Main Takeaways:
- There are five types of prepositions in the English language.
- A preposition is a word that helps connect nouns and pronouns with a verb or adjective in a sentence.
- The five types of prepositions are simple, double, compound, participle, and phrase prepositions.
- Prepositional phrases contain a preposition plus a noun or pronoun.
There are five types of prepositions. They are simple, double, compound, participle, and phrase prepositions. A preposition is used to show a relationship between thenoun,pronoun, or phrasesin a sentence. They are used to connect people, objects, time, and locations.
What is a Preposition?
The definition of a preposition is a word or phrase that connects a noun or pronoun to a verb or adjective in a sentence. They are usually short words, and they normally are found in front of nouns. On rare occasions, prepositions can be found in front of gerund verbs.
If the subject, noun, and verb are the bricks of sentence, then prepositions are the mortar that connects them. They express position, movement, possession, time, and how an action is completed.
How Many Types of Prepositions are There?
There are five types of prepositions:
- Simple preposition
- Double preposition
- Compound preposition
- Participle preposition
- Phrase preposition
These are spoken and written quite often in English. In fact, many of us use all types of prepositions naturally without realizing that they are distinct and have a name.
for, with, on, that, of, to
What are the Most Common Prepositions?
The Top 10 most common prepositions in the English language are: of, with, at, from, into, during, including, until, against. These represent the most frequently used prepositions. They are also called “simple prepositions.”
What is a Simple Type of Preposition?
Simple prepositions are the short words used to show the relationship between nouns, pronouns, or to join parts of a clause or sentence.
List of Simple Prepositions
Here are some of the most common, or simple prepositions:
aboardaboutaboveacrossafteragainstalongalongsideamidamongaroundatbeforebehindbelowbeneathbesidebesidesbetweenbeyondbutbyconcerning
consideringdespitedownduringexceptexceptingforfromininsideintolikenearofoffonontooppositeoutoutsideoverpastregarding
roundsavesincethroughthroughouttilltotowardunderunderneathuntiluntoupuponviawithwithinwithout
Examples of Simple Prepositions Used in Sentences
The dog jumped out while the car was moving.
Car is the object of the preposition out.
Dorothy came upon the Tin Man.
Upon is the preposition. Tin Man is the object.
She came home without her homework.
Homework is the object and the preposition is without.
What are Prepositions of Place?
Writers use this type of preposition to describe where something is located. There are four Prepositions of Place. “At” describes a specific point in space. “In” describes an enclosed space. “On” describes an object’s relationship to a surface. “By” describes an object’s proximity to something else.
Prepositions of Place Examples
“At”
Meet me at the library.
“In”
[example]I’m trapped in the elevator!
“On”
Is that a cat sleeping on your car?
“By”
I’ve always wanted to try that cafe by the train station.
Prepositions of Direction
If you ask “Where?”, this type of preposition is usually part of the answer. Prepositions of Direction let you know where something is going. They indicate which direction something is moving. There are dozens of examples, but the most common examples of Prepositions of Direction are:
above, across, along, among, around, at, behind, below, beside, over, through, toward, up, down, between, by, inside, in, near, past, under
What is a Double Preposition?
Easily form a Double Prepositions by joining two simple prepositions.
Examples of Double Prepositions in Sentences
The dog jumped out of the moving car.
The child hid inside of the cabinet.
What is a Compound Preposition?
Double prepositions and compound prepositions are very similar. Both are two-word phrases. The double preposition is formed through the conjunction of two simple prepositions. Whereas the compound preposition is formed through the conjunction of a non-prepositional wordand a simple preposition.
Note: Compound prepositions can sound dated or stuffy. For readability’s sake consider attempting to simplify the phrase.
I use INK which is a web content optimization editor. It identifies wordy or complex sentences and suggests that I edit to make my articles easily digestible.
At that point in timeI didn’t know the answer.
This sentence can be simplified to:
Then, I didn’t know the answer.
or
I didn’t know the answer.
The Most Common Compound Prepositions
according toahead ofalong withalongside ofapart fromaround aboutas againstas betweenas compared withas compared toas forat that point in timeat this point in timeat the point ofat the time ofbecause ofby force ofby means ofby reason ofby virtue ofby way ofdue toduring the course ofexcept forfor fear offor lack offor the purpose offor the reason thatfor the sake offrom abovefrom amongfrom behindfrom beneathfrom betweenfrom the point of view ofin accordance within a manner similar toin care ofin case ofin close connection within common within comparison toin compliance within connection withon account ofon behalf ofon the basis ofon the part ofon the point ofon top ofout ofoutside ofowing toprevious toprior topursuant toregardless ofrelating torelative toshort ofsimilar to
subsequent tounder cover ofwhat withwith a view towith regard towith reference towith respect towith the intention ofin consequence ofin consideration ofin contrast toin default ofin deference toin exchange forin excess ofin favor ofin front ofin lieu ofin opposition toin order toin place ofin preference toin receipt ofin regard toin relation toin search ofin spite ofin terms ofin the course ofin the event ofin the face ofin the immediate vicinity ofin the nature ofindependently ofinside ofinstead ofon account ofon behalf ofon the basis ofon the part ofon the point ofon top ofout ofoutside ofowing toprevious toprior topursuant toregardless ofrelating torelative toshort ofsimilar tosubsequent tounder cover ofwhat withwith a view towith regard towith reference towith respect towith the intention of
Participle Prepositions
Participle prepositions have endings such as -ed and -ing.
assuming,barring,considering,during,given,notwithstanding,provided, regarding, andrespected.
Prepositional Phrase Example Sentences
The baby cries during the day and sometimes at night.
All the children were in the classroom including the teacher.
Considering she was sick, she still put up her best times.
How do you Identify a Prepositional Phrase?
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that doesn’t contain averbor a subject. It functions as a unified part of speech. A prepositional phrase normally has a simple preposition and anounor a simple preposition and apronoun.
Think of prepositional phrases as making a hamburger. You must have meat (or a protein) and bread. A simple preposition and the object of the preposition are the basics of a prepositional phrase.
You can jazz up your hamburger by adding cheese, grilled onions, mustard, tomatoes, etc. The same can be done for prepositional phrases. Add adverbs and adjectives to make your sentence more enjoyable to read.
Prepositional Phrase Examples
Prepositional phrases contain a preposition followed by an article followed by a noun.
The hamburger with cheese is yours.
Let’s spice up this sentence.
The hamburger with ooey-gooey cheese is yours.
I danced on the stage.
Next, we add more details.
I danced on the concert stage.
The puppy ran through the grass.
Adjectives make the sentence more enticing to read.
The puppy ran through the lush green grass.
Of the types of prepositions, I think simple prepositions are the easiest.
Adding a number adjective makes the sentence for informative.
Of the five types of prepositions, I think simple prepositions are the easiest.
