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.

Want the full list of 150 prepositions, with example sentences?

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

To Used to indicate the place, person, or thing that someone or something moves toward, or the direction of something:

I am heading to the entrance of the building.

The package was mailed to Mr. Kim yesterday.

All of us went to the movie theater.

Please send it back to me.

Used to indicate a limit or an ending point:

The snow was piled up to the roof.

The stock prices rose up to 100 dollars.

Used to indicaterelationship:

This letter is very important to your admission.

My answer to your question is in this envelop.

Do not respond to every little thing in your life.

Used to indicate a time or a period:

I work nine to six, Monday to Friday.

It is now 10 to five. (In other words, it is 4:50.)

Prepositions #7: Using To and Toward for Places

The preposition to is another common preposition of place. It is normally used with a verb showing movement and shows the result of the movement-- the place or person that the movement was toward or in the direction of. The preposition toward has a similar meaning, but it's not exactly the same: with toward, the direction of the movement is shown, but not the result.

A <====== to ====== B (B arrived at A)

A <==== toward ==== B (B is on the way to A)

A ====== to ======> B (A arrived at B)

A ==== toward ====> B (A is on the way to B)

Examples

Jamil walks to work every day.

When I saw Jamil, he was walking toward his office.

They'll drive to San Francisco during the weekend.

They started driving toward San Francisco Friday afternoon, but they didn't arrive there until Saturday.

Yesterday Billy rode his bicycle to the park.

When Billy was riding his bicycle toward the park, he stopped at Joey's house.

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Special Note:

To is actually more general than toward and can be used instead of toward. Toward cannot be used instead of to, however:

same:

When I saw Jamil, he was walking toward his office. / When I saw Jamil he was walking to his office

different:

Jamil walks to work every day. / Jamil walks toward work every day.

same:

When Billy was riding his bicycle toward the park, he stopped at Joey's house. / When Billy was riding his bicycle to the park, he stopped at Joey's house.

different:

Yesterday Bilyl rode his bicycle to the park. / Yesterday Billy rode his bicycle toward the park.

Preposition To How to Use the Preposition To

'To' is one of the most common prepositions in English. The preposition 'to' also a part of theinfinitive form of the verb. For

example these are all infinitives:

To do

To play

To sing

Infinitives can be combined with other verbs such as hope, arrange, want, etc.

I hope to see you next week.

Tom arranged to have his sister picked up at the airport.

Your sister wants to help you understand mathematics.

The preposition 'to' is also used as a preposition of movement or direction. 'To' is sometimes confused with 'at' or 'in'.

Both 'at' and 'in' show the place, but 'to' shows movement to this place. For example:

I live in Boston. Let's meet Tim at the town center for lunch. BUT I drove to Boston. We walked to the town center for lunch. Here is a summary of the uses of the preposition 'to'. Important prepositional phrases with 'to' are also used as discourse markers beginning sentences to link one sentence to the next.

Preposition To for Movement

Use the preposition 'to' when indicating that there is movement from one place to another. In other words, the

preposition 'to' with verbs such as drive, walk, go, hike, fly, sail, etc.

We're flying to San Francisco on Thursday for a meeting.

We thought we should walk to the bakery for breakfast because it is such a beautiful day.

The captain sailed to the closest port.

NOTE: The preposition 'to' is never used with the verb 'arrive' even though in indicates movement. Use the

preposition 'at' with the verb 'arrive'

I arrived at work early in the morning.

The children arrived at the park to meet their friends.

To - Time Expression

The preposition 'to' can also be used to refer to time in the same sense as the time expressions 'till' or 'until'.

Meridith worked to (OR until, till) five and then left.

We're going to wait another three weeks to the end of the month.

From ... To - Time Expressions

When a starting time and a finishing time is mentioned, use the preposition 'from' to express the beginning and 'to'

for the end.

We usually work from eight in the morning to five o'clock.

She played the piano from ten to twelve.

To - Phrasal Verbs

The preposition 'to' is also used in many phrasal verbs. Here is a short list of some of the most common:

look forward to something

object to something

appeal to someone

boil down to something

get to something

I look forward to seeing you soon.

Peter objected to the way he acted.

That car really appeals to Susan.

It boils down to this: You need to work hard.

Just a moment, I'll get to that subject soon.

Infinitive of Purpose To

The preposition 'to' is used as an infinitive of purpose to mean 'in order to'. For example:

I spent some money (in order) to get some help.

Susan hasn't worked so hard (in order) to give up!

Linking Phrases with 'To'

The preposition 'to' is also used in a number of common phrases to link ideas, often at the beginning of a sentence.

To a great extent

'To a great extent' begins or ends sentences expressing that something is mostly true.

To a great extent, the students work hard in this school

I agree with Tom's ideas to a great extent.

To some extent

'To some extent' is used to express that something is partially true.

To some extent, I agree with the ideas introduced in this discussion.

The parents are at fault to some extent.

To begin / start with

'To begin / start with' is used to introduce the first element in a discussion with many points.

To begin with, let's discuss the problems we've been having in the classroom.

To start with, I'd like to thank you for coming tonight.

To sum up

'To sum up' introduces a final review of the key ideas in a discussion.

To sum up, we need to invest more money in research and sales.

To sum up, you think that it's all my fault!.

At tell the truth

'To tell the truth' is used to express an honest opinion.

To tell you the truth, I think Doug is not doing a very good job.

To tell you the truth, I'm tired of listening to politicians tell us lies.

Bibliografia

Prepositions "Of," "To," "For" - Basic English Grammar www.talkenglish.com/Grammar/prepositions-of-to-for.aspx

List of English prepositions - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_prepositions

English Preposition List | EnglishClub www.englishclub.com › Learn English › Grammar › Prepositions

English Prepositions - English Grammar Online www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/prepositions

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BBC Learning English | Ask about English | Prepositions www.bbc.co.uk › Home › Grammar, Vocabulary & Pronunciation

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ENGLISH PAGE - Prepositions and Phrasal Verbs www.englishpage.com/prepositions/prepositions.html