A prepositional phrase consists of:

A preposition and a noun or pronoun

Prepositions

⏱ 8 min✏️ Quiz at the end

What is a Preposition?

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and another word in the sentence. Prepositions typically describe:

Place — where something is
Time — when something happens
Direction — where something is moving
Manner — how something is done

Prepositions always appear as part of a prepositional phrase: preposition + noun/pronoun (the object of the preposition).

"The cat sat under the table." — "under" is the preposition; "the table" is its object.

Key Terms

Term	Meaning
Preposition	A word showing relationship between a noun and another word
Object of the preposition	The noun or pronoun following the preposition
Prepositional phrase	The preposition plus its object (and any modifiers)
Preposition of place	Shows location (in, on, at, under, above)
Preposition of time	Shows when (at, on, in, before, after, since, for)
Preposition of direction	Shows movement (to, towards, through, across, into)

Prepositions of Place

These tell us where something is located:

Preposition	Example
in	The keys are in the drawer.
on	The book is on the table.
at	She is at the door.
under	The cat hid under* the bed.*
above / over	The picture hangs above* the fireplace.*
below / beneath	The treasure was buried beneath* the tree.*
beside / next to	He sat beside* his friend.*
between	She stood between* two tall buildings.*
in front of	The car parked in front of* the school.*
behind	The garden is behind* the house.*

Prepositions of Time

These tell us when something happens. Three key ones to master:

at — for specific times and certain expressions: at 9 o'clock, at midnight, at the weekend
on — for days and dates: on Monday, on 15 March, on my birthday
in — for months, years, seasons, and longer periods: in January, in 2024, in the morning, in the 19th century

Other time prepositions:

Preposition	Use	Example
before	earlier than	Arrive before* noon.*
after	later than	We met after* school.*
since	from a point in time until now	She has studied here since* 2019.*
for	duration of time	He waited for* three hours.*
during	within a period	During the holidays, she read five books.
by	no later than	Submit your work by Friday.
until / till	up to a point in time	The shop is open until* 6 pm.*

Since vs For:

Since refers to a point in time: "since Monday," "since 2010"
For refers to a duration: "for three days," "for two years"

Prepositions of Direction

These tell us where something is moving:

She walked towards the park.
He jumped over the fence.
The river flows through the valley.
They drove across the bridge.
She ran into the building.
He climbed up the stairs.

Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase = preposition + noun/pronoun (+ any modifiers between them).

Prepositional phrases act as either adjectives or adverbs in a sentence:

Adjective phrase (modifies a noun): The girl with the red hat smiled. (tells us which girl)
Adverb phrase (modifies a verb): She ran down the hill. (tells us where she ran)

Common Preposition + Noun Combinations

Some prepositions are fixed with specific nouns or adjectives. These must be learned as set phrases:

Expression	Meaning
on time	punctual
in time	with enough time to spare
at the end	at the conclusion
in the end	eventually, after everything
good at	skilled in (She is good at maths.)
interested in	having interest in
responsible for	accountable for
depend on	rely on

Worked Examples

Identify the prepositional phrase and its function:

"The woman in the blue coat crossed the bridge."

in the blue coat = prepositional phrase acting as an adjective (tells us which woman)
the bridge = object of the preposition "across" implied by "crossed"

Choose the correct preposition:

She has worked here ___ five years. → for (duration)
She has worked here ___ 2019. → since (a point in time)
The meeting is ___ Monday ___ 10 a.m. → on Monday at 10 a.m.

Common Mistakes

Since vs for: "I have lived here since three years" is wrong — use for three years (duration). Use since only with a point in time.
In vs at vs on for time: Learn the rule: at for clock times, on for days/dates, in for months/years.
Wrong preposition with adjectives: "She is good in singing" is incorrect — use good at something.
Preposition at the end of a sentence: While not grammatically forbidden in modern English, avoid it in formal writing. Prefer "With whom did you speak?" over "Who did you speak with?" in academic contexts.

Tips and Tricks

Learn prepositions of time (at/on/in) as a trio — they cover most time situations.
When unsure, say the sentence aloud — the wrong preposition usually sounds awkward.
Learn fixed expressions as whole phrases, not word by word: interested in, good at, responsible for.
Prepositional phrases can often be moved in a sentence to change emphasis: "In the morning, she runs" vs "She runs in the morning."

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