Language Arts This preposition overview has information on simple prepositions, complex prepositions, prepositional complements, and the roles of prepositional phrases. The article provides a definition and examples of each type of prepositions.

Prepositions are used to introduce prepositional phrases, devices for adding modifying information in ways beyond what adjectives and adverbs can do. The preposition is followed in the prepositional phrase by the object or complement.

Simple Prepositions

Prepositions have a single form that is used any place they are used in a sentence. This is a list of fifty-five of the most common simple prepositions:

aboard	but (except)	over
about	by	past
above	concerning	per
across	considering	regarding
after	despite	since
against	down	than
along	during	through
among	except	throughout
around	for	till
as	from	to
at	in	toward
before	into	towards
behind	like	under
below	near	until
beneath	of	upon
beside	off	with
besides	on	within
between	onto	without
beyond

Here are some example sentences:

Harold ran far beyond the finish line.

Barbie went without breakfast.

They said it was the longest line in the world.

If you want to narrow it down even more, the most common are these twenty-three:

about	for	than
after	from	through
as	in	to
at	into	under
before	like	with
between	of	within
by	on	without
during	over

It is important for you to know that many of these words are not solely prepositions, but fulfill the roles of multiple parts of speech. Many prepositions are also conjunctions or adverbs. Of the first ten prepositions on the list of fifty-five, all but against and among are also adverbs, while after, as, before, for, since, than, and until are conjunctions.

Complex Prepositions

Complex prepositions are formed of more than one word. Many of these prepositions begin with in or on, and end with from, of, to, or with. Here are a number of them:

according to	except for	on behalf of
along with	in accordance with	outside of
apart from	in addition to	owing to
as a result of	in comparison with	prior to
as for	in contrast to	rather than
as to	in front of	regardless of
as well as	in light of	so far as
because of	in regard to	subject to
by means of	in spite of	thanks to
by way of	in view of	together with
care of	instead of	with reference to
close to	next to	with regard to
contrary to	on account of	with respect to
due to

Here are some example sentences:

In accordance with the state code, the paper mill will have a week to respond to the charge.

Please choose me instead of Jim!

Next, we will discuss plans with respect to the merger.

We can all get home before seven p.m. thanks to Sally and Ned and the crew.

Prepositional Complements

The complements of prepositions are usually noun phrases (see the article “Nouns Overview”), or nominal clauses. Prepositional complements take the objective form when available in formal style, and so this mainly affects the choice of pronouns:

	Objective Pronouns
First person singular	me
First person plural	us
Second person singular	you
Second person plural	you
Third person singular:	him, her, it
Third person plural	them

Here are some example sentences:

Don't go without me!

Take it from him!

On behalf of all of us, I offer Miss Pritchard the heartiest congratulations.

Roles of Prepositional Phrases

Prepositional phrases serve as modifiers, and they can act both like adjectives and adverbs. Prepositional phrases can modify a wide variety of sentence elements.

1) Prepositional phrases can modify nouns (notice that it can go after the noun, whereas most adjectives in English are place before the noun).

SueEllen Smith of 2914 Chestnut Ave. was the first witness.

I am vacuuming the Oriental rug in the hall.

2) Prepositional phrases can modify adjectives.

Rich was unaware of the circumstances.

Fido was confused by the strange scent.

3) Prepositional phrases can modify verbs.

The child stood near the merry-go-round.

Lubee grabbed the artichoke without a second thought.

And prepositional phrases can modify other sentence elements, and even entire sentences.