Prepositions

On this page

• Definition of a preposition
• Relationships shown by prepositions
• Prepositional phrases
• Prepositions vs. adverbs
• Additional information

Definition of a preposition

A preposition is a kind of connecting word. It does two things:

• joins a noun or nominal (a word or word group acting as a noun) to another word in a sentence
• shows the relationship between them

For example, here’s a sentence containing the preposition on:

• Bart ate the cookies on the table.

Here, the preposition on is connecting the noun table with the word cookies and showing the relationship between them.

In this case, the preposition shows a relationship of location, since on tells us where the cookies are located in relationship to the table. They’re not over the table, or under the table, or beside the table; they’re on the table. (Or at least they were, before Bart ate them.)

Relationships shown by prepositions

Most of our common prepositions show relationships of time, location or direction:

• Time: after, at, before, during, since, till, until
• Location: above, against, among, around, at, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, in, inside, near, on, outside, over, past, throughout, under, upon, with, within
• Direction: across, along, around, down, from, into, off, onto, out, through, to, toward, up

However, other relationships are also possible. For example, of is a very common preposition often used to show a relationship of ownership or belonging:

• the owner of the rental property [= the person who owns the property]
• the title of the book [= the title that belongs to the book]

Prepositional phrases

Together, a preposition and the noun or nominal that follows it form a grammatical unit called a prepositional phrase. Thus, on the table is a prepositional phrase beginning with the preposition on and ending with the noun table.

In this phrase, table is called the object of the preposition. The object of a preposition is the noun or nominal that follows the preposition and completes the phrase.

For detailed information on the structure of prepositional phrases and the ways they can be used in a sentence, see the writing tip “Prepositional phrase.”

Prepositions vs. adverbs

Many of the words included in the above lists of prepositions can be used as adverbs as well.

How can you tell the difference? When these words are prepositions, they’re followed by an object:

• Marjorie raced past the startled security guard. [preposition + object]

But when they’re adverbs, they have no object after them:

• Marjorie raced past. [adverb]

Additional information

• Prepositional phrase
• Preposition (HyperGrammar 2)

Quizzes

• Pesky prepositions: Choose carefully!
• Pesky prepositions: Choose correctly!
• Pesky prepositions: Is it one or both?
• Pesky prepositions: On, onto, on to
• “Running” with prepositions