List of Different Types of Prepositions with Examples.

Preposition Definition
Prepositions are the words which are used to connect the different nouns, pronouns, and phrases in a
sentence. It functions to introduce or precede the word or phrase to be connected, called the object of the
preposition.

The preposition usually indicates the relation between the words it is connecting. It tells whether the words
are connected in actual space or a place, or related through time or are they part of a thought or process.

Prepositional phrases are the preposition and its object and any adjectives or adverbs that were applied to the
object. The prepositional phrase as a whole can also be used as a noun, adverb or adjective.

Example: He found the book on the table.

  Here the preposition is ‘on’ as it shows the relation in place between the book and the table.
 The prepositional phrase is ‘on the table’ which is acting as an Adverb telling where the book
was found.
Example: She went to sleep early.

 In this sentence the preposition is ‘to’ which is introducing where or in what state had the
noun gone into.
Example: Her house was beside a steep hill.

 The preposition here is beside which is telling the place where the house was.
 The prepositional phrase is ‘beside a steep hill’ which is acting as an adverb.

Types of Prepositions
Simple Prepositions
These prepositions are constructed by only one word like: On, at, about, with, after, for, etc.

Example: He found the book about dogs on the table, in the bedroom.

Here is a list of common simple prepositions (preposition examples):

 For
 By
 At
 On
 Of
 Off
 To
Double Prepositions
These prepositions are formed by combining two words or two Simple
Prepositions: Into, within, upon, onto, etc.

Example: The dog jumped onto the bed and left marks upon the sheets.

Here is a list of common double prepositions (preposition examples):

 Into
 Onto
 Upto
 From Behind
 From Beneath
 Out Of
 Upon
Compound Prepositions
These prepositions are two-word prepositions.

According to, because of, next to, due to, etc.

Example: He was upset because of his son’s behaviour.

Here is a list of common compound prepositions (preposition examples):

 Across
 Along
 Beside
 Behind
 Before
 Without
 Inside
Participle Prepositions
Participles are actually verbs that end with ‘-en’ or ‘-ing’. As these verbs were commonly and very
popularly used as prepositions by the people, these verbs have been given special status as prepositions.

Considering, during, given, including, etc.

Example: Considering what he had to work with, he did a pretty good job.

Here is a list of common participle prepositions (preposition examples):

 Concerning
 Notwithstanding
 Pending
 During
 Given
 Failing
 Excluding
Phrase Prepositions
These prepositions are a combination of the preposition + a modifier (optional) + the object. They are
used to modify the nouns, verbs or sentences and also complete clauses.

At home, in time, with me, from my father, under the blanket, etc.

Example: The clothes left on the bed have been ironed and kept back.

Here is a list of common phrase prepositions (preposition examples):

 At high speed
 By all means
 For a change
  In accordance with
 On a journey
 Out of curiosity
 To the best of
Prepositions can only be learnt by memory; unfortunately there is no method or particular way to recognize
and learn them.

List of Prepositions
These classifications above are based on the construction of the prepositions themselves. Apart from this,
prepositions are also categorized based on their use in a sentence as:

 Prepositions of place.
 Prepositions of time.
 Prepositions of movement.
Prepositions of Place
What are prepositions of place?

Prepositions of place refer to those prepositions that can be used to show where something is located. There
are three basic prepositions of place: in, on, at.

For example:

 At college
 At home
 At reception
 In a taxi
 In the sky
 In the building
 On the way
 On the radio
 On the page
 …
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Prepositions of Time
What are prepositions of time?

The prepositions are often used to refer to times and dates. There are three basic prepositions of time: at, in,
on

For examples:

 At 10.30am
 At 8 o’clock
 At bedtime
 At breakfast
 In 16 year’s time
 In 1991.
 In December
 On Christmas
 On Friday
 On holiday
 …
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Prepositions of Movement
What are prepositions of movement?

Prepositions of movement show movement from one place to another. There are 9 basic prepositions that
pertain to movement: To, Towards, Through, Into, Across, Over, Along, In, On

For example:

 I’m going to the doctor’s.

 Can you direct me to the nearest post office?
 He was walking menacingly towards me.
 The train went through the tunnel.
 He walked across the road.
 …
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The word Preposition means ‘that which is placed before’. Let us look at the definition of
prepositions and kinds/types of prepositions.
Table of Contents

Definition of Preposition
Prepositions are the words that we put before nouns or pronouns. These denote in what
relation the person or thing indicated by it exists, in relation to something else. Look at the
examples below.
1. The child jumped off the bed.
2. There is a bee in the jar.
3. Hani is fond of reading novels.
In the first example, the word ‘off ‘is showing the relation between the action denoted by the
verb jumped, and the noun chair.
In the second example, the word ‘in’ is showing the relation between bee and the jar.
In the third example, the word ‘of’ is showing the relation between the quality denoted by the
adjective fond and the noun cheesecake.
Hence the words off, in and of are Prepositions.
Types of Prepositions
There are several types of prepositions such as: Simple Prepositions, Double Prepositions,
Compound Prepositions, Phrasal prepositions, Participle Prepositions, Disguised preposition,
and Detached Prepositions.

1. Simple Prepositions:
Simple prepositions are used to denote a relation between nouns or pronouns. These can
even be used to join different parts of sentences and clauses. Simple prepositions are one
word prepositions. These are also called Single Prepositions. Common words used that come
under the category of Simple Prepositions are as follows:
In, out, on, up, at, for, from, by, of, off, through, till, etc.
Examples of Simple Prepositions in sentences:
Keep your phones in your pockets.
Staring at people is not considered a good gesture.
In the above two examples, both prepositions consist of one simple word and hence
are Single or Simple Prepositions.

2. Double Prepositions:
Double Prepositions are made by putting together two Single Prepositions. That is why they
are called Double Prepositions. Common words used as Double Prepositions are as follows:
Onto, into, throughout, up till, up to, within, without, upon, etc.
Examples of Double Prepositions in sentences:
Complete this essay within two hours.
I am going to turn this scrap into a masterpiece.
In the first example, the Preposition within is made by combining two Single
Prepositions with and in.
In the second example, the Preposition into is formed by putting together two Simple
Prepositions in and two. These are hence Double Prepositions.

3. Compound Prepositions:
Compound Prepositions are those types of preposition that are usually formed by prefixing a
preposition to nouns, adjectives or adverbs. They are different from double prepositions
because they are not formed by two single prepositions. Common words, which come under
the category of compound prepositions, are stated below:
Above, about, across, along, before, behind, beside, inside, outside, etc.
Examples of preposition in sentences:
He was going about his business.
The person beside Ali is my brother.
In the first example, the prefix ‘a’ is added to a root word ‘bout’ to make a preposition. In the
second example, the prefix be is added to the root word side to make a preposition. Thus,
these words are Compound Prepositions.

4. Phrasal Prepositions:
Phrasal Prepositions are groups of words or phrases that join the noun or pronoun in a
sentence, to the remainder of the sentence. These groups of words express a single idea by
coming together as a unit. Words that come under the category of Phrasal Prepositions are
as follows:
In addition to, by means of, in spite of, according to, owing to, in favour of, etc.
Examples of Phrasal Prepositions in sentences:
He couldn’t pass the test, owing to his lack of knowledge of English Grammar.
She made it to the other side of the world, in spite of all the difficulties.
In the first example, the group of words ‘owing to’ is joining the two sentences with each
other and is a phrase. Likewise, the group of words ‘in spite of’ is also a phrase and is working
as a preposition. Hence, these are Phrasal Prepositions.

5. Participle Prepositions:
Participle Prepositions, indicating from their name, are the Present Participle forms of Verbs.
These are used without any noun or pronoun attached with them. The words that are
distinguished as Participle Prepositions are as follows:
Concerning, considering, barring, notwithstanding, touching, pending, during, etc.
Examples of Participle Prepositions in sentences:
Notwithstanding his efforts, he was still fired from the job.
Touching this matter, I do not have much information.
In above examples, both the verbs notwithstanding and touching are in Present
Participle which is apparent from the ‘ing’ at the end of both words. These words are
therefore Participle Prepositions.

6. Disguised Prepositions:
Disguised prepositions are those prepositions which are not used in the sentences directly,
but we use them in a disguised way. Their shorter forms are used. The examples of Disguised
Prepositions are ‘a’ and ‘o’.
Disguised preposition ‘a’ is shortened form of the preposition ‘on’ and similarly ‘o’ is the
shortened form of the preposition ‘of’.
Examples of disguised prepositions in sentences:
The ceremony will be held at 5 o’ clock.
We all went to a party.
In the first example, instead of saying ‘5 of the clock’, we have used disguised form of the
preposition of.
In the second example, instead of saying ‘went on partying’, we have used abbreviation of the
preposition on and disguised the preposition as ‘a’. Hence these are Disguised Prepositions.

7. Detached Prepositions:
A preposition is called a detached preposition when it does not come before its object. It is
detached from its object. When the object of a preposition is an interrogative pronoun or
a relative pronoun, the preposition comes at the end of the sentence.
Look at the following examples of detached prepositions for further understanding.
She is the woman whom I was talking about.
Here are the books that you asked for.
Which of the houses were you working in?
In the first two of the above examples, we can see that because of relative
pronouns whom and that, the prepositions about and for are being detached from their
objects.
In the third example, the interrogative pronoun ‘which’ is detaching the preposition ‘in’ from
its object.
Hence these are all detached prepositions.

Difference between disguised Prepositions and detached preposition

We do not use disguised prepositions in a sentences directly, but we use them in a disguised
way. Mostly, we use their shorter forms. e.g., ‘a’ and ‘o’. while on the other hand, A
preposition is detached preposition when it does not come before its object. It is detached
from its object or referral. When the object of a preposition is an interrogative pronoun or
a relative pronoun, the preposition comes at the end of the sentence.
Preposition & its types
What is the preposition?
The word 'preposition' is made up of two words 'pre' & 'position'. 'Pre' means 'before'
& 'Position' means placement. We use it before a noun or a pronoun & this noun or
pronoun is known as the object of preposition. So the preposition is a word placed
before a noun or a pronoun to connect that noun or pronoun with the rest part of the
sentence.

Definition -
A preposition is a word placed before a noun or a pronoun to show its relation with
another part ( or parts of speech) of the sentence.

 It must always be followed by a noun or a pronoun in a sentence.

Examples -

 He puts his books on the table.

(Here on preposition is used to define the place of book. Where does he put his
book?
He puts his books on the table. it is telling us the relation of book with the table.)

 He is in the room.

(This preposition is also used to define the place. In preposition is showing the
relation between he & the room.)

Now let us focus on its types :

Types of preposition -
We can define the types of preposition on two basis :

1) On the basis of structure ( construction )

2) On the basis of function ( usage ).

On the basis of structure, Prepositions are divided into five categories.

1) Simple preposition
2) Double preposition
3) Compound preposition
4) Participle preposition
5) Phrase preposition

According to the function prepositions are categorized into the following types.
1) Preposition of time
2) Preposition of place
3) Preposition of movement
4) Preposition for direction
5) Preposition for agency
6) Preposition of instrument
7) Preposition for reason
8) Preposition for origin
9) Preposition for purpose
10) Preposition for price
11) Appropriate preposition

First of all I will define the preposition on the basis of structure :

1) Simple preposition -
A simple preposition consists of only one word.

E.g - in, on, to, of, for, with, at, by, after, from, till, up, off, as, over, out, but, than,
after, under etc.

Now we will form some sentences using simple preposition:

 He was staying at the hotel.

(at 'is' a preposition which is used before a noun & it consists of only one word so it
is a simple preposition.)

 They came from Agra.

('Agra' is a place (noun), 'from' is a preposition which is used before a noun. This
preposition consists of only one word so it is a simple preposition. )

2) Double preposition -
Double preposition is a combination of two Simple prepositions. ( when two simple
prepositions are used together are called double prepositions)

E. g -

 INTO - IN+TO

The preposition Into is made up of two simple prepositions 'in' & 'to' so it is a
double preposition.

Now let's form a sentence using this preposition :

He jumped into the well.

 Within - WITH + IN

The preposition 'within' is made up of two Simple prepositions 'with' & 'in' so it is a
Double preposition.

Now let's form a sentence using this preposition :

He will return within a week.

 UPON - UP+ON

The preposition 'upon' is also made up of two simple prepositions 'up' & 'on' so it is
a double preposition.

Now let's form a sentence using this preposition :

Stand upon the chair.

3) Compound preposition -
Compound prepositions are formed by prefixing a preposition to a noun, an
adjective or an adverb.
E.g - beside, along, behind, across, before, about, around, below, against, above,
among, amidst, beneath, between, beyond, inside, outside, underneath, etc.

Now let's form some sentences using these preposition :

 There are several trees around my college.

 There is a bridge across the river.
 The house is beyond the hill.

4) Participle preposition -
When a participle is used as a preposition before a noun or a pronoun in a sentence,
is known as Participle preposition.

A participle preposition is a verb, ending with ing, en, or ed that functions as a

preposition in a sentence.
Participle prepositions have - ing, - ed, & - en as suffixes.

Some of the most common examples of participle preposition are :

considering, regarding, during, pending, concerning, following, including,
notwithstanding, respected, provided etc.

Now let's form some sentences using these preposition :

Considering the quality, the price is cheap.

During the war, everything was costly.

You should not leave anything pending for tomorrow.

5) Phrase preposition / Prepositional Phrase -

Phrase prepositions are a group of words that act as a single preposition.
A phrase preposition is a phrase containing a preposition & functions as a
preposition in a sentence & connects nouns, pronouns, or other phrase to other
words in a sentence.
Phrase preposition are a combination of

A preposition + an object 's modifier + the object.

Some phrase preposition are -

On account of, on behalf of, by means of, in the end, in any case, in spite of, in place
of, because of, for the purpose of, in front of, according to, in order to, by reason of,
by way of, due to, in case of, in comparison to, to the fact, in place of,as well as, in
accordance with, for the sake of, with a view to, in the end, in any case, at home, in
time etc.

E. g -
In spite of many efforts he failed.

I couldn't attend the class because of fever.

They stayed together for the sake of their job.

Our thoughts is expressed by means of language.