Common Prepositions – By, With, Behind...

Common Prepositions

English uses many prepositions besides at, on and in. They help us describe place, movement, direction and other relationships such as who we are with, where something comes from, or what something is about.

Prepositions of position

These describe where something is in relation to something else.

• between = in the space separating two people or things:
  Jack is standing between Carol and Lucy.
• among = surrounded by a group or many things:
  They disappeared among the crowd.
• next to / beside = directly at the side of something or someone:
  The bank is next to the supermarket.
  Come and sit beside me.
• near / close to = not far from something:
  My house is near the station.
• opposite = facing or directly across from something:
  The school is opposite the library.
• in front of / behind = before or at the back of something:
  The teacher is standing in front of the class.
  The car is parked behind the house.
• above / below = higher or lower than something:
  The jar is on the shelf above the sink.
  The temperature fell below zero.
• under = below or covered by something:
  Are you wearing a sweater under your coat?
• inside / outside = within or beyond a space:
  Are the cups inside the box?
  Leave the bags outside the door.

Prepositions of movement and direction

These describe the path or direction of movement.

• through = from one side of something to the other, inside a space:
  You must go through the forest to get to the village.
• across = from one side to the other over a surface or area:
  She walked across the field.
• along = following the side or length of something:
  We went for a walk along the river.
• over = above something or across the top of something:
  The plane flew over the Alps.
• up / down = towards a higher or lower position:
  The monkey climbed up the tree.
  Kim fell down the stairs.
• around / round = in a circle or surrounding something:
  We walked around the lake.
  The Earth goes round the Sun.
• towards = in the direction of someone or something:
  I saw two men coming towards me.
• past = moving beside and beyond something:
  He walked past me without saying hello.
• out of = from inside something to the outside:
  Jenna took the key out of her bag.

Other useful prepositions

These show relationships that are not mainly about place.

• by = method or transport:
  How often do you go by bus?
• with / without = together with someone or not having something:
  I went there with Ann.
  I went out without my husband.
• for = the person who receives something or the purpose:
  This present is for you.
• from = origin or starting point:
  She comes from Texas.
• about = topic or subject:
  Ted doesn't know anything about computers.
• of = belonging or connection:
  What is the name of the book?
• than = comparison:
  He's taller than me.
• except = excluding something:
  The shop is open every day except Sundays.
• instead of = replacing something:
  You should do your homework instead of watching TV.

Prepositions with events and time

Some prepositions show the relationship between an action and an event.

• during = throughout a period of time:
  We didn't eat during the film.
• before / after = earlier or later than something:
  I'm always nervous before exams.
  Sam was tired after the football match.
• behind = later than planned when talking about schedules:
  The bus is ten minutes behind schedule.

• Position:
  next to, near, between, opposite, above, under, inside
• Movement:
  through, across, along, towards, past, out of
• Relations:
  with, without, for, from, about, of
• Time/events:
  before, after, during, behind schedule