Prepositional Phrases List

Prepositions bear a great deal of significance in English grammar. They aid in proper construction of sentences and make them grammatically correct. Check out these list of prepositional phrases in this article.

Before going through the list of prepositional phrases, I must tell you what a prepositional phrase is. I shall try my best to explain you with some simple examples. For example: she is laughing at me; she is laughing along with me. These two sentences have different meanings. The words, at and along with, are the two prepositions that bring about difference in the meanings of both the sentences. Thus, we can say that prepositional phrases establish a relationship between the subject and the verb by modifying the noun and the verb. They are powerful phrases that introduce sentences in different ways.

Parts of Prepositional Phrases

A prepositional phrase consists of two parts, namely a preposition and an object of preposition. Preposition is the word that introduces the object of a prepositional phrase and the noun or pronoun that precedes the preposition is known as the object of preposition. Here's the example that will make your concept clear - behind the door. In this sentence, behind is the preposition, and the door, is the noun that acts as an object of preposition.

List of Prepositional Phrases

Prepositional phrases can be made up of single, double or triple words. The most important aspect of a prepositional phrase is its placement. A grammatically correct sentence conveying the desired meaning can be structured by choosing the right preposition and using it appropriately. Take a look at some examples of prepositions and prepositional phrases.

Single Word Prepositions
abroad about absent above across after against along alongside amidst around among amongst aside astride as at athwart atop before behind barring below beneath besides before beneath beside between betwixt beyond by but concerning circa down despite during excluding except failing following for from given in inside	including into like minus mid next near notwithstanding of off on opposite onto outside out over pace per plus past pro qua regarding round since save than throughout through than till to times towards toward unlike under underneath up until via versus vice with within worth without

Double Word Prepositions

along with
ahead of
according to
as of
as per
aside from
as regards
because of
close to
due to
except for
far from
far away
inside of
next to
near to
on to
out from
owing to
out of
outside of
pursuant to
prior to
regard of
regardless of
subsequent to
thanks to
that of

Triple Word Prepositions

as well as
as far as
by means of
in addition to
in accordance with
in case of
in front of
in lieu of
in point of
in place of
on behalf of
on account of
on top of
with respect to
with regard to

Functions of Prepositions

Before embedding prepositions in sentences, you ought to know how prepositions function. They can function as adjectives, adverbs, verbs and nominals. Check out the following sentences to know the correct usage of prepositions.

Prepositions as Adjectives
When prepositions function as adjectives, they play the role of modifying the nouns. For example: look at the girl with golden hair. In this sentence, the preposition, with, placed just before the adjective, golden, functions to modify the noun, hair.

Prepositions as Adverbs
When prepositional phrases function as adverbs, they modify the verbs. For example: the tiger runs after the rabbit. In this sentence, the preposition, after, modifies the verb, runs.

Prepositions as Verbs
When prepositions act as verbs, they give an idiomatic expression to the sentence. It is a combination of verb and preposition that makes a new verb having a distinct meaning. The preposition in a prepositional verb is preceded by a noun or a pronoun. Thus, a prepositional verb is always transitive. In case of such phrases, the object is also placed after the prepositional verb. For example: Ariel has cared for her sister. In this sentence, cared for is the prepositional verb, and sister is the noun. Few other examples of prepositional verbs are: believe in, send for, rely on, look at, care about, etc.

Prepositions as Nominals
There are some words that function as nouns, but they are not actually nouns. Such words are called nominals in English grammar and they function as nominals when they are placed before prepositional phrases. Prepositional phrases can also be used in conjunction with a verb. For example: the school is next to the park. In this sentence, next to is the preposition, that acts as nominal. Another example is, the melodrama is before the last scene, shows that the preposition, before, is in conjunction with the verb.

I hope the aforementioned lists have definitely helped you in understanding correct usage of prepositions within sentences. Wrong prepositions can change the entire meaning of sentences and can lead to incorrect grammatical sentences. We end the article with a small passage.

The old building stood for years, after the renovation, by the river bank, beyond the road, over the new bridge, at the end of the farming land, towards the estuary, down the low valley, under the new town, outside the city and past the end of the country road.

By Saptakee Sengupta
Last Updated: 8/19/2011

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