##  [Prepositions](/writing-tips-plus/prepositions)

##  Avertissement

Ce contenu est offert en anglais seulement.

## On this page

- [Definition of a preposition](#definition)
- [Relationships shown by prepositions](#relationships)
- [Prepositional phrases](#prepositional-phrases)
- [Prepositions vs. adverbs](#prepositions-vs-adverbs)
- [Additional information](#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.”](/en/writing-tips-plus/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](/en/writing-tips-plus/prepositional-phrase)
- [Preposition](/en/hypergrammar-2/what-is-a-preposition) (HyperGrammar 2)

### Quizzes

- [Pesky prepositions: Choose carefully!](/en/quiz/jeu-quiz-pesky-prepositions-2-eng)
- [Pesky prepositions: Choose correctly!](/en/quiz/pesky-prepositions-choose-correctly-eng)
- [Pesky prepositions: Is it one or both?](/en/quiz/jeu-quiz-pesky-prepositions-one-both-eng)
- [Pesky prepositions: On, onto, on to](/en/quiz/jeu-quiz-pesky-prepositions-on-onto-eng)
- [“Running” with prepositions](/en/quiz/jeu-quiz-running-with-prepositions-eng)

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## Liens connexes

- [Writing Tips Plus](/fr/writing-tips-plus/index-fra) (page d’accueil)
- [Outils d’aide à la rédaction](/fr/outils-tools/index-fra)
- [Navigateur linguistique](/fr/navigateur-navigator) (permet de trouver rapidement des conseils linguistiques)
- [TERMIUM Plus®](http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-fra.html?lang=fra)