Prepositions

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 describe position, direction, time, or manner.

Prepositions of Place

These tell us where something is:

• The book is on the table.
• The cat hid under the bed.
• She stood between two trees.

Common examples: on, in, at, under, over, above, below, beside, between, behind, in front of.

Prepositions of Time

These tell us when something happens:

• She arrived at 8 o'clock.
• He has been studying since Monday.
• We'll leave after dinner.

Common examples: at, on, in, before, after, since, for, during, by.

Prepositions of Direction

These tell us where something is moving:

• They walked towards the park.
• He jumped over the fence.
• Turn left at the corner.

Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase = preposition + noun/pronoun. It acts as an adjective or adverb in the sentence.

• The girl with the red hat smiled. (adjective phrase)
• She ran down the hill. (adverb phrase)