What is a preposition?

A preposition is a word that links a noun or pronoun to another part of the sentence and shows the relationship between them: place (the book on the shelf), time (a lesson at nine), movement (a trip to Rome), or a fixed connection to a verb or adjective (afraid of dogs). It is always followed by an object, which can be a noun, a pronoun, or an -ing form.

What are the main types of preposition?

The three meaning-based types are prepositions of place (in, on, at, under, between), time (in, on, at, for, since, during), and movement or direction (to, from, into, across, through). A fourth group, dependent prepositions, carries no meaning of its own and simply belongs to a verb, adjective, or noun: depend on, interested in, the reason for. Most learner errors come from the fourth group.

How many prepositions are there in English?

About 150 if you count every one, including rare and multi-word items like notwithstanding and in accordance with. In practice around twenty do most of the work: of, in, to, for, with, on, at, from, by, about, as, into, like, through, after, over, between, out, against, during. Master the core meanings of in, on, and at first, then learn dependent prepositions with the words they attach to.

Can a sentence end with a preposition?

Yes, and in questions and relative clauses it usually does: What are you looking at? This is the house I grew up in. Moving the preposition to the front (At what are you looking?) is grammatical but sounds stiff and requires whom instead of who. The old rule against final prepositions was borrowed from Latin and never described real English.

What is the difference between a preposition and an adverb like up or on?

A preposition has an object after it; an adverb does not. In She ran up the stairs, up is a preposition with the object the stairs. In She looked up, up has no object and is an adverb, part of the phrasal verb look up. The same word switches between the two roles depending on whether a noun follows.

English grammar · Intermediate

Prepositions in English: Types, Rules, and Fixed Combinations

Written by Eleanor Whitfield, Lead English Curriculum Editor · Reviewed September 2026

A preposition is a short word (in, on, at, to, from, with, about) that links a noun or pronoun to the rest of the sentence and shows the relationship between them: where something is, when it happens, where it is moving, or how it connects to a verb or adjective. Prepositions never change form, and each one is followed by a noun, a pronoun, or an -ing form, never by a bare verb.

The keys are in the drawer under the printer.

two prepositions, each linking a noun to a place

What it is

A preposition sits in front of a noun phrase and tells you how that noun relates to something else in the sentence: the book on the table (place), a meeting at noon (time), a walk to the river (movement), or afraid of spiders (a fixed link to an adjective). English has around 150 prepositions, but a couple of dozen do nearly all the work, and the main difficulty is not learning the words but choosing between them. The choice often depends on convention rather than logic: you are interested in something but keen on it, and you arrive at a station but in a city.

She left the office at five, drove to the station, and waited on the platform for a train. (Time, movement, place, and a dependent preposition after wait, in one sentence.)

How to spot it

A preposition is always followed by an object: a noun (in London), a pronoun (with her), or an -ing form (before leaving). If a word like up or on has no object after it (Prices went up. Carry on.), it is working as an adverb or as part of a phrasal verb, not as a preposition.

The cat is under the bed. (place: under links the cat to the bed)
We met in 2019. (time: in with a year)
He ran across the road. (movement: across shows the path)
It depends on the weather. (dependent: depend always takes on)

Because a preposition needs an object, the pronoun after it is always the object form: with me, for him, between you and me (not between you and I).

Prepositions in English Quick Reference

The main types of preposition

Type	Common prepositions	Example
Place	in, on, at, under, behind, between, next to, opposite	The bank is opposite the post office.
Time	in, on, at, before, after, during, for, since, until	We stayed in Rome for a week in April.
Movement and direction	to, from, into, out of, across, through, along, towards, past	She walked through the park towards the lake.
Dependent (fixed) prepositions	of, for, on, to, with, about, from, at	I'm worried about the exam and interested in the results.
Cause, manner, and means	because of, by, with, in, like	He paid by card and wrote with a fountain pen.
Possession and description	of, with, without	a man with a beard, the roof of the house

Common Prepositions in English Examples in English

The four main jobs prepositions do, with the reasoning behind each choice:

Place: Where Something Is

Your glasses are on the kitchen table.: on: a surface
The keys are in the drawer.: in: a container or enclosed space
I'll meet you at the entrance.: at: a point
The pharmacy is between the bakery and the bank.: between: two sides

The choice between in, on, and at is the hardest part of place prepositions, and it follows a picture: in for spaces, on for surfaces, at for points.

Time: When and How Long

We moved here in 2019.: in: months, years, seasons
My interview is on Monday at ten.: on: days; at: clock times
We lived there for six years.: for: a length of time
Nobody spoke during the film.: during: inside a period
I'll be home by six.: by: no later than

In, on, and at work differently for time than for place: in for long periods, on for days and dates, at for clock times.

Movement: Where Something Goes

We drove from Madrid to Valencia.: from: origin; to: destination
She walked into the room and sat down.: into: entering
The kids ran across the field and through the gate.: across: a flat surface; through: a three-dimensional space
Go along this street and turn left past the church.: along: following a line; past: beyond a point
He climbed onto the roof.: onto: movement to a surface

In and on describe position; into and onto describe movement to that position. In speech, in and on often replace them after verbs of movement (jumped in the pool).

Dependent Prepositions

It depends on how much it costs.: depend + on, always
She's good at maths but bad at chemistry.: good and bad + at for skills
Thanks for coming.: thank + for, followed by an -ing form
I'm not familiar with that software.: familiar + with
He apologised to me for the delay.: apologise + to (person) + for (reason)

These have no logic to learn; record the verb or adjective together with its preposition as a single item.

How Prepositions Work

A few structural rules apply to every preposition, whatever it means.

A Preposition Always Has an Object

The object is a noun phrase, a pronoun, or an -ing form, and it comes straight after the preposition. This is what separates a preposition from an adverb that looks identical: in She walked up the hill, up is a preposition with the object the hill; in She looked up, up is an adverb with no object.

He's thinking about changing jobs.

about + the -ing form changing

Preposition + noun, pronoun, or -ing.

Never a Bare Verb After a Preposition

If a verb follows a preposition, it must take the -ing form. To is the trap: in look forward to and be used to, to is a preposition and takes -ing (looking forward to seeing you), whereas in want to see, to is part of the infinitive. Ask whether a noun could replace the verb: I look forward to the party works, so to is a preposition there.

I'm used to getting up early.

to is a preposition here, so getting, not get

Preposition + -ing, never + to-infinitive.

Object Pronouns Follow Prepositions

Because the word after a preposition is an object, pronouns take their object form: me, him, her, us, them. This holds even in pairs joined by and, where the subject form feels more formal but is wrong: between you and me, for my wife and me.

This present is for you and me.

me, not I, after for

Preposition + object pronoun.

Prepositions Can End a Clause

In questions and relative clauses, the object of the preposition moves to the front and the preposition stays where it was: Who are you waiting for? the house I grew up in. This is normal English at every level except very formal writing, which moves the preposition too: For whom are you waiting?

That's the friend I told you about.

about stays at the end; its object is the friend

Ending with a preposition is fine.

Meaning Comes From Convention as Much as Logic

Core meanings are logical: in for enclosed spaces, on for surfaces, at for points. Beyond the core, usage is fixed by habit. You are in a car but on a bus, at school but in class, on time (punctual) but in time (early enough). Learn these as expressions, and check a dictionary entry for the preposition a verb or adjective takes.

She arrived at the airport in time for the flight, but the flight didn't leave on time.

at + place; in time = early enough; on time = punctual

Core meaning first, then fixed phrases.

Common Mistakes with Prepositions in English

Incorrect: We discussed about the problem.

Correct: We discussed the problem.

Discuss takes a direct object with no preposition. Learners add about because the related noun does (a discussion about), and because talk about exists; discuss does not follow suit.

Incorrect: I'm looking forward to see you.

Correct: I'm looking forward to seeing you.

In look forward to, the word to is a preposition, not part of an infinitive, so the verb after it takes -ing. Test it by replacing the verb with a noun: I'm looking forward to the weekend.

Incorrect: She explained me the rules.

Correct: She explained the rules to me.

Explain does not take an indirect object without a preposition, unlike give or tell. The person always follows to: explain something to someone.

Incorrect: He was married with a doctor.

Correct: He was married to a doctor.

Married takes to when it names the partner. Married with is understood as describing the household (married with two children), so the preposition changes the meaning.

Verbs, Adjectives, and Nouns With Fixed Prepositions

Dependent prepositions have no meaning of their own; they belong to the word before them and have to be learned with it.

Common verb + preposition pairs

Some verbs always take a particular preposition before their object. The most frequent are worth memorising as a set.

listen to, look at, wait for, belong to, depend on: the object follows the preposition
She's applying for a new job and hoping for an interview.: apply for, hope for
Can I borrow a pen from you? I lent mine to Sam.: borrow from, lend to

A few common verbs take no preposition where other languages have one: discuss the plan (not discuss about), enter the room, phone me, marry someone.

Common adjective + preposition pairs

Adjectives describing feelings and abilities usually take a fixed preposition, and the preposition sometimes changes with the meaning.

afraid of, proud of, tired of, fond of: of after many feeling adjectives
He's good at explaining things and interested in teaching.: good at, interested in
I'm sorry about the mess. I'm sorry for your loss.: about a situation, for a person's suffering

Note the pairs where the preposition changes the meaning: good at (skilled), good for (beneficial), good with (skilled in handling people or things).

Nouns with fixed prepositions

Many nouns, especially those related to verbs and adjectives, also take a set preposition.

the reason for the delay, an answer to your question: reason for, answer to
There's been an increase in prices and a fall in sales.: increase in, fall in: the thing that changes
She has a talent for languages and a knowledge of history.: talent for, knowledge of

Verb and noun do not always match: to discuss something, but a discussion about something; to increase prices, but an increase in prices.

Quick Check: Prepositions in English

Fill each gap with the right preposition, or write no preposition if none is needed.

1. The meeting is ___ Tuesday ___ half past nine.

Answer: on, at

on for days, at for clock times

2. She's very good ___ remembering names.

Answer: at

good at for a skill; -ing after the preposition

3. We walked ___ the bridge and ___ the old town.

Answer: across (or over), into

across a flat surface, into an enclosed area

4. Who does this bag belong ___?

Answer: to

belong to; the preposition ends the question

5. Please phone ___ me when you arrive.

Answer: no preposition

phone takes a direct object

6. I'm not very keen ___ horror films.

Answer: on

keen on: a fixed adjective + preposition pair

Prepositions in English FAQs

What is a preposition?: A preposition is a word that links a noun or pronoun to another part of the sentence and shows the relationship between them: place (the book on the shelf), time (a lesson at nine), movement (a trip to Rome), or a fixed connection to a verb or adjective (afraid of dogs). It is always followed by an object, which can be a noun, a pronoun, or an -ing form.
What are the main types of preposition?: The three meaning-based types are prepositions of place (in, on, at, under, between), time (in, on, at, for, since, during), and movement or direction (to, from, into, across, through). A fourth group, dependent prepositions, carries no meaning of its own and simply belongs to a verb, adjective, or noun: depend on, interested in, the reason for. Most learner errors come from the fourth group.
How many prepositions are there in English?: About 150 if you count every one, including rare and multi-word items like notwithstanding and in accordance with. In practice around twenty do most of the work: of, in, to, for, with, on, at, from, by, about, as, into, like, through, after, over, between, out, against, during. Master the core meanings of in, on, and at first, then learn dependent prepositions with the words they attach to.
Can a sentence end with a preposition?: Yes, and in questions and relative clauses it usually does: What are you looking at? This is the house I grew up in. Moving the preposition to the front (At what are you looking?) is grammatical but sounds stiff and requires whom instead of who. The old rule against final prepositions was borrowed from Latin and never described real English.
What is the difference between a preposition and an adverb like up or on?: A preposition has an object after it; an adverb does not. In She ran up the stairs, up is a preposition with the object the stairs. In She looked up, up has no object and is an adverb, part of the phrasal verb look up. The same word switches between the two roles depending on whether a noun follows.