Prepositions
A preposition is a word placed before a noun or a pronoun to show in what relation the person or thing denoted by it stands in regard to something else. There are over 100 prepositions in English. This is a very small number compared with the vast number of nouns, adjectives and verbs found in English. Here are some of the prepositions used in English:
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Aboard
If you are aboard a ship, aircraft or spacecraft, you are on it or in it.
The plane crashed killing all the passengers aboard.
About
The following verbs are followed by the preposition ‘about’:
Agree, argue, ask, boast, brag, brood, care, chat, complain, consult, disagree, dream, fantasise, forget, fret, fuss, groan, grumble, inquire, moan, muse, protest, quibble, rave, read, speak, talk, tell, think, warn, wonder, worry
Here are some nouns followed by ‘about’:
Advice, agreement, anxiety, book, chat, complex, concern, consultation, debate, decision, fuss, idea, information, joke, judgment, lecture, letter, misgivings, misunderstanding, news, opinion, outcry, phobia, prediction, quarrel, question, row
Following adjectives are followed by ‘about’:
Adamant, angry, annoyed, anxious, apprehensive, bothe-red, certain, complacent, con-cerned, crazy, embarrassed, enthusiastic, fussy, guilty, happy, ignorant, indignant, miserable, mistaken, nervous, optimistic, passionate, pleased, positive, scathing, sceptical, sensitive, sentimental, serious, uncertain, unclear, unconcer-ned, undecided, uneasy, unhappy, unsure, upset, vague, wary, worried
Above
If one thing is above another, it is higher than the other thing.
He was occupying the room above mine.
According to
If something goes according to plan, it happens exactly in the way it was intended to happen.
Everything went according to schedule.
Across
If you come, run or stumble across something, you find it unexpectedly.
I came across an old friend while shopping in New Delhi.
After
If you take after a relative, you have some of the same characteristics as they have.
My son took after his grandfather where his character was concerned.
Against
If something is leaning or pressing against something else, it is touching it.
I saw Sam leaning against a wall.
Ahead of
If something is ahead of you, it is directly in front of you.
The room ahead me was plunged in darkness.
Along
When you go along a road, you move towards one end of it. The soldiers marched along the street for one hour.
Alongside
If you work alongside someone else, you work in the same place and in cooperation with them.
American and British forces were fighting alongside against the Russians.
Along with
‘Along with’ is used when mentioning someone or something else that is also present or involved.
Susan was sworn in along with eleven other jurors.
Amid
If something is amid other things, it is surrounded by them.
His house was built amid a swarm of tourist hotels.
Among
If a feeling exists among a group of people, most of them have it.
The resentment among the poor against the rich is quite visible.
Apart from
‘Apart from’ is used when you make an exception to a general statement.
Apart from the occasional article, she has not published any book.
As
‘As’ is used when you are indicating what someone or something is or is thought to be, or what function they have. Following transitive verbs are typically followed by ‘as.’
Acknowledge, address, adopt, brand, cast, categorise, certify, characterise, choose, cite, class, classify, conceive, condemn, consider, construe, count, denounce, depict, describe, designate, diagnose, disguise, elect, employ, establish, groom, hail, interpret, label, mark, name, nominate, perceive, project, regard, stamp, use
As for
‘As for’ is used at the beginning of a clause to introduce a different subject that is connected with the previous one.
He was in the presence of a great man, as for his predicament he had no doubt that he would be rescued.
Aside from
This is similar to ‘apart from’ used especially in American English.
As to
‘As to’ is used at the beginning of a clause to introduce a different subject that is connected with the previous one.
Astride
If you sit or stand astride something, you sit or stand with one leg on each side of it.
Joe sat astride a black horse.
