Common Prepositions with Examples
Time (Exact point)
Sentence: She arrived at 5 PM.
Question: What time do you usually eat dinner? — I eat dinner at 7 PM.
Place (Specific location)
Sentence: I’m waiting at the bus stop.
Question: Where are you? — I’m at the door.
Events
Sentence: They met at the concert.
Question: Were you at the party last night?
Time (Months, years, periods)
Sentence: I was born in July.
Question: Were you born in 2000?
Place (Enclosed spaces, cities, countries)
Sentence: She is in the kitchen.
Question: Is the book in your bag?
Condition/Situation
Sentence: He is in trouble.
Question: Have you ever been in danger?
Time (Days, dates)
Sentence: The meeting is on Monday.
Question: Is your birthday on May 1?
Place (Surfaces)
Sentence: The phone is on the desk.
Question: Is the cat on the roof?
Topic
Sentence: He gave a lecture on history.
Question: Did you read a book on science?
Purpose/Recipient
Sentence: This gift is for you.
Question: Who is this letter for?
Duration
Sentence: I lived there for two years.
Question: How long did you wait for the bus?
Direction
Sentence: We went to the park.
Question: Did you go to the market?
Recipient
Sentence: She gave the letter to her friend.
Question: Who did you send the email to?
Comparison
Sentence: I prefer tea to coffee.
Question: Do you like books to movies?
Agent
Sentence: The book was written by her.
Question: Was this song sung by him?
Method
Sentence: We traveled by train.
Question: Did you go by car?
Time (Deadline)
Sentence: Finish this by Monday.
Question: Can you submit by tomorrow?
Accompaniment
Sentence: She came with her brother.
Question: Did you go with your friend?
Instrument
Sentence: He wrote with a pen.
Question: What did you cut it with?
Topic
Sentence: We talked about the movie.
Question: What are you reading about?
Approximation
Sentence: It costs about $10.
Question: Is it about 5 kilometers away?
Movement Above
Sentence: The plane flew over the city.
Question: Did you jump over the fence?
More Than
Sentence: He earns over $1000 a month.
Question: Is the number over 50?
Below
Sentence: The cat is under the bed.
Question: Is the ball under the chair?
Less Than
Sentence: Children under 5 eat free.
Question: Are you under 18?
Middle of two
Sentence: The café is between the bank and library.
Question: Is your house between the school and the park?
Inside a group of 3+
Sentence: She was happy among friends.
Question: Are you among the top students?
At the back of
Sentence: The car is parked behind the building.
Question: Is the dog behind the sofa?
Movement inside
Sentence: He walked into the room.
Question: Did you go into the house?
Movement toward surface
Sentence: The cat jumped onto the table.
Question: Did the bird fly onto the roof?
From one side to another
Sentence: He ran across the street.
Question: Did you walk across the bridge?
Surrounding
Sentence: She looked around the room.
Question: Is there a park around here?
Approximation
Sentence: It costs around $20.
Question: Is it around 10 minutes away?
Higher than
Sentence: The picture is above the bed.
Question: Is the plane flying above the clouds?
Lower than
Sentence: The temperature is below zero.
Question: Is your house below the hill?
Earlier Time
Sentence: She arrived before noon.
Question: Did you finish before dinner?
Later Time
Sentence: We ate lunch after the meeting.
Question: Will you call me after the show?
Throughout a period
Sentence: I slept well during the flight.
Question: Did you eat during the movie?
From past until now
Sentence: I’ve lived here since 2015.
Question: Have you studied English since last year?
Up to a time
Sentence: Wait here until I come back.
Question: Will you stay until the end?
Absence
Sentence: I can’t live without music.
Question: Can you do this task without help?
Similar to
Sentence: He runs like a professional athlete.
Question: Do you look like your sister?
Close to
Sentence: The school is near the park.
Question: Is your office near the station?
Opposed to / Touching
Sentence: The chair is against the wall.
Question: Is the bike parked against the fence?
Following a line / Beside
Sentence: We walked along the river.
Question: Did you drive along the highway?
Direction
Sentence: She walked towards the door.
Question: Are you heading toward the city?
From one side to the other
Sentence: We drove through the tunnel.
Question: Did you walk through the park?
Movement to higher place
Sentence: He climbed up the ladder.
Question: Did you go up the stairs?
Away from surface / Remove
Sentence: Please take your shoes off.
Question: Did you get off the bus here?
No longer in a place / supply
Sentence: We ran out of milk.
Question: Are you out of sugar?
Beyond / After
Sentence: He walked past the shop.
Question: Did you go past the church?
For each (quantity)
Sentence: The speed limit is 60 miles per hour.
Question: How much do you earn per month?