Prepositions List – Most Used

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List of Prepositions

There are hundreds of prepositions in English grammar. This is quite small when you think of thousands of other words like verbs, nouns, etc. However, we use prepositions more frequently than any other words in English. 

Check General English For Competitive exams for more articles based on concepts, rules, lists with example sentences, questions and answers, etc. for the preparation of the English section of competitive exams.

Given below is the list of most common prepositions used in the English language. Along with the prepositions, the list specifies the type of preposition and an example sentence for each of the prepositions, which would help candidates to understand them better.   

Common Prepositions List

Preposition	Type	Example Sentence
above	position	There was a display of fireworks above the town.
across	position	His dog lay across his lap.
	direction	The vendor walked across the street to sell fruits.
after	time	Shortly after their marriage, they moved to Texas.
against	position	The grasscutter was kept against the fence.
	direction	My aunt threw the painting against the wall.
along	direction	The road led along the forest.
among	position	The child hid among the trees.
around	position	The fence around the house is necessary for safety.
at	location	They have a dishwasher at home.
	time	Today the meeting is at 6 p.m.
away from	direction	The hospital staff led the body away from the other patients.
before	time	I go to the gym before college.
behind	position	We parked the car behind the school building.
below	position	Just below the pocket was a stain.
beneath	position	There is a tunnel beneath the Alps.
beside	position	He sat beside her in the front seat.
between	position	The garden between the two houses is beautiful
by	position	Go by the road to reach your destination.
	time	By the time the guests arrived, the snacks were over.
down	direction	He goes up and down the stairs for a workout.
during	time	His phone rang during the meeting with the CEO.
for	time	They went to Dubai for a week.
from	direction	He came running from home to catch the bus.
	time	The show will run from 10 p.m to 12 p.m.
in	position	His mother kept his clothes in the cupboard.
	location	My parents are living in Japan.
	time	The play will end in some minutes.
in front of	position	He was waiting for his friend in front of the pub.
inside	position	The cat hid inside the drawer.
into	direction	Put the food into the fridge.
near	position	The car was parked near the mall.
next to	position	The best friends sat next to each other.
off	direction	She rolled off the stairs.
on	position	The jug is on the shelf.
	location	Her house is on the main road
	time	My vacation begins on Tuesday.
onto	direction	The dog jumped onto his lap.
out of	direction	The cab arrived the moment they walked out of the hotel.
outside	location	There was an old man outside the temple.
over	position	He saw flames over the school building.
	direction	She jumped over the rat.
through	position	A long tunnel goes through these mountains.
	direction	He chose to walk through the subway.
till	time	They waited till the guests arrived to cut the cake.
to	direction	She prefers walking to work.
	time	The party is from 9 to 11.
toward(s)	direction	The steamer sailed towards the riverbank.
under	position	The rat is under my bed.
	direction	The fish swam under the ship.
underneath	position	Their bedroom is right underneath ours.
until	time	She can’t wait until next month for the treatment.
up	direction	We climbed up the mountains to see the serene view.