Prepositions - Definition, Types, Uses and Examples

Prepositions are words defining positions, let us understand in detail below.

Preposition Definition

Prepositions are words in English grammar which define relationships between noun, pronoun and other words in a sentence. They are also used to show or indicate positions of a place, time, direction or thing. 

• Where: on, in, at, above, below
• When: before, after, during, since, until   
• How: by, with, without

Prepositions are also categorised based on their use and nature. Here is how they are categorised:

• Simple Prepositions
• Compound Prepositions

The prepositions characterised by their uses will be explained under the heading “Uses of Prepositions” in the coming section. Let us now understand what are simple prepositions, compound prepositions and phrase prepositions below.

Simple Prepositions

Single words that show a relation between nouns, pronouns and other words in a sentence are the Simple Prepositions. The simple prepositions talk about when, where, how, possession or purpose of something. Simple prepositions are reflected in sentences when used with these - "in," "on," "at," "to," "from," "for," "with," "by," "of," and "about."

Compound Prepositions

The Compound Prepositions are formed by prefixing a preposition to a Noun, Adjective or adverb. These prepositions may sometimes be confused with the conjunctions due to the very fine difference between how they are used in a sentence. Some examples of compound propositions are “among”, “about”, “across”, “amidst”, “beyond”, “outside”, “between”, “within”, “without” and “underneath”., 

Prepositions can be used to indicate the place, time, possession, location, direction and even spatial relationships between different people and objects. Here are some of the uses of preposition:

1. Indication of Place: Prepositions of Place

The Preposition of Place indicates towards the position of a person or object with respect to other person or object with words like “in”, “at”, “outside”, “inside”, “over”, “above”, “below”, “beneath”, etc. Examples:

• He ran across the road.
• At the park we saw a monkey climbed up the ladder.
• He sat beside me.

2. Indication of Time: Preposition of Time

The Prepositions of Time are the words that indicate when something happens, such as a specific date, time or period. These prepositions usually indicate one point in time by words like “in”, “on”, “at”, and “since”. Examples:

• She dries apples in winter.
• The client will come on Monday.
• I do my homework at night.

3. Indication of Location: Preposition of Location

Words that indicate location of a person or thing are called the Prepositions of Location. These are "in", "on", "at", "under", "above", "between", and "behind”. Examples:

• The dress is lying ironed on the table.
• She is waiting at her friend’s home.
• They live near the park. 

4. Indication of Direction: Preposition of Direction

These prepositions indicate towards the direction or movement of a noun with respect to another noun. Prepositions of direction are through, over, up, down and others. Examples:

• I walked over the broken autumn leaves.
• Rhea swarmed through the crowd to get the metro.
• He got into the car.

5. Indication of Possession

The prepositional words that indicate whether something belongs to something or someone. Examples: 

• The mosque of Oman
• A man of means
• The boy with red hair

6. Indication of the Means/Manner

Prepositions can also be used to show the manner or means by which something happens. Examples:

• The soldiers fought with courage. 
• They worked with earnestness. 
• The basketball team won with ease.

7. Indication of Cause/Reason /Purpose

To express the cause or purpose of something, prepositions can be used in a sentence or phrase. Examples:

• The baby shivers with fever.
• I took medicine for cold.
• I did it for our good.

8. Indication of Agency/Instrumentality

These prepositions indicate how something happens. Examples:

• He sent the parcel by the post.
• The forest was destroyed by fire.
• I heard this through a friend.

9. Indication of Measure, Standard, Rate or Value

These prepositions either show value or measurement of something. Examples:

• I am taller than you by two inches.
• Cloth is sold by the yard.
• He charges interest at 9 per cent. 

10. Indication of Contrast/Concession

Prepositions may be used to indicate contrast or concession in a sentence. Examples:

• For (in spite of) all of his wealth, he is not content.
• With (in spite of) all of his faults, I admire him. 
• After (in spite of, notwithstanding) every effort, one may fail.

11. Inference, Motive, Source or Origin

Prepositions can also be used to indicate a source, motive, inference or origin such as:

• Light emanates from the sun.
• This is a quotation from Milton.
• His skills come from practice. 

The most common examples of prepositions are given in the table below. 

This was all about Prepositions with examples for IELTS Grammar. Do note that a clear understanding of the rules of prepositions can help you do well on any other English exam as well such as TOEFL, PTE and Duolingo. For more such topics, read the A1 IELTS Grammar. 

Check out FAQs on Prepositions for IELTS below.