Prepositions

Intransitive: Adverb-like? (can appear without a complement: He went inside.)

C = can take a clause complement (e.g., after we arrived)

Preposition	Example Sentence	Intransitive?	C
aboard	She climbed aboard the ship.	Y
about	We talked about the problem.
above	The lamp hangs above the table.	Y
abreast	They walked abreast along the path.	Y
abroad	He went abroad last year.	Y
absent	Absent further evidence, we cannot decide.
according	According to the report, sales rose.
across	They walked across the road.	Y
adrift	The boat was adrift in the sea.	Y
aft	The sailors gathered aft on the deck.	Y
after	We met after the meeting.	Y	C
against	The bike is against the wall.
ago	He left two days ago.	Y
ahead	He ran ahead of the group.	Y
akimbo	He stood with arms akimbo.	Y
aloft	The bird flew aloft into the sky.	Y
along	They walked along the river.	Y
alongside	He parked alongside the curb.	Y
although	Although tired, she continued working.	C	C
amid	The house stood amid trees.
among	Divide the prize among the winners.
apart	The children played apart from each other.	Y
apropos	Apropos the discussion, she added a note.
around	We walked around the park.	Y
as	As a teacher, she is strict.		C
ashore	The sailors came ashore safely.	Y
aside	She stepped aside the door.	Y
aslant	The picture hung aslant on the wall.	Y
astride	He sat astride the horse.
at	She is at the station.
away	He walked away from the group.	Y
back	He came back late.	Y
bar	Everyone bar John attended.
barring	Barring accidents, we will arrive on time.
based	The decision is based on facts.
because	We stayed home because it rained.		C
before	I left before the meeting.	Y	C
beforehand	She prepared beforehand for the event.
behind	The dog hid behind the tree.	Y
below	The temperature fell below zero.	Y
beneath	Treasure lay beneath the sand.
beside	She sat beside me.
besides	Besides you, no one knows.
between	The café is between two banks.
betwixt	The cabin is betwixt the hills.
beyond	The village lies beyond the hills.	Y
but	Everyone but John left.
by	The book is by the window.
chez	They stayed chez their friends.
circa	The temple was built circa 1200.
come	Come what may, we will finish the project.		C
contra	His view is contra the prevailing opinion.
counting	Counting the votes took all night.
cum	She has a teacher-cum-mentor role.
despite	Despite the rain, we left.
down	They ran down the hill.	Y
due	The delay was due to traffic.
during	She slept during the flight.
east	The village lies east of the river.	Y
ere	We must act ere it is too late.		C
except	Everyone except Tom came.
excepting	Excepting John, everyone attended.
following	Following the meeting, we left.
for	This gift is for you.
forth	He went forth into the city.	Y
forward(s)	Move forwards until you reach the gate.	Y
from	He came from Spain.
given	Given the facts, we must act.		C
granted	Granted permission, they proceeded.		C
hence	Hence we decided to leave early.
henceforth	Henceforth, all meetings start at nine.
here	Come here.	Y
home	He went home early.	Y
if	We’ll go if it’s sunny.	C	C
in	She lives in Rome.
including	Everyone came, including Anna.
indoors	Stay indoors during the storm.	Y
inside	Wait inside the building.	Y
instead	Instead, I chose coffee over tea.
into	She walked into the room.
less	She is less confident than before.
lest	We must hurry, lest we be late.	C	C
like	He looks like his father.		C
minus	Ten minus two equals eight.
modulo	Paid modulo the agreement.
near	The school is near the park.
nearby	The school is nearby.	Y
next	She stood next in line.
north	We sailed north.	Y
now	Now is the time to start.	Y
o’clock	It’s five o’clock.	Y
of	A cup of tea.
off	The cat jumped off the table.	Y
on	The keys are on the table.	Y
once	Once upon a time, there was a king.
onto	The dog jumped onto the sofa.
onward(s)	Move onwards through the forest.	Y
opposite	The bank is opposite the station.	Y
out	He stepped out for a moment.	Y
over	The lamp hangs over the table.	Y
owing	The delay was owing to snow.
past	Walk past the shop.	Y
pending	Pending approval, the project cannot start.
per	Paid per hour.
plus	Three plus four equals seven.
prior	Prior to the meeting, read the report.
pro	Paid pro month.
provided	Provided the rules are followed, it’s safe.	C	C
providing	Providing that everyone agrees, we proceed.	C	C
pursuant	Pursuant to the contract, payment is due.
qua	He spoke qua historian, not as a citizen.
regarding	He spoke regarding policy.
respecting	Respecting the rules, we can start.
round	They walked round the lake.	Y
sans	He lives sans fear.
save	Everyone save John left.
saving	Saving time, she prepared in advance.
seeing	Seeing the storm, we stayed home.
short	We’re short staff today.	Y
since	I stayed here since Monday.	Y	C
so	She was tired, so she rested.	C	C
south	The wind blew south.	Y
sub	He acted sub the manager’s instructions.
supposing	Supposing it rains, we’ll cancel the picnic.	C	C
than	She is taller than me.		C
then	We ate, then left.
thence	He went to London, and thence to Paris.	Y
thenceforth	From that day thenceforth, she changed.	Y
there	There is a problem.	Y	C
though	Though tired, she kept going.	C	C
through	We walked through the tunnel.	Y
throughout	Snow fell throughout the night.
till	Stay till tomorrow.		C
times	Five times three equals fifteen.
to	She went to Paris.
together	The CEO, together with staff, attended.
toward(s)	Walk towards the door.
under	The cat slept under the bed.	Y
underfoot	The path was slippery underfoot.	Y
underground	The tunnels run underground.	Y
underneath	Keys lay underneath the book.	Y
unless	Unless it rains, we will go.	C	C
unlike	Unlike you, he stayed calm.
until	Wait until tomorrow.		C
unto	Commit this task unto God.
up	Run up the hill.	Y
upon	Once upon a time.
versus	The match is Brazil versus Spain.
via	We flew via Dubai.
vis-à-vis	The two offices are vis-à-vis each other.	Y
wanting	The report was wanting in detail.
west	The sun set in the west.	Y
when	Call me when you arrive.	C	C
whence	From whence came this tradition?	Y	C
where	I know where he went.	C	C
whereas	He likes tea, whereas I prefer coffee.	C	C
while	She read a book while waiting.	C	C
whilst	He read a book whilst waiting.	C	C
with	She spoke with the manager.
within	Stay within the boundary.	Y
without	He left without money.