Sherry walked into the house. has object "the house"
• Sherry walked in. no object
• Katie jumped out of the boat. has object "boat"
• Katie jumped out. no object
• He walked away from me. has object "me"
• He walked away. no object

Sometimes, native speakers can break the rules!!!

With certain common expressions, we sometimes break the above rule, and we don't use the prepositions from, to or of even when they are followed by objects. In fact, some grammar books argue that off of is wrong! However, you cannot always skip from, to or of. Experience will teach you when and where you can do this.

Examples:

• Katie jumped off the moving streetcar. (common)
• Sherry walked out the door. (common)
• Sherry walked out the house. (not correct)

Adding To or From to Other Direction Prepositions

The prepositions to and from can be added to other direction prepositions to give a more detailed description of whether someone is moving towards or away from something. This is especially common when talking about movement on stairs or hills.

Examples:

• John walked up to the top of the staircase. John started at the bottom.
• John walked down from the top of the staircase. John started at the top.
• John walked down to Mary. John started at the top, and he walked down to Mary who was waiting at the bottom.

3. Location Prepositions

The prepositions of location at, in, on and aboard are a bit more complicated than basic position prepositions. Location prepositions are associated with specific types of locations, which must be memorized.

Sometimes, the location prepositions are logical. For example, in a house makes sense because you are physically standing inside the house. Other location prepositions are less logical. For example, on a bus means inside the bus rather than standing on top of the bus. Here is a list of location prepositions and the types of locations they are associated with.

Preposition	Locations
at	specific locations, addresses, companies, stores, events, parties, desks, counters
in	enclosed spaces, buildings, organizations, regions, water, deserts, mountain ranges, forests, cities, countries, continents, the sky, space, cars, groups of people, little boats
on	surfaces, roads, corners, shores, single mountains, islands, planets, public transportation, bikes, big boats, stairs, balconies, walkways
aboard	boats, planes, trains

To help you understand the types of locations listed above, here are some real-life examples of at, in and on to get you started. There is a discussion of aboard further down the page.

At	In	On
at work	in class	on the floor
at home	in college	on the ground
at the bank	in the hospital	on the freeway
at the beach	in my car	on the lawn
at 123 Main Street	in a taxi	on the subway
at IKEA	in a canoe	on the Titanic
at the party	in the sky	on the plane
at the bus stop	in the universe	on Mount Everest
at the ticket counter	in the army	on the stairs
at my desk	in the Rocky Mountains	on Mars
at the dinner table	in the Pacific	on the shore
at the exit	in the crowd	on the sidewalk
at the supermarket	in the theater	on the balcony
at the wedding	in China	on Catalina Island
at the post office	in Africa	on his motorcycle

At School vs. In School

It's important to remember that each preposition expresses an idea. For example, at expresses the idea of being at a specific location, whereas in expresses the idea of being in an institution. For this reason, at school and in school have two very difference meanings. Take a look at the examples below to understand the difference.

Examples:

• Tom wasn't at home; he was at school. at that location
• Fred doesn't have a job yet because he is still in school. enrolled in the institution of school

On a Street vs. In the Street

Again, different prepositions have different meanings. On is generally used for street locations (on Main Street), whereas in is used to talk about standing in the middle of the street.

Examples:

• My house was on Delaney Street. at that location
• The car almost hit him because he was in the street. standing in the middle of the street

At the Beach vs. On the Beach

As described above, you must remember the meanings of the prepositions. At the beach is referring to the location. On the beach suggests the idea of being on the shore (standing on the sand.)

Examples:

• Sarah wasn't at school; she was at the beach. at that location
• Lisa wasn't in the ocean when she saw the shark. Luckily, she was on the beach. on the sand

In Water vs. On Water

Once again, the difference depends on the meaning of the prepositions. When you are in water, you are swimming in the water. However, when you are on water, you are floating on the surface of the water in a boat OR you are standing on the shore of that body of water. This applies to lakes, rivers, oceans and other bodies of water.

Examples:

• We were in the sea all day. swimming
• We were on the sea all day. in a boat
• I have a beautiful house on the sea. on the shore

In a Boat vs. On a Boat vs. Aboard a Boat

The word boat is a little more complicated. When English speakers are in small boats, they feel that they are inside something like a car, so they use the preposition in. On large boats or ships, it feels more like public transportation and they prefer to use the word on rather than in.

The preposition aboard is usually used in more formal language with large passenger vehicles such as planes, trains and ships and is often used to emphasize the moment you first step onto the vehicle. It is most commonly heard in the expression welcome aboard.

Examples:

• Jane was in a rowboat when she saw the whale. small boat
• Natalie was on a cruise ship when she saw the whale. big boat
• When everyone was aboard the ship, we departed. more formal

4. Time Prepositions

There are two types of time prepositions in English. First, we will take a look at the basic time prepositions at, in, and on. Secondly, we will cover the functional time prepositions after, before, by, during, for, from, in, to and until/till.

a. Basic Time Prepositions

The prepositions at, in and on are associated with specific time categories, which must be memorized. For example, we say "at 5 PM on Sunday in June" because English speakers use at with clock times, on with days, and in with months. Study the categories and the examples below.

Preposition	Time Categories
at	clock times, exact times of day, night, holiday periods
in	months, years, morning/afternoon/evening, seasons, centuries, eras
on	days, dates, holidays, weekends, days+morning/afternoon/evening

To help you understand the time categories listed above, here are a few real-life examples of at, in and on to get you started.

At	In	On
at 3:45 PM	in June	on Tuesday
at noon	in August	on September 8, 1969
at midnight	in the winter	on Christmas Eve
at sunrise	in the summer	on the day we met
at sunset	in the morning	on the weekend
at dawn	in the afternoon	on weekends
at Christmastime	in the Renaissance	on my birthday
at the close of day	in the '70s	on Thanksgiving
at night	in the 14th century	on Friday mornings
at 6 o'clock	in 1922	on the first day of the month

On Christmas vs. At Christmas

Both on and at are used with holidays, but the meaning is different. On is used with specific days and at is used with holiday periods. For this reason, on Christmas means on Christmas Day (Dec. 25) whereas at Christmas means during the Christmas season (late December). There is a similar distinction with longer holidays, including Easter, Hanukkah, the New Year, Thanksgiving weekend, Chinese New Year etc.

Examples:

• On Christmas, we always eat dinner at my grandparents' house. Christmas day
• I love all the decorations at Christmas. Christmastime

No Prepositions with Tomorrow, Yesterday, Next, and Last

Do not use on with the words tomorrow or yesterday. Similarly, do not use at, in or on with any of the expressions listed above when they follow the words next or last.

Examples:

• I went to the movies on yesterday. (Not correct)
• I went to the movies yesterday. (Correct)

• I went to the movies on last Tuesday. (Not correct)
• I went to the movies last Tuesday. (Correct)

• I graduated from college in last August. (Not correct)
• I graduated from college last August. (Correct)

b. Functional Time Prepositions

The following time prepositions have a more functional usage and show how two or more events relate to each other in time. For example, Lisa jogs before dinner means Lisa jogs first and eats dinner second. These time prepositions can be hard to translate and are best learned through conversation.

Preposition	Use	Examples
before	earlier than	Before work, Tony eats breakfast.
from... to	start time... end time	Tony works from 9 AM to 5 PM.
from... until/till	start time... end time	Tony works from 9 AM until 5 PM.
for	amount of time	Tony works for eight hours.
during	within a time	During the day, Tony eats a small snack and lunch.
by	before a point of time	By 5 PM, Tony is quite hungry again.
after	later than	After work, Tony goes home and eats dinner.
in	within an amount of time	Tony eats four times in twelve hours.

To vs. Until vs. Till

Both to and until express similar ideas, but there is a difference in usage between the two words. To is a preposition, and it must be followed by a noun, most frequently a clock time such as 3:45 PM.

Until is both a preposition and an adverb, which means it is more flexible. Until can be followed by any time noun or even an entire clause. If you are confused, you can use until and that will always be right.

Till is a short, less formal version of until. Till (also written as 'til) is more common in spoken English, songs, and poetry.

Examples:

• Jane stayed from 3:30 to 5:30.
• Jane stayed from 3:30 until 5:30.
• Jane stayed until the end.
• Jane stayed till the end.
• Jane stayed until every person in the room had left.
• Jane stayed till every person in the room had left.

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Verbs + Prepositions

There are many verb + preposition combinations in English. Some English verbs take prepositions to show direction or position (go up, go down, go in, etc.) These combinations are easy to learn.

But some verbs require prepositions to take objects (depend on her, joke about him, laugh at them, etc.) These combinations are harder. The best way to learn them is by reading English books and speaking with native speakers.

When a verb is part of a longer sentence, it is often followed by a specific preposition.

I agree with Mike.
She listens to the radio a lot.
He thanked me for the flowers.

There are no grammatical rules to help you know which preposition is used with which verb, so it's a good idea to try to learn them together. To help you do this, write new vocabulary in your notebook in a sentence or phrase. Here are some common verbs for each preposition.

Verbs with for

They're waiting for a bus.
He apologised for being late.
I applied for the job but I didn't get it.
How do you ask for a coffee in Polish?
I can't go out tonight because I have to prepare for my interview tomorrow.

Verbs with from

This spray should protect you from mosquitoes.
Has he recovered from the accident yet?
She won an award because she saved someone from drowning.
I suffer from allergies.

Verbs with in

She doesn't believe in coincidences.
Our company specialises in computer software.
You have to work hard if you want to succeed in life.

Verbs with of

I don't approve of hunting animals for their fur.
Our dog died of old age.
This shampoo smells of bananas.

Verbs with on

Their decision will depend on the test results.
The film is based on the novel by Boris Pasternak.
If you make so much noise, I can't concentrate on my work.
Come on! We're relying on you!
We don't agree on anything but we're still good friends.

Verbs with to

What kind of music do you like listening to?
Can I introduce you to my grandfather?
Please refer to the notes at the end for more information.
Nobody responded to my complaint.
She apologised to me the next day.

Verbs with with

I agree with everything you've said.
My assistant will provide you with more information if you need it.
We're finding it difficult to deal with the stress.

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Phrasal verbs

Some verbs can be followed by different prepositions. This can change the meaning of the verb. For example, turn, turn off, turn back and turn down all have very different meanings. These special verb + preposition combinations are called phrasal verbs, and they take time to learn.

Read through this phrasal verb section, which talks about different types of phrasal verbs and how they are used.

What are phrasal verbs?

1.  A phrasal verb is a verb plus a preposition or adverb which creates a meaning different from the original verb.

Example:
I ran into my teacher at the movies last night. run + into = meet
He ran away when he was 15. run + away = leave home

2. Some phrasal verbs are intransitive. An intransitive verb cannot be followed by an object.

Example:
He suddenly showed up. "show up" cannot take an object

3. Some phrasal verbs are transitive. A transitive verb can be followed by an object.

Example:
I made up the story. "story" is the object of "make up"

4. Some transitive phrasal verbs are separable. The object is placed between the verb and the preposition.

Example:
I talked my mother into letting me borrow the car.
She looked the phone number up.

5. Some transitive phrasal verbs are inseparable. The object is placed after the preposition.

Example:
I ran into an old friend yesterday.
They are looking into the problem.

6. Some transitive phrasal verbs can take an object in both places (separable and inseparable).

Example:
I looked the number up in the phone book.
I looked up the number in the phone book.

7. WARNING! Although many phrasal verbs can take an object in both places, you must put the object between the verb and the preposition if the object is a pronoun.

Example:
I looked the number up in the phone book. (Correct)
I looked up the number in the phone book. (Correct)
I looked it up in the phone book. (Correct)
I looked up it in the phone book. (Incorrect)

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Prepositional Phrase

A prepositional phrase is a collection of words made up of a preposition followed by a noun, noun phrase, or noun clause which serves as the object of that preposition.

Examples:

• She talked about the story. (with noun)
• She talked about Tom's funny story. (with noun phrase)
• She talked about what Tom said. (with noun clause)

Remember that a phrase is a group of related words that it does not contain a subject and a verb. And a clause is a group of related words that it contains a subject and a verb.

If you want to use a verb in a prepositional phrase, you need to use a gerund or a gerund phrase.

a gerund is the -ing form of a verb that it is used as a noun.

Examples:

• John is interested in painting. (with gerund)
• John is interested in painting portraits. (with gerund phrase)

Remember that the noun in a prepositional phrase is serving as the object of the preposition, so an object form is necessary. With pronouns, this means you must use the object form of the pronoun (me, him, her, us, them).

Examples:

• Nate spoke to John and me. (use "me" not "I".)
• The book about him is very funny. (use "him" not "he".)
• John had dinner with them. (use "them" not "they".)

What are Object of a Prepositions?

Nouns or noun phrases which follow prepositions are known as objects of those prepositions.

Examples:

• on the table
• in water
• to him
• with the little girl
• beside her husband
• outside the house
• in one hour

All of the nouns or noun phrases in boldface above serve as objects of the prepositions. Together, the preposition and the noun or noun phrase is called a prepositional phrase.

Don't Forget the Object Form after a Preposition

Even native English speakers sometimes forget that after prepositions the object form of a pronoun is necessary. This mistake is most common when multiple objects are used.

Examples:

• Diane spoke with Robert and I. (Not Correct)
• Diane spoke with Robert and me. (Correct)

How do you use prepositional phrases?

Prepositional phrases are often used after verbs which require prepositions.

Examples:

• She stared at the man and his wife.
• Frank searched for his car keys.

Prepositional phrases are also used to modify nouns, verbs, and adjectives. When they modify nouns, they are behaving like adjectives, so we call them adjective phrases. When they modify verbs or adjectives, they are behaving like adverbs, so we call them adverbial phrases

Examples:

• The book on the table is mine. (adjective phrase modifying "book)"
• I put the book down with force. (adverbial phrase modifying "put")
• Jane seemed fascinated by Garrett's story. (adverbial phrase modifying "fascinated")

Prepositional phrases can even modify the nouns in other prepositional phrases.

Examples:

• John learned Japanese by practicing with native speakers.
• I put the book on the table in the kitchen.

More Prepositional Phrase Examples:

• Robin was angry about the comment.
• After work, I always go to the gym.
• There's a snake under the tree.
• I was exhausted from skiing all day.
• Tina wanted to know about where I grew up.
• The photo of them was pretty good.
• John laughed at Rob and me.
• The woman next to him on the plane had a huge bag on her lap.
• The house on the hill was built by a man from Kentucky.
• I looked under the bed, in the closet, and behind the couch, but I couldn't find the cat.

Can you end a sentence with a preposition?

SHORT ANSWER: Yes, you can end a sentence with a preposition in English. In fact, in some situations, you have to end a sentence with a preposition because there is no other choice.

LONG ANSWER: Many native English speakers are taught that they should not end sentences with prepositions. This is a matter of style rather than grammar. Unfortunately, some native English speakers will insist this style preference is a grammatical rule. This is not true. And this piece of bad advice can cause major confusion for English learners.

This myth is the result of Latin grammarians insisting that Latin grammar applied to English. However, English is a Germanic language with much more flexible preposition usage than Latin. English sentences regularly end with prepositions. In the following examples, the sentences ending with prepositions are far more natural sounding.

Examples:

• From where are you? (Unnatural)
• Where are you from? (Natural)

• In what are you interested? (Unnatural)
• What are you interested in? (Natural)

• For what did he pay? (Unnatural)
• What did he pay for? (Natural)

With direction prepositions, you often have to end sentences with prepositions.

Examples:

• Please go in. (Correct)
• We walked out. (Correct)
• Step down. (Correct)

Similarly, when using phrasal verbs, we frequently have to end sentences with prepositions.

Examples:

• I woke up when my alarm went off. (Correct)
• Will you please shut up? (Correct)
• Tom asked Lily to marry him, but she turned him down. (Correct)

Also, when using prepositions in adjective clauses , sometimes we end sentences with prepositions.

Remember that a clause is a structure that has a subject and a verb. An adjective clause is a clause that modifies a noun. It describes or gives information about a noun.

Examples:

• That's the man whom I talked to. (Correct)
• Take the chair which I was sitting in. (Correct)
• I like the flower that I was looking at. (Correct)

I have to tell you about this funny thing English does with prepositions in Adjective Clauses. Sometimes prepositions come at the beginning of the clause. That's pretty strange. Here's what I mean:

Examples:

• The flower at which I'm looking is beautiful. (Correct)

It's very formal. You'll see that structure in academic writing, business reports, maybe formal invitations. But you won't hear it much in everyday English.

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List of Prepositions

The following is a list of prepositions and related words used in our preposition tutorial including types of prepositions and preposition example sentences.

Preposition	Type	Example Sentence
above	position	The coconut was high above our heads, so nobody could reach it.
across	position	The cat lay across my lap.
across	direction	We walked across the street.
after	time	After dinner, we ate dessert.
against	position	The broom was leaning against the fence.
against	direction	He threw the glass against the wall.
along	direction	The path led along the river.
among	position	The deer hid among the trees.
around	position	There was a white fence around the house.
around	direction	He walked around the tree.
at	location	We don't have a coffee maker at work.
at	time	Class begins at 7 AM.
away from	direction	The fireman led the people away from the burning building.
before	time	Before work, I go to the fitness center.
behind	position	We parked in the parking lot behind the building.
below	position	We entered the huge basement below the house.
beneath	position	We sat beneath the tree and enjoyed the shade.
beside	position	The dog sat beside him obediently.
between	position	There was a fence between the two houses.
by	position	There is a pharmacy by the grocery store.
by	time	By the time we started dinner, the food was cold.
down	direction	The ball rolled down the hill.
during	time	Somebody's phone rang during the movie.
for	time	We were in Hawaii for two weeks.
from	direction	He comes from France.
from	time	The lecture lasts from 1:30 PM to 3 PM.
in	position	The laptop is in my backpack.
in	location	I learned Japanese in college.
in	time	The movie starts in ten minutes.
in front of	position	The car was parked in front of the store.
inside	position	A gift was inside the box.
into	direction	Naomi walked into the house.
near	position	The public library was near my school.
next to	position	The pizza parlor was next to the movie theater.
off (of)	direction	The cat fell off (of) the couch.
on	position	The pencil is on the table.
on	location	My house is on Main Street.
on	time	My vacation begins on Thursday.
onto	direction	The cat jumped onto my lap.
out of	direction	When we walked out of the hotel, the taxi was waiting for us.
outside	location	He was outside the house when the fire began.
over	position	There was a rainbow over us.
over	direction	He jumped over the snake.
through	position	There was a tunnel through the mountain.
through	direction	We walked through the tunnel.
till	time	We waited till Tom arrived to start dinner.
to	direction	Nancy walked to the mall.
to	time	The movie is from 7 to 9.
toward(s)	direction	The boat sailed towards the horizon.
under	position	The cat is under my chair.
under	direction	The whale swam under the boat.
underneath	position	The child was underneath the blanket.
until	time	I can't wait until summer, so we can go to the beach again.
up	direction	We walked up the hill to see the view.

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Adjective + Preposition Combinations Followed by Gerunds

The following is ONLY A SAMPLE LIST of the most commonly used adjective + preposition combinations that can be followed by gerunds.

addiction to	His addiction to surfing the Internet is a problem.
accustomed to	He is accustomed to having his own office.
addicted to	She is addicted to watching TV.
afraid of	She is afraid of speaking in public.
anxious about	Norma is anxious about making the presentation.
bored of	I am bored of doing the same old job.
capable of	He is capable of winning a gold medal.
committed to	She is committed to improving her English.
concerned about	Nancy was concerned about being late.
content with	Tim is content with winning second place.
dedicated to	The organization is dedicated to ending poverty.
devoted to	The money will be devoted to protecting the environment.
disappointed with	Fiona was disappointed with coming in third place.
discouraged by	He was discouraged by not getting the job.
excited about	The researcher was excited about going to Africa.
famous for	That actor is famous for being extremely weird.
fond of	She is fond of having picnics.
frightened of	She is frightened of being alone at night.
guilty of	The banker was guilty of stealing money.
happy about	He was happy about winning the lottery.
interested in	She is interested in becoming a doctor.
involved in	He was involved in making the movie.
known for	She was known for causing problems.
opposed to	They are opposed to building a new road in the park.
proud of	He was proud of having completed the marathon.
remembered for	She is remembered for protecting mountain gorillas.
responsible for	He is responsible for causing the damage.
scared of	Tina is scared of being alone at night.
terrified of	The surfer is terrified of being attacked by a shark.
tired from	She is tired from working all day.
tired of	Margaret is tired of making dinner every night.
worried about	The hikers were worried about not having enough water.

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Noun + Preposition Combinations Followed by Gerunds

The following is ONLY A SAMPLE LIST of the most commonly used noun + preposition combinations that can be followed by gerunds.

addiction to	His addiction to surfing the Internet is a problem.
advantage of	He has the advantage of speaking English fluently.
anxiety about	Her anxiety about speaking in public caused her to lose the job.
belief in	His belief in not harming animals was something he learned from his mother.
credit for	She took credit for improving the filing system.
dedication to	His dedication to teaching was impressive.
delay in	The delay in processing the visa caused problems.
devotion to	His devotion to biking allowed him to win the competition.
disadvantage of	The disadvantage of flying is that you can't see the scenery along the way.
experience in	She has a great deal of experience in introducing new products to international markets. With the noun "experience," sometimes a gerund is added without the preposition "in." "Experience introducing new products" would also be acceptable.
fear of	His fear of flying made travel difficult.
fondness for	Her fondness for traveling led to her career in the travel industry.
habit of	His habit of smoking in restaurants caused many problems in California.
interest in	Her career as a pilot evolved out of her interest in flying.
knowledge of	Her knowledge of climbing helped her during the competition.
love of	His love of singing developed when he was a child.
memory of	Their memories of traveling in Africa will stay with them forever.
preference for	I think his preference for speaking his native language is natural.
process of	The process of painting such a large mural is more complicated than you might think.
reaction to	His reaction to winning the prize was quite funny.
reason for	The main reason for taking the course is to improve your language skills.
regret for	The criminal's regret for committing the crime did not convince the judge.
report on	The magazine's report on choosing the right car was not well researched.
reputation for	Her reputation for lying is well known.
responsibility for	His responsibility for completing the project on time was acknowledged by the company.
story about	I don't know if I believe his story about seeing a UFO.
talent for	His talent for learning languages was impressive.