Preposition shows the position of nouns and pronouns in relation to other words. That means, they can be used to show locations of objects. For example:

• My girlfriend was standing at the door when I came home.
• I live beside a construction worker who has a tattoo on his arm, so we’re afraid to go near him.

The words in red (prepositions) show location and position of the object (noun). Prepositions do not have any meaning on their own. They are normally followed by a noun or a pronoun. Words that come after prepositions are called “objects”. The objects together with the prepositions are called prepositional phrases. The list of commonly used prepositions is available at the bottom of this page.

Examples:

1. The ship leaves in the morning.
2. The toddler spilt some milk on the table.

However, prepositions sometimes appear at the end of a sentence. Take note that some grammarians insist that prepositions should never end a sentence Look at the following sentences:

Examples:

1. I don’t know what you’re thinking of.
2. What is he looking at?

Prepositional phrases may function as adjectives and adverbs.

Examples:

1. The pen in your pocket belongs to me.  (Which pen? The one in your pocket) – adjective
2. He lives near my house. (Where does he live? Near my house) – adverb
3. The little pup under the tree has a red ribbon around its neck. (Which pup? The one under the tree.) – adjective

List of common prepositions