Prepositions and Prepositional Phrases
I.Prepositions
A preposition is a single word. Prepositions generally express a spatial, temporal, or other
relationship. There are about 150 prepositions in the English Language.
Commonly Used Prepositions
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

except
excepting
excluding
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

following
for
from
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in
inside
into
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like
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minus
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near
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of
off
on
onto
opposite
outside
over
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aboard
about
above
across
after
against
along
amid
among
anti
around
as
at
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before
behind
below
beneath
beside
besides
between
beyond
but
by
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
concerning
considering
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past
per
plus
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despite
down
during
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regarding
round
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save
since
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than
through
to
toward
towards
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under
underneath
unlike
until
up
upon
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versus
via
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with
within
without
II
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/prepositions-list.htm
July 2014
II. Prepositional Phrases
A prepositional phrase is a group of words (usually 3 to 5 words) that begins with a preposition.
Examples:
 in a yellow house
 over the large hill
 at the small pond
A prepositional phrase must always contain a preposition, but it may also contain one or more of
the following:
 article (a, an, the)
 noun (some examples are house, hill, pond)
 pronoun (some examples are him, her, them)
 adjective (some examples are yellow, large, pretty)
A prepositional phrase can never contain any one of the following elements:
 Subject
Tim dropped the aquarium on the floor.
 Verb
Tim dropped the aquarium on the floor.
 Object
Tim dropped the aquarium on the floor.
Note: Many prepositional phrases will contain an object TO THE PREPOSITION, but not an
object of the main clause of the sentence.
III. Grammar Tip
If you are looking for the subject and/or verb of a main clause in a sentence, cross off the
prepositional phrase(s) since neither the subject nor the verb will be contained in a prepositional
phrase. This will help you to identify the core parts (subject and verb) of the sentence more
easily. When you edit your own writing, mentally crossing off the prepositional phrases will help
you to identify whether you have included a subject and a verb; then you will know you have
written a complete sentence and not a fragment.
IV. Your Turn
Underline the prepositional phrase(s)
1. I ran behind the grocery store yesterday.
2. I ran to the tutorial center because my paper was due at 1:00pm.
3. I dropped my flash drive under the chair while I was getting tutored.
4. My brother and sister drove to the top of the
http://depts.dyc.edu/learningcenter/owl/prepositions.htm
July 2014
V. Three Commonly Used Prepositions: at, on, and in
AT = an exact or specific location
AT
ON
(She works at Fresno City College)
ON = a street (without an address)
(Fresno City College is on McKinley)
IN = a city state, country, or region
IN
(Fresno City College is in Fresno)
VI. Obligatory Deletion: on, to, and for
ON
Explanation: Prepositions do not have to be used in sentences before determines such as
last, next, and this.
Incorrect: I was busy on last Friday night.
Correct: I was busy last Friday night.
TO
Explanation: Omit prepositions when a locative noun, such as home or downtown, or the
pro-adverbs here and there are used with a verb of motion or direction.
Incorrect: We went to home.
Correct: We went home.
Incorrect: Jill walks to here.
Correct: Jill walks here.
FOR Explanation: Omit prepositions when a temporal noun phrase contains a universal
quantifier like every, all, several, few, etc.
Incorrect: We stayed in Fresno for all week.
Correct: We stayed in Fresno all week.
The Grammar Book by Marianne Celce – Murcia and Diane Larson-Freeman pgs. 404-421
July 2014