Types of Prepositions with Examples & List

What is a preposition?

We use a preposition to relate a noun or a pronoun to some other word in the sentence. For example, in the sentence, “The water in the glass is cold.”
The preposition “in” shows the relationship between ‘water’ and ‘glass’.

Preposition Meaning: ‘Preposition‘ is a word used to show the relationship between a noun or a pronoun and some other word in the sentence.

The relationship includes direction, place, time, cause, manner and amount.

Preposition Examples

Prepositions are short words such as ‘in’, ‘at’, ‘on’ etc. that usually stand in front of nouns (sometimes also in front of gerund verbs). Some examples of preposition sentences are given below. Each sentence will show you the type of relationship. 

• In the sentence, She went to the store, “To” is a preposition which shows direction.
• In the sentence, He came by bus, “By” is a preposition which shows manner. 
• In the sentence, They will be here at three o’clock, “At” is a preposition which shows time.
• In the sentence, It is under the table, “Under” is a preposition which shows place.

Now, we look at some more examples

Example of Preposition + Noun

I gave a book to Julia.

Example of Preposition + Pronoun

I gave a book to him

Example of Preposition + Gerund

I devote my time to reading.

A preposition is always used with a noun or a pronoun. The noun or pronoun it is used with is called the object of the preposition.
For example, “You may go with your brother.”
Here the preposition ‘with’ relates its object ‘brother’ to ‘may go’.

When you find a word that you think is a preposition, look for the object. Say the preposition and then say, ‘what?’. If there is a ‘what’ or ‘when’ you have a preposition. For example, “He jumped  in.” In what? there is no answer; therefore, ‘in’ is not a preposition.

Now, look at the following sentence.

He jumped in the water.

Now when we say, ‘in what?’ there is an answer, ‘water”, so ‘in’ here is a preposition.

See also: In, On, At – Preposition of Time and Place Exercises

Types of Prepositions

There are following types of prepositions.  

1. Simple Preposition

When a preposition consists of one word is called single or simple preposition.

Simple Preposition Examples: in, at, on, to for, of, from, up, after, over, under, with, till, etc.

2. Double Preposition 

When a preposition consists of more than one word, it is called double preposition.

Double Preposition Examples: into, within, upto etc.

3. Compound Preposition  

Compound preposition consists of two or more words.

Compound Preposition Examples: on behalf of, according to, in front of, from accross etc.

4. Participle Preposition   

Participle preposition consists of words that end in “ing”.

Participle Examples: regarding, barring, concerning, considering, etc.

5. Disguised Prepositions

Disguised Preposition Examples: ‘by’ can be changed into ‘be’, ‘on’ into ‘a’, and ‘of’ can be changed into ‘o’ for example, 5 O’ clock.

6. Phrase Prepositions

Group of words used with the force of a single preposition is called phrase preposition.

Phrase Preposition Examples: according to, by means of, owing to, with a view to, in place of, in front of, in spite of, instead of, in order to, by virtue of, by way of, etc.

Read also: Preposition of Place, Preposition of Time

Prepositions List

Here is an alphabetically organized list of common prepositions. 

• Abide by a promise
• Ability for in some work
• Abound in or with fish
• Absolved of a charge
• Absorbed in thoughts
• Abstain from wine
• Abundance of food
• Accede to a request
• Acceptable to a person
• Access to a person or a place
• Accomplice with a person in some crime
• Accountable to a person for a thing
• Accustomed to hearing abuses
• Acquaintance with a person or a thing
• Accuse of some misdeed
• Acquitted of a charge
• Adhere to a plan
• Adjacent to a place
• Admit to an excuse
• Adverse to his interests
• Affection for a person
• Affectionate to a person
• Affinity with something between two things
• Afraid of death
• Agree to a proposal
• Agree with a person
• Aim at a mark
• Alarmed at a bad news
• Alight from a carriage
• Allegiance to a person
• Alliance with a person or state
• Allot to a person
• Allusion to something
• Alternative to a plan
• Amazed at anything
• Ambition for something
• Amused at a joke
• Animosity against a person
• Angry at a thing with a person
• Answer to a person
• Answer for conduct
• Anxious for his safety about the results
• Apology for some fault to a person
• Appeal to a person for redress or help against
• Appetite for food
• Applicable to a case
• Apply to a person for a thing
• Appoint to a situation
• Apprise of a fact
• Appropriate to an occasion
• Approve of an action
• Aptitude for science etc
• Arrive at a place in a country
• Ashamed of his ignorance
• Ask for a thing from a person
• Astonished at her behavior
• Astonishing to a person
• Assent to an opinion
• Associate with a person or thing
• Attack on a place
• Attain to a high place
• Attend to a speaker
• Attend on a person
• Attention to study
• Avail oneself of an offer
• Avenge oneself on a person
• Aversion to a person or thing
• Aware of his intentions

• Bark at a person or thing
• Beat against a rock
• Believe in one’s honesty
• Belong to a person
• Bestow a thing on a person
• Beware of pick-pockets
• Blessed with health
• Blind to his own fault
• Blush at one’s own fault
• Boast of one’s wealth
• Born of rich parents
• Break into a house
• Break with a person
• Burst into a rage
• Busy with his lessons
• Call on a person at a place
• Call for punishment
• Canvass for votes
• Capable of improvement
• Care for a person
• Careful of his money about his dress
• Charge man with a crime
• Cling to a person or thing
• Close to a person or thing
• Clothed in blue
• Commence with a thing
• Comment on a matter
• Common to sever persons or things
• Compete with a person
• Competent for certain work
• Complain against a person
• Complaint about a thing
• Comply with someone’s orders
• Composed of a material
• Conceal facts from anyone
• Concede to some demand
• Condole with a person
• Conducive to success
• Confer a thing on anyone
• Confidence in a person
• Confident of success
• Conform to rule with one’s views
• Congratulate a man on his success
• Connive at other men’s fault
• Consent to some proposal
• Conscious of her beauty
• Consist of material in facts or results
• Consult with a person on or about some matter
• Contempt for a person or thing
• Contend with or against a person
• Contend for or about a thing
• Contented with a little
• Contrary to rules
• Contrast to a person or thing
• Contribute to a fund
• Control over a person or thing
• Converse to a point
• Converse with a person about a thing
• Convince a person of a fact
• Cope with a person
• Correspond to something
• Count on a thing
• Cure a man of a disease

• Deaf to his advice
• Deal in clothes(trade)
• Deal with a person
• Deficient in energy
• Delight to see you
• Depend on a person or thing
• Deprive a person of a thing
• Desire for wealth
• Desirous of success
• Despair of success
• Detrimental to health
• Devoid of happiness
• Die of a disease
• Die from some cause as overwork
• Die by violence
• Differ with a person on a subject
• Disagree with a person or thing
• Disappointed with a person in a thing
• Disapprove of anything
• Disgrace to a person
• Dispense with a man’s services
• Displeased with a person
• Dispose of property
• Dispute with a person about anything
• Disqualified for a post
• Dissent from an opinion
• Dissuade from an action
• Distinguish one thing from another
• Distinguish between two things
• Dream of strange things
• Duty to a person
• Dwell on a subject

• Eat into iron
• Elicit from a person
• Eligible for employment
• Embark on board ship
• Embark in business
• Eminent for his poetry
• Employed in gardening
• Encroach on one’s authority
• Endow a person or thing with something
• Engaged to some person in some business
• Enmity with a person
• Entitled to some facility
• Entrust anyone with a thing
• Entrust a thing to anyone
• Envy at another’s success
• Envious of another’ success
• Equal to the occasion
• Escape from jail
• Excuse for a fault
• Exempt a person from a rule
• Exonerate a person from blame
• Experience in doing something
• Explain to a person
• Exult in a victory over a rival

• Faith in a person or a thing
• Faithful to a master
• Familiar to a person or thing with a language
• Famous for his learning
• Fatal to his health
• Feed on grass
• Feed a cow with grass

• Fit for a position fond of music
• Forbearance for some weakness
• Fraught with danger
• Gifted with abilities
• Glance at a person to a thing
• Grapple with difficulties
• Grieve at or for or about an event
• Grieve for a person
• Guard against a bad habit
• Guess at something
• Hanker after wealth
• Harmony with anything
• Hatred of or for a person of a thing
• Heal of a disease
• Heir to some property
• Hint at an intention
• Hope for something
• Hopeful of success
• Hostile to my efforts

• Ignorant of English
• Ill with fever
• Impart a thing to a person
• Impose on a person
• Incite a person to some action
• Inclined to laziness
• Incumbent on a person
• Indebted to a person for some kindness
• Indicative of his motives
• Indifference to a person or thing
• Indulge in gambling
• Infected with smallpox
• Infer one fact from another
• Infested with rats
• Inflict punishment on a man
• Influence over a person on a man’s action
• Informed of a fact
• Infringe on a man’s rights
• Innocent of a charge
• Inquire into a matter of a person about some matter
• Insist on something being done
• Instill a thing into the mind
• Interest in music with a person about some matter
• Interfere with a person in some matter
• Intimate with a person
• Introduce a man to someone into a place or sect
• Invite a man to dinner
• Involve a man in debt
• Irrelevant to a question
• Irrespective of color and creed

• Jeer at person
• Jealous of his reputation
• Jest at a person
• Jump at a person
• Jump to a conclusion into the river

• Lame of one leg
• Lament for the dead
• Laugh at a person or thing
• Lean against a wall
• Liable to an error of payment
• Limited to a certain area
• Live on a small income
• Long for or after some business
• Long at a person or thing
• Long into a matter
• Long for something lost
• Loyal to the government
• Lust after/for riches

• Mad with hunger
• Malice against a person
• Marry one person to another
• Meddle with other man’s affairs
• Merge into anything
• Moved to tears
• Moved with pity
• Moved at the sight
• Moved by request

• Negligent of duty
• Necessity for a thing
• Need for assistance
• Nomination of a person to a post
• Notorious for his misdeeds

• Obedience to a person or order
• Object to some proposal
• Obliged to a person
• Oblivious of the past
• Occupied with some work
• Operate on/upon a patient
• Opposed to facts
• Opposite to a place
• Overcome with sorrow
• Overwhelm with emotions

• Painful to one’s feelings
• Parallel to or with anything
• Part with a person or thing
• Persevere in an effort
• Persist in doing something
• Pertain to question
• Play at cards
• Play upon the guitar
• Play tricks with a person
• Plot against a man
• Plunge into a river
• Ponder on or over a subject
• Popular with students
• Pounce on a thing
• Prefer one thing to another
• Prejudice against a person
• Present anyone with a book
• Preside at or over a meeting
• Prevent from going
• Previous to some event
• Proficient in mathematics
• Prohibit from doing something
• Prone to laziness
• Protect from harm
• Protest against injustice
• Proud of his wealth
• Provide for one’s children
• Provide with something
• Purged of evil thoughts

• Qualification for office
• Quarrel with someone over or about something
• Quick at mathematics

• Recover from an illness
• Reduced to poverty
• Related to a person
• Refer to a subject
• Refrain from some action
• Regard for a man’s feeling
• Rejoice at the success of another in one’s own success
• Relieve of or from pain
• Rely on a person or thing
• Remedy for or against a snake bite
• Remind a person of a thing
• Repent for a sin
• Repentance for sin
• Result from a cause
• Result in a consequence
• Revenge me on someone for some injury
• Revolt against a government
• Reward a man with something for some service done
• Rob a person for something
• Rule over a country
• Run after new fashions
• Run at a cat
• Run into debt

• Sacred to a person
• Satiated with pleasure
• Satisfied with income
• Search for something lost
• Send for a doctor
• Shocked at your behavior
• Short of money
• Shudder at cruelty
• Sick of waiting
• Similar to a person or thing
• Slow at accounts
• Sorry for your sufferings
• Stand against an enemy
• Stand by a friend
• Stand to one’s opinion
• Stare at a person
• Startled at a sight
• Steeped in evils
• Stoop to greediness
• Strange to a person
• Struggle against difficulties
• Subject to authority
• Submit to authority
• Subordinate to a person
• Subscribe to a fund
• Succeed to a property
• Succeed in doing something
• Succumb to difficulties
• Sue for peace
• Sufficient for a purpose
• Suitable to the occasion
• Suitable for his income
• Supplement to a book
• Supply a thing to a person
• Supply a person with a thing
• Sure of success
• Surrender to the enemy
• Suspicious of his meaning
• Sympathize with a person in trouble
• Synonymous with another word

• Take after her mother
• Take a person for a thief
• Take to gambling
• Take upon oneself to do a thing
• Talk to or with a person
• Thankful for some favor
• Throw a stone at any one
• Tired of doing nothing
• Tired with his exertions
• Traitor to his country
• Tremble at a snake with fear
• True to his words
• Trust in a person
• Trust a man with money

• Vested in a person
• Vexed with a person
• Vexed at a thing
• Victorious over difficulties
• View with another person
• Vote for anything
• Vote against a thing

• Wait for a person or thing
• Wait on a person
• Warn a person of danger against a fault
• Want of money
• Weary of doing nothing
• Welcome to my house
• Wish for anything
• Witness of or to an event
• Wonder at something
• Worthy of praise

• Yearn for love
• Yield for pedestrians

• Zeal for a cause
• Zealous for improvement
• Zest for enjoyment

Practice Exercise: Mixed Preposition Exercises with Answers