What Are Prepositions? How to Use Them in Writing

Prepositions are an important part of writing that provide contextual meaning to sentences, to help the reader understand aspects like space or time.

Learn about prepositions and get tips as well as examples on how to use prepositions in your writing. Then, review your writing with the Originality.ai Grammar Checker to avoid spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes.

What Are Prepositions?

Prepositions are a part of speech in English used before a noun or pronoun to show direction, time, or space. 

According to the University of Nevada, prepositions, on their own don’t have meaning, unlike nouns or verbs. In contrast, prepositions are included in writing to provide context to the sentence.

Essentially, prepositions communicate the relationship between people, between things, or between people and things — either abstract or concrete.

Prepositions can be a single word such as ‘to,’ ‘of’, ‘on,’ and ‘at,’ or a phrase such as ‘on top of,’ ‘in front of,’ and ‘next to.’

4 Types of Prepositions in Grammar

1. Prepositions of time

Prepositions of time refer to a particular moment in time when something occurs. 

Examples of time prepositions:

• In
• On
• At

Use ‘in’ to refer to parts of the day (not exact times), such as a month, year, or season.‍

How to use the preposition ‘in’ in a sentence to specify time:‍

• She loves to ski in the winter.
• The cat sleeps in the afternoon.

Use ‘on’ to refer to days of the week or specific dates.‍

How to use the preposition ‘on’ in a sentence to specify time:‍

• Sandra bakes on Sundays.
• I got my driver’s license on September 23. 

Use ‘at’ to refer to the exact time of day. Also use ‘at’ with noon, midnight, and night.‍

How to use the preposition ‘at’ in a sentence to specify time:‍

• I always get hungry at noon.
• The mail was delivered at 11:00.

Other prepositions of time include ‘since,’ ‘for,’ ‘by,’ ‘during,’ ‘from,’ ‘to,’ ‘until,’ and ‘within.’ These prepositions are used to refer to a longer period of time.‍

How to use prepositions to describe a lengthy period of time:‍

• Theo has lived in California since 2019.
• Erika always travels during the winter holidays.
• They will be absent from September 20 until November 3.

2. Prepositions that indicate place

‍As well as time, prepositions may also refer to the place that a person or something currently is or is going to be.

‍Examples of the most common prepositions of place:‍

• In
• On
• At

Use ‘in’ to refer to a specific point. ‘In’ is often used in a space where boundaries are present (think walls, city limits, or borders).

‍How to use the preposition ‘in’ in a sentence to indicate place:‍

• There was a lot of rain in Ohio last week.
• They left the laptop in the kitchen.

Use ‘on’ to refer to a surface without walls or specific boundaries.‍

How to use the preposition ‘on’ in a sentence to indicate place:‍

• Lizzy placed her pen on the table.
• The snow on the roof sparkled in the streetlights.

Use ‘at’ to refer to a general vicinity of a place.‍

How to use the preposition ‘at’ in a sentence to indicate place:‍

• I met my friends at the park.
• He forgot his phone at the cafe.

3. Prepositions of direction‍

Prepositions of direction express movement or motion from one position to another.

‍Examples of common prepositions of direction:

• In
• To
• On
• Into
• Onto

Use ‘to’ to express movement towards a goal. If the goal is physical, ‘to’ refers to movement toward a destination. If the goal is not physical (for example: an action),  ‘to’ refers to movement towards a purpose.

How to use the preposition ‘to’ in a sentence to indicate direction:

• Ali flew to San Francisco last week.
• Gregory ran to the train station.

Use ‘in’ to express the movement of a person or thing to a space with walls or boundaries. In most cases ‘into’ can be used interchangeably. However, the exception is when the preposition is at the end of the sentence, in that case, use ‘in.’

How to use the preposition ‘in’ or ‘into’ in a sentence to indicate direction:

• Sam went into the shop.
• The box was very large, so the cat jumped in.

Use ‘on’ or ‘onto’ to express the movement of a person or thing on a specific surface or area without boundaries. When using verbs of motion, the prepositions on’ or ‘onto’ can be used interchangeably.‍

How to use the preposition ‘on’ or ‘onto’ in a sentence to indicate direction:‍

• Anna fell on the slippery floor.
• Edwin jumped onto the steps.

4. Prepositions and spatial relationships

Prepositions of spatial relationships refer to the relationship between a reference point and a person or thing in space.

Examples of prepositions of spatial relationships:

• Inside
• Above
• Over
• Under
• Beneath
• Beside
• Between
• In front of
• Opposite
• Among

‍How to use common prepositions of spatial relationships in a sentence:‍

• Tyler stands in front of the painting.
• The dog jumps over the bushes.
• Erin slips the bookmark between the pages of a novel.
• Cameron taped the poster above the water fountain.
• The student stuffs her books inside her bag.

Sentences May Have Multiple Prepositions

Many sentences use more than one preposition of the same or different types. 

Here are some extra example sentences using multiple prepositions:

• Alex drives to Texas to visit her cousin in El Paso.
• The chameleon sits on a low branch in the sunlight.
• Tomorrow I’m flying to Europe at 4:00 in the morning.
• During the week, Emme goes to work at 9:00 a.m.
• I walked to the store between Smith Street and Miller Avenue yesterday.
• The children go to school from August until May.

Final Thoughts

Applying prepositions correctly in sentences is key to proper grammar. Further, they provide important context for readers to describe the nouns and pronouns in a sentence and where they appear in time, place, direction, or spatial relationships.

Efficiently review the proper placement of prepositions in your writing with the Originality.ai Grammar Checker to communicate clearly with your audience.

Then, learn grammar tips and best practices in our top guides:

• Accept vs. Except — What’s the Difference?
• A Guide to Using Exclamation Marks in Writing
• What Is a Predicate?
• What are Run-On Sentences?