Prepositions of Direction

  A preposition of direction helps understand the direction of the noun or pronoun. They are also called prepositions of movement. The direction of the noun or pronoun is directly related to their movement. 

To	Toward	Up	into	Below	Along	Onto
Trough	Towards	Down	Across	From	At

• Examples of some prepositions for direction:

-I threw a cup at John

-She ran across the room.

-I threw the ball to Karen.

-We flew from New York to Paris.

-The milk went into the glass.

-The golf ball rolled toward the hole.

-He jumped into the river.

-He ran away when he felt that someone was coming towards him.

Prepositions of Manner

A preposition of manner is used show how something is done. Here is a short list of some prepositions of manner.

By

With

On

In

Like

As

Of

• Examples of some prepositions of Manner:

-She daily comes to the university by bus.

-We came here in a car.

-He speaks in a low voice.

-He left in a hurry.

-He went to his town on foot.

-I would like to travel on plane.

-I have never gone to Galapagos on ship.

-I accepted her invitation with pleasure.

-She greeted me with a smile

-I used to play soccer in the secondary with emotion.

-My brother walks like an old man.

-You speak like an authority on the subject.

-My girlfriend sometimes acts like a child.

-I used to work as a coach assistant some time before.

Prepositions of Agent or Instrument

A preposition for agent or instrument is used for a thing which is cause of another thing in the sentence. Different prepositions are used by different devices, instruments or machines. 

By

with

without

• Examples of some prepositions of Agent or Instrument:

-The Odyssey was written by Homer.

-The project was completed by him

-The room is being decorated by her.

-He was hit by a ball.

-This poem was written by Walt Whitman.

-That man opened the door with the key.

-You can’t play soccer without a ball.

-I can write better with my own pen.

-I'm going to England next week with my girlfriend.

Classes of Prepositions

Simple prepositions:

Simple prepositions are those ones who consist of one word and, they are very simple to understand. These prepositions are the most basic prepositions and are used frequently. Here is a list of some simple prepositions with examples.

About	I will tell him a story about a monster.
Above	The plane flies above the clouds.
Along	All along the way, she did not speak a word.
Before	She had decided to quit before Christmas, but changed her plan.
Beside	When we were in school, I used to sit beside her in class.
Besides	Besides Math, I am very fond of history
Near	They have bought a new home near the school.
On	There is an apple on the table
Past	She walked past me, but refused to acknowledge my presence.
Over	Put the scarf over your head
Versus	The last game was Brazil versus France
Till	She spent her birthday with him till the end

Double Prepositions:

Double prepositions are words made of two prepositions, but they are joined to make a whole new one. Here is a list of some double prepositions.

Onto	He always climbs onto the table.
Outside	Outside the house lies a beautiful garden.
Up to	It is up to us to find a way out
Upon	Once upon a time, there lived a king called David.
Throughout	Throughout winter, my cousin has been sick.
Amid	The kids were lost amid the jungle.
Without	I never leave my house without an umbrella due to the uncertain weather.
Within	The document is within that carpet.

Compound Prepositions:

Compound prepositions are prepositions together to do the work of one. However, unlike double prepositions, compound prepositions are not joined and turned into one word. They remain two different words. Also, their use is mainly for idiomatic forms. 

According to	According to the rule book, peeping is allowed in this game.
Due to	I seldom step out due to the uncertain weather.
Near to	There are beautiful weekend getaways near to New York.
Next to	Mary was sitting next to Joey.
Instead of	Instead of standing by my side, he ran away.
Inside of	The inside of the auditorium is beautiful.

Phrasal Prepositions:

Phrasal prepositions are a group of verbs, adverbs, and other words that works as a preposition. Here is a list of some phrasal prepositions with examples.

As far as	He walked as far as he could.
As long as	I love her as long as she loves me.
As soon as	Please, call me as soon as possible!
As well as	My last job was dangerous as well as exhausting.
In spite of	Paul and Juan stood there in spite of the bitter cold.
In reference to	This is in reference to the article you wrote about violence.
On top of	She believed in staying on top of things.
In regard to	In regard to everything that has happened, I want my questions answered.

What is a Prepositional Phrase?

A prepositional phrase is a group of words which functions as an adjective or adverb, and is made up of a preposition and its object. The object can be a noun, pronoun, gerund or even a clause. Furthermore, the object of the preposition could often have one or more modifiers to describe it.

A prepositional phrase that functions as an adjective will answer the question: Which one?

Examples:

The gift inside the big box is mine.

-Which gift?  -The one inside the big box.

The car beside the green one is the one I want to buy.

-Which car? –The one beside the green car.

I like to tell stories about the war of Troy.

-Which stories? –The stories about the war of Troy.

A prepositional phrase that functions as an adverb will answer questions such as: How? When? Where?

Examples:

Without a GPS, we lost our way.

-How did we lose our way? –Without a GPS.

Until today, I have never finished a relationship.

-When? –Until today

I would like to live in New York.

-Where do I like to live? –In New York.