Preposition Guide

Most English prepositions have several different functions (for instance, one well-known dictionary lists eighteen main uses of at) at the same time, different prepositions can have very similar uses (in the morning, on Monday morning, at night). Often the correct preposition cannot be guessed, and one has to learn the expression as a whole.1

Conveying Time

PrepositionDescription Example
At at a specific timeAt 9:00, the bell rang.
Onon a specific day or dateMy birthday is on June 4.
Inpart of a 24 hour periodI did my homework in the evening.
Byby a specific time or dateMy paper is due tomorrow by noon.


Conveying Place

Preposition DescriptionExample
At at a place
at the edge of something
at the corner
at a target		Meet me at the restaurant.
We were sitting at the bar.
The bus stopped at the corner of 6th and Congress.
She threw the dart at the bullseye.
On on a surface
on a street
on an electric medium 		The cat sat on the table.
I live on Lamar Boulevard.
He appeared on the Conan O’Brien show.

In		in an enclosed space
in a geographic location
in a print medium		The light is on in the bathroom.
It is hot in Texas.
The birth announcement was in the paper.
Byby a landmark The tour goes by the UT tower.
Ofof a material
of a kind		The moon is made of cheese.
He is one of the faculty members.

From		from a specific place
from a place of origin.
from a source		I just came from the gym.
I am from Dallas, Texas.
He quoted from the Bible.
About about a place
about to do something
about time		The papers were scattered about the room.
I’m about the clean my room.
It’s about 3:00 in the afternoon.
To to a place
to a degree		I went to court.
We’ll have to compromise to some degree.
    Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage. Oxford: Oxford UP, 436.

Additional Online Resources

UWC Handouts
Verbs That Take Preposition

Purdue OWL
Prepositions

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A Rough Guide to Prepositions09pdf.pdf229.79 KB