Writing Center Tutorial - Grammar
Prepositions & Prepositional Phrases
Words such as "to", "with", "by", and "of" are prepositions. English has both one-word prepositions and phrasal prepositions, or multiple-word prepositions, which are made up of two or more words: "because of", "except for", "instead of".
A preposition shows the relationship between a noun and a pronounthe object of the preposition and other words in the sentence. The preposition, its object, and any associated modifiers are together called a prepositional phrase.
Words that are used as prepositions when they introduce a phrase containing an object may also function as adverbs or as particles when they are parts of phrasal verbs.
- PREPOSITION: I looked up the street.
- ADVERB: The woman looked up.
- PARTICLE: He looked up the word in the dictionary.
Common Prepositions
| Aboard | Beneath | Including | Past |
| About | Beside | In front of | Regarding |
| Above | Besides | Inside | Since |
| According to | Between | Inside of | Together with |
| Across | Beyond | In spite of | Through |
| After | But | Into | Throughout |
| Against | By | Like | Till |
| Ahead of | Concerning | Near | To |
| Along with | Despite | Next to | Toward |
| Among | Down | Notwithstanding | Under |
| Apart from | Due to | Of | Underneath |
| Around | During | Off | Unlike |
| As | Except | On | Until |
| As for | Except for | Onto | Up |
| At | For | On top of | Upon |
| Away from | From | Other than | Up to |
| Because of | In | Out | Via |
| Before | In addition to | Out of | With |
| Behind | In back of | Outside | Within |
| Below | In case of | Over | Without |
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