Common Prepositions : List of 100 Most Common Prepositions for ESL Leaners

Common Prepositions in English! Learn the definition of preposition, list of the most common prepositions and prepositional phrases examples in English with ESL printable infographic. 

Preposition Definition

• Prepositions are words which link nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence.
• Prepositions usually describe the position of something, the time when something happens and the way in which something is done, although the prepositions “of”, “to” and “for” have some separate functions.

List of Most Common Prepositions

Here is the list of 100 most important prepositions in English:

• About
• Above
• According to
• Across
• After
• Against
• Ago
• Ahead of
• Along
• Amidst
• Among
• Amongst
• Apart
• Around
• As
• As far as
• As well as
• Aside
• At
• Away
• Because of
• Before
• Behind
• Below
• Beneath
• Beside
• Besides
• Between
• Beyond
• By
• By means of
• By way of
• Close to
• Despite
• Down
• Due to
• During
• Except
• For
• From
• Hence
• In
• In accordance with
• In addition to
• In case of
• In front of
• In lieu of
• In place of
• In regard to
• In spite of
• In to
• Inside
• Instead of
• Into
• Like
• Near
• Next
• Next to
• Notwithstanding
• Of
• Off
• On
• On account of
• On behalf of
• On to
• On top of
• Onto
• Opposite
• Out
• Out from
• Out of
• Outside
• Over
• Owing to
• Past
• Per
• Prior to
• Round
• Since
• Than
• Through
• Throughout
• Till
• To
• Toward
• Towards
• Under
• Underneath
• Unlike
• Until
• Unto
• Up
• Upon
• Via
• With
• With a view to
• Within
• Without
• Worth

Prepositional Phrase Examples

• I don’t want to talk about it anymore.
• He raised his arms above his head.
• According to our records you owe us $150.
• They’re building a new bridge across the river.
• She waited until well after midnight.
• She’s always rebelled against authority.
• Just ahead of you, you’ll see a bus stop.
• Cars were parked all along the road.
• The new perfume was launched amidst a fanfare of publicity.
• I saw a few familiar faces among the crowd.
• There were two houses with a narrow path in between.
• They work during the night and sleep by day.
• The wind is coming from the north.
• I’ve got a pain in my back.
• Ow, you’re standing on my foot!
• I’ll have to tell him.
• What’s the name of that plant?
• We drove through the tunnel.
• He was up a ladder painting.
• I left my books with Sam.
• …

Prepositions List in English | Image

Useful list of prepositions in English.