English Prepositions List
There are about 150 prepositions in English. Yet this is a very small number when you think of the thousands of other words (nouns, verbs etc). Prepositions are important words. We use individual prepositions more frequently than other individual words. In fact, the prepositions of, to and in are among the ten most frequent words in English. Here is a short list of 70 of the more common one-word prepositions. Many of these prepositions have more than one meaning. Please refer to a dictionary for precise meaning and usage. ![]()
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- aboard
- about
- above
- across
- after
- against
- along
- amid
- among
- anti
- around
- as
- at
- before
- behind
- below
- beneath
- beside
- besides
- between
- beyond
- but
- by
- concerning
- considering
- despite
- down
- during
- except
- excepting
- excluding
- following
- for
- from
- in
- inside
- into
- like
- minus
- near
- of
- off
- on
- onto
- opposite
- outside
- over
- past
- per
- plus
- regarding
- round
- save
- since
- than
- through
- to
- toward
- towards
- under
- underneath
- unlike
- until
- up
- upon
- versus
- via
- with
- within
- without
- at for a POINT
- in for an ENCLOSED SPACE
- on for a SURFACE
at | in | on |
POINT | ENCLOSED SPACE | SURFACE |
at the corner | in the garden | on the wall |
at the bus stop | in London | on the ceiling |
at the door | in France | on the door |
at the top of the page | in a box | on the cover |
at the end of the road | in my pocket | on the floor |
at the entrance | in my wallet | on the carpet |
at the crossroads | in a building | on the menu |
at the front desk | in a car | on a page |
- Jane is waiting for you at the bus stop.
- The shop is at the end of the street.
- My plane stopped at Dubai and Hanoi and arrived in Bangkok two hours late.
- When will you arrive at the office?
- Do you work in an office?
- I have a meeting in New York.
- Do you live in Japan?
- Jupiter is in the Solar System.
- The author's name is on the cover of the book.
- There are no prices on this menu.
- You are standing on my foot.
- There was a "no smoking" sign on the wall.
- I live on the 7th floor at 21 Oxford Street in London.
at | in | on |
at home | in a car | on a bus |
at work | in a taxi | on a train |
at school | in a helicopter | on a plane |
at university | in a boat | on a ship |
at college | in a lift (elevator) | on a bicycle, on a motorbike |
at the top | in the newspaper | on a horse, on an elephant |
at the bottom | in the sky | on the radio, on television |
at the side | in a row | on the left, on the right |
at reception | in Oxford Street | on the way |
- at for a PRECISE TIME
- in for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS
- on for DAYS and DATES
at | in | on |
PRECISE TIME | MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS | DAYS and DATES |
at 3 o'clock | in May | on Sunday |
at 10.30am | in summer | on Tuesdays |
at noon | in the summer | on 6 March |
at dinnertime | in 1990 | on 25 Dec. 2010 |
at bedtime | in the 1990s | on Christmas Day |
at sunrise | in the next century | on Independence Day |
at sunset | in the Ice Age | on my birthday |
at the moment | in the past/future | on New Year's Eve |
- I have a meeting at 9am.
- The shop closes at midnight.
- Jane went home at lunchtime.
- In England, it often snows in December.
- Do you think we will go to Jupiter in the future?
- There should be a lot of progress in the next century.
- Do you work on Mondays?
- Her birthday is on 20 November.
- Where will you be on New Year's Day?
Expression | Example |
at night | The stars shine at night. |
at the weekend | I don't usually work at the weekend. |
at Christmas/Easter | I stay with my family at Christmas. |
at the same time | We finished the test at the same time. |
at present | He's not home at present. Try later. |
in | on |
in the morning | on Tuesday morning |
in the mornings | on Saturday mornings |
in the afternoon(s) | on Sunday afternoons |
in the evening(s) | on Monday evening |
- I went to London last June. (not in last June)
- He's coming back next Tuesday. (not on next Tuesday)
- I go home every Easter. (not at every Easter)
- We'll call you this evening. (not in this evenin







- The cat is under the table
- Tjhe man is next to the building
- The desk in the room.
- I sleep on my bed.
- The paper is on the desk.
Go straight, and it’s next to the bank.
Thankyou!
I live at 34, East 39th Street, New York.
And what’s your zip code?
My zipcode is NY 10061-2134
Thankyou.
It’s in the refrigerator!
No, it’s not. It’s not there.
Oh, sorry, it’s in the cupboard next to the soda.
Thanks. And where is the cereal?
Um, on the shelf, I think.
Great! Let’s have some breakfast!
I work in a bank, I’m a secretary. How about you?
I’m a shop assistant. I work at the local store.
Where’s that?
It’s the yellow building on Green Street, next to the clothes store.
above, about, across, against, along, among, around, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, since, to, toward, through, under, until, up, upon, with, within.
Contoh:
- It is a container for butter.
(Preposition "for" menunjukkan hubungan antara "butter" dan "container".) - The eagle soared above the clouds.
- after, at, by, for, from, of, over, on, in, through, to, off, till, under, up, with, dsb
- into, onto, from under, from among, from off, from within, over against, dsb
- across (on cross), along (on long), behind (by hind), about (on by out), above (on by up), before (by fore), beneath (by neath), beside (by side), between (by twain), beyond (by yonder), but (by out except), within (with in), without (with out), dsb
- pending, during, notwithstanding, past, except, considering, concerning, regarding, dsb
- because of, by means of, in behalf of, in front of, in view of, by reason of, with respect to, with regard to, aith relation to, on behalf of, in spite of, dsb.
- three o'clock (three of clock)
- Jack o'lantern (Jack of the lantern)
- He has gone a-hunting (on hunting)
Contoh:
- That is a situation I have not thought of. (SALAH)
- She is a person I cannot cope with. (SALAH)
- It is behaviour I will not put up with. (SALAH)
Contoh:
- That is a situation of which I have not thought.
- She is a person with whom I cannot cope.
- It is behaviour up with which I will not put.
Contoh:
- That is a situation I have not considered.
- It is behaviour I will not tolerate.
Some common prepositions are:
about above across after against along among around at before behind below beneath beside between beyond but | by despite down during except for from in inside into like near of off on onto out | outside over past since through throughout till to toward under underneath until up upon with within without. |
- after class
- at home
- before Tuesday
- in London
- on fire
- with pleasure
- The book is on the table.
- The book is beside the table.
- She read the book during class.
In each of the preceding sentences, a preposition locates the noun "book" in space or in time.
Simple prepositions are single word prepositions. These are all showed above.
- The book is on the table.
Compound prepositions are more than one word. in between and because of are prepositions made up of two words - in front of, on behalf of are prepositions made up of three words.
- The book is in between War and Peace and The Lord of the Rings.
- The book is in front of the clock.
- The children climbed the mountain without fear.
- There was rejoicing throughout the land when the government was defeated.
- The spider crawled slowly along the banister.
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