| Exemplary Prose: |
| Essential Writing Skills in Context |
Prepositions
Go to The Guide to Grammar and Writing section on Prepositions.
Prepositions
Prepositions connect nouns, pronouns, and nounlike elements to other words in sentences. Prepositions indicate relationships, as illustrated in the following sentence:
preposition
The bread is on the table.
Here the preposition on indicates the relative positions of the bread and the table.
Here are some rules that you may find helpful:
understanding prepositional phrases
using prepositional phrases in sentences
putting prepositional phrases where they belong
avoiding mistakes with prepositions
understanding omitted prepositions
avoiding unnecessary prepositions
avoiding incorrect use of prepositions
One way to identify prepositions is to look for words that indicate connections between other words. Prepositions indicate not only space relationships (as in “The bread is on the table” but time relationships (“He was born just after World War II”) and various other connections between ideas (“All the club members, including Isaac, agreed to go”). However, other kinds of words also indicate relationships. Therefore, the only practical way to identify prepositions is to memorize the most common ones.
Most prepositions are short words. Their forms never change, no matter where they appear in sentences. Below is a list of common one-word prepositions:
Common prepositions
about above across after against
along among around as at
before behind below beneath beside
between beyond by concerning despite
down during except excluding for
from in including inside into
like near of off on
onto out outside over past
regarding since through throughout till
to toward under underneath unlike
up upon with within without
Some of these words can also function as other parts of speech. For example, for is also a coordinating conjunction, as and since are also subordinating conjunctions, and outside is also an adverb.
Compound prepositions, which are phrases made up of prepositions and other words, function in the same way as other prepositions do. In the following sentence, the compound preposition “in front of” shows a relationship just as a one-word preposition would:
Clara is the girl standing in front of Felice in the class picture.
Below is a list of commonly used compound prepositions:
according to along with apart from as for
aside from because of by means of by way of
except for in addition to in back of in case of
in front of in place of in regard to in spite of
instead of next to on account of on behalf of
on top of out of regardless of with regard to
Understanding prepositional phrases
The combination of a preposition, the noun, pronoun or nounlike element that follows it, and any intervening modifiers is called a prepositional phrase. “Across the street,” “over the summer,” and “despite the rising cost” are examples of prepositional phrases. The noun or noun substitute at the end of a prepositional phrase is the object of the preposition. In the following sentence, “flight” is the object of the preposition in:
prepositional
phrase
An albatross can cover 10,000 miles in a single flight.
Here the preposition in shows the relationship between a flight and the distance covered (10,000 miles).
Practice creating your own prepositional phrases by writing phrases that begin with twenty different prepositions. Your list might include prepositional phrases like these:
behind the door under the bed
unlike my brother for my paycheck
until noon throughout the house
with my sister on the floor
regarding money near my car
Next, write five sentences in which you use as many of your prepositional phrases as you can. Your sentences might be similar to this one:
With my sister I searched throughout the house for my paycheck, which we finally found on the floor under the bed.
Using prepositional phrases in sentences
Prepositional phrases function in sentences as adjectives, adverbs, and nouns. In the following sentence, the prepositional phrases “of Enterprise, Alabama” and “to the boll weevil” function as adjectives modifying the nouns citizens and monument:
noun
prepositional phrase noun
prepositional
phrase
The citizens of Enterprise, Alabama, erected a monument to the boll weevil.
In the next sentence the prepositional phrase “to a rifle muzzle” functions as an adverb modifying the past participle attached, which is used as an adjective:
adjective
prepositional phrase
A bayonet is a short blade attached to a rifle muzzle.
In the following sentence, the prepositional phrase “From Jacksonville to Key West” functions as a noun. The whole prepositional phrase is the subject of the verb is:
prepositional phrase
From Jacksonville to Key West is more than 500 miles.
Using a prepositional phrase as a noun is rare, perhaps because such usage can seem awkward.
Putting prepositional phrases where they belong
Like other modifiers, prepositional phrases should appear in sentences as close as possible to the words they describe. Accurately placed prepositional phrases can make sentences more vivid and precise:
The tired children lay down on the grass under the shade of an old oak tree and fell asleep.
In this sentence the three prepositional phrases “on the grass,” “under the shade,” and “of an old oak tree” allow a reader to picture a scene which would otherwise remain vague.
If the prepositional phrases are misplaced, however, they can make a sentence confusing or unintentionally comic:
NOT: The crowd applauded wildly after the great trapeze artist did a triple somersault for five minutes.
No matter how great a trapeze artist may be, he or she cannot remain suspended in the air turning somersaults for five minutes. An enthusiastic crown can applaud for that long, and this is probably what the writer intended to convey. The revised version is clearer:
The crowd applauded wildly for five minutes after the great trapeze artist did a triple somersault.
Avoiding mistakes with prepositions
Something two or more prepositions could appear in the same place in a sentence with very little difference in meaning. The two sentences below, for example, mean about the same thing:
Professor Shaw is an expert in marine biology.
Professor Shaw is an expert on marine biology.
Most of the time, however, prepositions are not interchangeable. Using one preposition when another is needed is a mistake. In the following sentence, using the wrong preposition produces confusion:
NOT: Last evening, my wife and I went over to the Hoffners’ and help put down their new drapes.
Up, not down, is the preposition needed here.
Understanding omitted prepositions
Sometimes prepositions can be omitted without changing the meaning of a sentence. In the following sentence, for example, the meaning does not change whether the preposition in is included or not:
A mosquito can travel more than ten miles (in) a day.
Most of the time, however, the correct preposition should be included:
NOT: Would you like to come over my house on Saturday afternoon?
In this sentence, the preposition to is required in formal writing:
Would you like to come over to my house on Saturday afternoon?
A common cause of omitted prepositions is faulty proofreading. Prepositions are so familiar that writers sometimes see them in their sentences even when they are not there. Writers should be careful to ensure that the words they intended actually appear on the page in front of them.
Avoiding unnecessary prepositions
Sometimes speakers or writers include prepositions where they are not needed. For example, the preposition off is sufficient by itself and does not require the help of the additional word of:
NOT: Take your feet off of the table!
Here, “Take your feet off the table!” is correct.
Another preposition that is often added unnecessarily is at:
NOT: Where’s my briefcase at?
Here, “Where’s my briefcase?” requests the same information in better English.
Between is a preposition usually used to describe the relationship of a person or thing to one other person or thing:
Let’s keep this information a secret between the two of us.
In addition, it is used to indicate the space separating two points:
My brother is the one standing between the man in the gray suit and the woman in the red dress.
Between is also used for time:
We finished cleaning up between eight and nine o’clock.
Among is usually used when three or more people or things are involved:
Choosing a flavor of ice cream among so many possibilities isn’t easy.
Avoiding incorrect use of prepositions
Some verbs and adjectives are followed by specific prepositions, not because the two are logically connected but because good speakers and writers have always used them that way. For example, the preposition with the adjective capable is of, as in the following sentence:
Ralph is capable of doing much better work than he has done so far.
Using another preposition in place of of (such as “capable to”) would be awkward. Below is a list of several verbs and adjectives and the prepositions that accompany them:
inferior to capable of susceptible to
detract from common to substitute for
center on rely on compatible with
consist of different from
If you are in doubt about which preposition is needed with a particular word, consult a good dictionary.
Many words can be followed by more than one preposition; however, combining the same word with different prepositions can result in very different meanings. For example, the combination differ from means “be unlike” as in the following sentence:
A house cat differs from a tiger in size but not temperament.
The combination differ with means “disagree,” as in this sentence:
I differed with my husband about where to go on our vacation this year, so we compromised and stayed home.
Sometimes two words, each requiring its own preposition, occur in the same sentence. Omitting one of the two prepositions is an error:
NOT: We will always rely and have confidence in you.
The writer of this sentence used the preposition in with both rely and confidence, but rely in is incorrect. Rely requires the preposition on. A correct version of this sentence contains both prepositions:
We will always rely on and have confidence in you.
Prepositions connect nouns, pronouns, and nounlike elements to other words in sentences.
Compound prepositions, phrases made up of prepositions and other words, function in the same way as one-word prepositions do.
A prepositional phrase includes a preposition, the noun, pronoun or nounlike element that follows it, and any intervening modifiers.
The noun or nounlike element at the end of a prepositional phrase is the object of the preposition.
Prepositional phrases function in sentences as adjectives, adverbs, and nouns.
Prepositional phrases should be located as close as possible to the words they describe.
Omitting necessary prepositions and adding unnecessary prepositions should be avoided.
Some prepositions are always used with specific verbs and adjective