What is a Preposition?

Preposition is one of the exciting parts while learning parts of speech. The interesting part is, that people might only recall a few types of prepositions while speaking about it whereas in general there are more than 150 kinds of prepositions. The most common ones in use are: to, of, and in. There's a common question if there are prepositions, is there any existence of postpositions? Here in this article, we will talk in detail about what prepositions are, how they are used in a sentence, and what are the different types of prepositions along with suitable examples.

Let's start with the technical definition of prepositions.

What are Prepositions?

Technically, prepositions could be identified as, a word or group of words that are used along with a noun or pronoun, or noun phrase to indicate a direction, location, or time or sometimes, to introduce a particular object. Precisely, these are connector words. It links the noun to an idea. If we look at this sentence: Raju went to the shop. Here, 'to' links to the shop location, where Raju (the noun in the sentence) went.

The most common words used in the English language are prepositions and there are more than 150 types. The most common ones used in this language are: down, below, behind, beneath, between, beside, on, of, with, within, toward, under, above, in, into and near.

Types of Preposition

Since the types are wide, a differentiation between the same helps understand how and where the words are used. Let's take a look at the different preposition types and the suitable examples that come along.

1: Transitive Prepositions

This type always comes with a compliment with a preposition. As per some transitional grammar rules, Transitive Prepositions are the only true prepositions in existence. For example, The girl lived amongst the wildflowers.

2: Intransitive Prepositions

This type of Preposition comes without the need for a complement to complete the thought. For example, She lived inside. The moment you add a complement like, She lived inside the city, it turns out to be a transitive preposition. In contrast to the transitive preposition, some basic grammar rules suggest that intransitive prepositions be adverbs.

3: Conjunctive Preposition

In this type of preposition, a clause is used as the complement. According to traditional grammar, these are looked upon as subordinating conjunctions rather than a conjunctive prepositions. Because is the most regular term coming under this category. For example, She went to the concert because she is a big fan of the artist.

4: Complex Preposition

Two or more words create a complex preposition and are also noted as compound prepositions. One example is: In light of. Forming a sentence would make: In light of today's weather reports, classes remain suspended today. Another example could be: She's absent today, on behalf of her am taking this prize.

These prepositions usually come at the starting or the middle of the sentence, and in the end in very few cases.

5: Phrase Prepositions

Also termed prepositional phrases, they contain the preposition, the object, and the optional object's qualifier. An example is: They planned the game according to their wishes.

List of Prepositions

Here's a detailed preposition list that is commonly used in the English language.


•    About
•    Above
•    In
•    Till
•    For
•    From
•    Inside
•    Onto
•    Amid
•    Aloft
•    Below
•    Atop
•    Behind
•    Outside
•    Out
•    Within
•    Without
•    Into
•    Inside

Preposition Place List

•    We live in Mumbai.

•    She sleeps in her bedroom.

•    We are going to the function in a car.

•    You look beautiful in the picture.

•    Kindly leave your shoes at the doorstep.

•    They are studying at the library.

•    She lives on the top floor.

•    The building is on the right side.

•    I saw the news in the newspaper.

•    I saw it on Facebook.

•    Are you there on WhatsApp?

•    The cat is under the table.

•    Put the hot water bag above your lap.

•    Walk across the footbridge.

•    Enter through the tunnel.

•    Go into the house.

Preposition Time List

•    My birthday is on Friday.

•    She has her anniversary in March.

•    The ceremony is in the evening.

•    We have a great time in the autumn.

•    She has been teaching in this school for the last five years.

•    There was no coffee shop here before 2022.

•    The exam begins on Wednesday.

•    I will wrap up my work by the evening today.

The list of prepositions goes on to get bigger. The ones quoted in the article above, are most commonly used in our regular life through speech or writing.

Wrapping Up

This was all about the Prepositions. It is perhaps the most engaging thing to learn during a part of a speech lesson. Precisely, these are connector words that form the link between the noun or pronoun to a specific location, time, or place. The words most in use these days are: on, of, in, over, to, and so on. I hope this article helped help you develop a comprehensive understanding of Prepositions. These connector words have different types and the types of Prepositions are more than 150. They are used in the sentence as per the need and accordance.

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