Prepositions

A preposition is a small word that shows how a noun or pronoun relates to other words in a sentence. Common prepositions include in, on, under, beside, and between. They often tell where something is or when something happens. Prepositions are some of the most used words in English.

How Prepositions Work

Prepositions connect a noun to the rest of the sentence. In the sentence the cat is under the table, the word under is a preposition. It tells where the cat is. A preposition always has an object, which is the noun that comes after it. Together they form a prepositional phrase.

Common Prepositions

Some prepositions tell about place, like in, on, under, behind, and next to. Others tell about time, like before, after, during, and until. Some tell about direction, like to, from, through, and across. Learning these small words helps your writing flow smoothly.

Fun Facts

• There are about 150 prepositions in the English language.
• The word preposition comes from Latin words meaning placed before.
• A fun way to remember prepositions is to think of anywhere a squirrel can go with a tree: up, down, around, through, in, on, under, beside.

Did You Know?

In some languages, prepositions come after the noun instead of before it, and they are called postpositions.