PREPOSITIONS

List with Meanings and elaborations

www.sai-ielts.in 1
 PREPOSITIONS
Preposition Meaning Examples
above
higher than or over 1. The sun is above the clouds.

ऊपर, यादा 1. Over or higher than: 2. The wire over my head is a pain in the neck.
2. Superior to in rank, position, or number; 3. A shot that was heard above the music.
Child’s intelligence is above average. Put principles above
greater than:
expediency.
3. Beyond the level or reach of 4. I am not above trying to bribe you.
4. In preference to: chose quality above quantity. Do you think you are above bagging your own groceries?
5. Too honorable or proud to undertake: 5. The dam is ten miles above the city.
6. More than: somewhat above normal
6. Chandigarh is above Ambala.
temperature.
7. Upstream of:
8. North of:
across

from one side to the other It's dangerous to run across the road.
दस
ू र ओर 1. On, at, or from the other side of: The Bank is across the street.

उस पार The bookstore is across the road.

2. So as to cross; through: She quickly drew lines across the paper.
3. From one side of to the other: The bridge runs across the river.
4. Into contact with: I recently came across a professional photographer

www.sai-ielts.in 2
after
Preposition Meaning Examples
after
- following something - The dog ran after the ball.

के बाद - later than - I'll call you after the meeting.

क ओर a. Behind in place or order: Obviously T comes after S in the alphabet.

b. Next to or lower than in order or importance. Set number 25B is after Seat number 25
2. In quest or pursuit of: Seek after fame; go after big money.
3. Concerning: asked after you. Asked after you
4. Subsequent in time to; At a later time than: come after dinner.
5. Subsequent to and because of or regardless of: They are still friends after all their differences.
6. Following continually: Year after year.
7. In the style of or in imitation of: Satires after Horace.
8. With the same or close to the same name as; Named after her mother.
in honor or commemoration of: A tenor after my own heart.
9. According to the nature or desires of; in conformity
Five minutes after three.
to:
10. Past the hour of:

www.sai-ielts.in 3
Preposition Meaning Examples
against
- in opposition to - Stealing is against the law.

के व के 1. In a direction or course opposite to: row against the current.

सहारे 2. So as to come into forcible contact with: waves dashing against the shore.

से अलग 3. In contact with so as to rest or press on: leaned against the tree.

4. In hostile opposition or resistance to: struggle against fate.

5. Contrary to; opposed to: against my better judgment.
6. In competition with: raced against the record holder.
7. In contrast or comparison with dark colors against a fair skin.
the setting or background of: food stored against winter.
8. In preparation for; in anticipation of:
9. As a defense or safeguard from: protection against the cold.
10. To the account or debt of: drew a check against my bank balance.
11. Directly opposite to; facing.
- in contact with - The sofa is against the wall.

along
1. Over the length of: from one end to the other They are walking along the street.

समाना तर walked along the path.

2. On a line or course parallel and close to; rowed along the shore; the trees along the avenue.
continuously beside:

3. In accordance with: The committee split along party lines over the issue.

www.sai-ielts.in 4
Preposition Meaning Examples
among
1. In the midst of; surrounded by: a pine tree among cedars. Mark was among his friends
म, म य म 2. In the group, number, or class of: She is among the wealthy.

के बीच 3. In the company of; in association with: traveling among a group of tourists.
4. By many or the entire number of; with many: a custom popular among the Greeks.
5. By the joint action of: Among us, we will finish the job.
6. With portions to each of: Distribute this among you.
Divide the chocolate among the students.
7. With or against one another: Don't fight among yourselves
around
- in a circle - He walked around the table.
Flowers grew around the tree
इधर-उधर On the day of bonfire we all danced around the fire.
There were flowers all around.
- near, approximately - It costs around 50 euros.

before
- earlier than - The day before yesterday.
के आगे, - in front of - He bowed before the king.
के सामने The Government will appear before the committee.
They stopped before a large white villa.
के बजाय rather than Her family comes before her needs.
पहले earlier. I've seen you before.

www.sai-ielts.in 5
Preposition Meaning Examples
behind
at the back of Passengers sit behind the driver.
के पीछे The boy fearing punishment hid behind the cupborad
के पीछे remaining behind the
समथ*न म in support The people walked behind their leader.
The followers said that they were right behind their leaders.

below
lower than His shorts are below his knees.
के नीचे She hurt her leg below the knee
His performamce is below average.
south of Ambala is below Chandigarh

beneath
under The pen was beneath the books.
नीचे The phone was lying beneath the clothes
The police found the contraband stacked beneath the clothes
मू+यह न This kind of an act is beneath my dignity

beside
next to The bank is beside the cinema.
के समीप, पास He sat beside the window while she beside him.
के मुकाबले म compared with His performance is average his.
के अलावा Is anyone attending the meeting besides Patrick?

www.sai-ielts.in 6
 between
Preposition Meaning Examples
between
in the space separating two things Mary sat between Tom and Jane.
के बीच there is hardly any difference between two chairs.

दो चीज. या लोग.
के बीच के /र0ते से The children must be taught to differentiate between right and wrong.
संबंिधत

संयु3 4यास 5ह6सा They managed the work between them.

5ह6सा Mary divide the chocolate between you and your sister.

by
near, at the side of The restaurant is by the river.

पास म, साथ म next to; near; at the side of. He is sitting by the window.

पास से At or to: past. stopped by the bakery; came by the house.

we stopped by harish's house
से through; along; across We came by the longer road as there was a jam on main road
In the amount of: letters by the thousands.
To the extent of: shorter by two inches.
उपयोग कर using. He will contact us by email. He travels by bus.
से, मा यम से from; through the means of. I met her by chance; by post.
7ारा passive This painting was made by Piccasso.

www.sai-ielts.in 7
 Preposition Meaning Examples
by According to: The referees ensures that every player plays by the rules.
के अनुसार The judges told everyone to play by rules.
के मामले म With respect to : siblings by blood.
मय (of time) not later than I promise I would be there by 6:00 p.m.
In the name of: swore by his son.
Through the agency or action of: was killed by a bullet.
Used to indicate a succession of specified individuals,
One by one they left. They were persuaded little by little.
groups, or quantities:
माप म उपयोग
a. Used in multiplication and division: Multiply 4 by 6 to get 24.
होता है
होता है b. Used with measurements: a room 12 by 18 feet.
c. Toward. Used to express direction with points of
के दौरान south by east.
the compass:
इस हद तक to the extent He is taller by an inch
She fell short of world record by a split second
मा:ा म in quantities of. In USA the fruits are sold by kilos.

close to
near The school is near the church.
In the period of; during: sleeping by day.
down
from higher to lower She pulled down the blind.

नीचे, िन;न 6तर 1. towards or in a low or lower position, level or state. He climbed down to the bottom of the ladder.

www.sai-ielts.in 8
Preposition Meaning Examples
Down

नीचे 2. on or to the ground. The little boy fell down and cut his knee.
पुराने से नए समय
म
3. from earlier to later times. The recipe has been handed down in our family for years.

आकार या प/रमान
म यादा से कम क 4. from a greater to a smaller size, amount etc. Prices have been going down steadily.
तरफ

नीची समझी जाने

वाली जगह क तरफ
5. towards or in a place thought of as being lower, We went down from Glasgow to Bristol.

especially southward or away from a centre.

के नीचे, के तले 1. in a lower position on. Their house is halfway down the hill.
नीचे क 5दशा म 2. to a lower position on, by, through or along. Water poured down the drain.
से लगे 3. along. The teacher's gaze travelled slowly down the line of children.

from
where something starts or originates The wind is blowing from the north.
His travel log book includes memoirs of his travels from Europe to
से Used before the place, thing, person, time etc
Asia;
that is the point at which an action, journey, The banks are open from Monday to Friday;
period of time etc begins. Irene received a letter from her father.
to indicate that from which something or someone
के यहां से I have some popular quotes from known writers.
comes.
से शु@ करते हुए indicate separation. Mr. Singh take the letter of accptance from him.
7ारा 4े षत used to indicate a cause or reason. He is suffering from a cold.
He is suffering from a cold.
दरू Distance How far is the hotel from the main crossing?
www.sai-ielts.in 9
Preposition Meaning Examples
in
at a point within an area The pen is in the drawer.
म 1. describing the position of a thing etc My mother is in the kitchen.
which is surrounded by something else. In 2001, I was in London
When I reached Terry's home, she was still in her bed.
से showing the direction of movement. He put his hand in his pocket and took out a watch.
describing the time at, after or within which
का It is always a pleasure to go for a walk in the morning
something happens.
I'll be back from Dresden in a week.
सापेBCक संDया
indicating amount or relative number. Every year, the Siberian cranes arrive in large numbers.
5दखाना
expressing circumstances, state, manner etc of an
म He came dressed in a black uniform.
event,
person etc. It is always exciting to drive in in the rain
3 She seemed to be in such a hurry.
Bhagwat geeta was originally written in Sanskrit.
He is in the army;
He tied up books in small bundles.
She is in her early thirties.
in front of directly before The child ran out in front of the bus.
inside on the inner part of The bird is inside the cage.
into
enter a closed space He went into the shop.
अंदर को to or towards the inside of; to within. The eggs were put into the box;
They disappeared into the mist.
के समान against. The car ran into the wall.
गुBणत करने
to the state or condition of. A tadpole turns into a frog;
पर
I've sorted the books into piles.
expressing the idea of division. Two into four goes twice.
www.sai-ielts.in 10
Preposition Meaning Examples
near
close to The school is near the church.
िनकट 1. not far away in place or time. The international airport is quite near.
Christmas is getting near.
िमलता जुलता 2. not far away in relationship. He is a near relation.

next to
beside The bank is next to the cinema.
off
down or away from He fell off his mule.
दरू , नीचे 1. away from; down from. The glass bowl fell off the table
The boat sank a mile off the coast
He cut about five centimetres off my hair.
नह ं चाहना, not wanting or allowed to have (food etc). The child is off his food.
या अनुमित नह ं
होना
वाहन इHया5द out of (a vehicle, train etc). We got off the bus.
से बाहर िनकलना 3 You can get off at the next station.

onto
move to a position on a surface The cat jumped onto the roof of the car.
On

पर touching, fixed to, covering etc the upper or outer side of. The book was lying on the table
He was standing on the floor
receiving, taking. on drugs; on a diet; on deputation.
She wore a hat on her head.
supported by. The stool was standing on one leg.
in or into (a vehicle, train etc). We were sitting on the bus when you were calling.
www.sai-ielts.in 11
Preposition Meaning Examples
On
के समय at or during a certain day, time etc. On his arrival, he went straight to bed
The movie is ready for release on next Friday

के वषय म about. His research on ecology is commendable.

को in the state or process of. He is going on a holiday.

को taking part in. Who is working on this project?

He is on the committee of experts.
के पास near or beside. Do you know about the shop on the cheshire road.
I see some wild beer on the road.

के वषय म by means of,through He played a tune on the Piano

Maria is talking to her parents on the phone.

के बाद when (something is, or has been, done) On closer examination, we found structure had some cracks.

के बाद followed by disaster on disaster.

out of
- move from a closed space - He got out of the taxi.
- without - She's out of work.
From a given condition: It was difficult to bring him out of depression.
From an origin, source, or cause This beautiful idol is carved out of ivory.
He hit her friends out of revenge.

www.sai-ielts.in 12
Preposition Meaning Examples
outside
opposite of inside The garden is outside the house.
over
- above/across - The plane flew over the Atlantic.

ऊपर higher than; above in position, number, authority etc. Hang that picture over the Mantle.
He's over 35 years old.
इस ओर से from one side to another, on or above the top of; She fell over the cat
उस ओर तक on the other side of. The thief jumped over the gate of her house and fled.
ढकना covering. She put her hands over her face to hide her shame.

हर जगह across. You find people like him all over the world.
People from all over the world flock to attend this fair.
के बार म या पर about. ` Do not fight over petty issues.

के मा यम से by means of. Thy discussed the issues over the phone.

- on the surface of - She put a sheet over the furniture.
दौरान during. over the years, we have experienced that somethings cannot change

के दौरान while having etc. She fell aspleep over her dinner.

past
beyond She drove past the supermarket.
के परे , up to and beyond; by. he drove past us in a hurry; we went past the shop without noticing it.
से अिधक
के बाद after. (time) Its already half past six in the morning.

www.sai-ielts.in 13
Preposition Meaning Examples
round

in a circular movement The earth moves round the sun.

के चार. ओर, on all sides of. You must visit the wall that runs round the old city.
के आस-पास, He looked round the room for his keys.
के पास
passing all sides of (and returning to the starting-
सब जगह They ran round the colony.
place).

घूमते हुए changing direction at. He came round the corner.

के कर ब in or to all parts of. The news of his arrival spread all round the town like wild fire.

through
from one side to the other The Seine flows through Paris.

म से into from one direction and out of in the other. The water flows through a pipe.

से तक from side to side or end to end of. The army of Otto Von Paulus wanted to walk

(right) through Stalingrad unopposed.

शु से अ त तक from the beginning to the end of. She read through the magazine.

के कारण because of. He lost such a great opportunity through his own overzealous atttitude.

के 7ारा by way of. He got the job through a friend.

throughout
in every part of The jubilation spread throughout the country

पूरे country.
www.sai-ielts.in 14
Preposition Meaning Examples
to
in the direct of / towards On the way to the station.

क ओर I walk to my office everyday.

The book fell to the floor;
I and my friends are going to to the concert this weekend.

तक as far as. I think his story is a lie from beginning to end.

को until. Did you stay to the end of the program?

sometimes used to introduce the indirect object of a

क He forwarded the letters to the requisite authority
verb.
You're the only person I can talk to.

से used in expressing various relations. Listen to me!; Have you sent reply to his email?
Where's the key to this door?;
The messmerized audience danced to his songs.

के मुकाबले म into a particular state or condition. She tore the letter to pieces.

म used in expressing comparison or proportion. Mart is junior to Harry; Your skill is superior to mine;

Our club won the match by 5 goals to 2.

से िमला कर showing the purpose or result of an action etc. The people rushed to the victim's assistance;
To my horror, he took a gun out of his pocket.

के 4ित used before an infinitive eg after verbs or adjectives, She wants to visit her friends next week; You tried to work hard

or in other constructions. She is working hard to score good marks.

www.sai-ielts.in 15
Preposition Meaning Examples
Towards
TOWARDS in the direction of The child ran towards her father.

क ओर in the direction of. As he walked toward the door, she turned towards her father.

के वषय म in relation to. What are your feelings towards these people?

के िलए as a contribution or help to. Here's Rs 1000 towards the cost of the tickets of train.

के िनकट (of time) near. Towards night-time, the weather worsened.

under
beneath, below Water flows under the bridge.

नीचे in or to a position lower than, or covered by. Your pen is under the file; Some really strange fish live under the sea.

िन;न less than, or lower in rank than. Children under five are not allowed in cinema halls.
make it sure that you compete this job in under an hour.
मातहत subject to the authority of. As a G.M, I have a whole team of 300 workers under me.

विभ न used to express various states. The fort was under seige.
B6थितय. के The economic condition is improving under the present regime.
िलए इ6तेमाल The matter is under consideration/discussion.
होता है
underneath
beneath There was dust underneath the rug.
नीचे, तले She was standing underneath the light; Look underneath the bed.

www.sai-ielts.in 16
Preposition Meaning Examples
up
towards or in a higher position She walked up the stairs.

ऊपर He climbed up the tree.

The high flyers climb up organizational hierarchy rapidly.

पर (at a place) along. They walked up the street; Their house is up the road.

5कसी नद towards the source of (a river). When do the salmon start swimming up the river?

इHया5द के Lोत

क तरफ

www.sai-ielts.in 17
 Classification of
Prepositions
Three Groups of Prepositions:
a. Prepositions of place, position and direction.
b. Prepositions of time.
c. Prepositions for other relationships

SOME COMMON PREPOSITIONS

PLACE POSITION DIRECTION TIME OTHER
above beyond On after except
across by Opposite before as
along down out (of) at like
among from Outside by about
at in Over for with
away from in front of Around during without
behind inside Through from by
below into To in for
beside near Towards
between off Under
Up

Although prepositions are hard to generalize with separate rules,

there is one simple rule about them. And, unlike most rules, this
rule has no exceptions.

www.sai-ielts.in 18
Rule:
They are always followed by a "noun", never followed by a verb.
By "noun" we include:
•Noun (man, animal, office, house, ship)
•Proper Noun (name) (New Delhi, Martin, Jackie)
•Pronoun (you, him, us, our)
•Noun Group (my team of experts)
•Gerund (walking)

If we want to follow with a verb, we must use the "-ing" form which is really a
gerund or verb in noun form.

Subject + Verb Preposition "noun"

The pen is on the table.

He lives in England.

Henry is looking for you.

The newspaper is under your green book.

Pascal is used to English people.

She isn't used to working.

We ate before coming.

www.sai-ielts.in 19
 Prepositions of Time / Place at, in, on
•At for a PRECISE TIME
•In for MONTHS, YEARS, CENTURIES and LONG PERIODS
•On for DAYS and Dates
Notice that use of the prepositions of time in and on in these common expressions:
•In the morning /On Monday morning
•In the mornings / On Sunday mornings
•In the afternoon(s) / On Sunday afternoons
•In the evening(s) / On Friday evenings

At In On

At 4:30 pm in March on Monday

At 3 o'clock In Winter On 6 March

At noon In the summer On 22 Dec.2012

At dinnertime In 1990 On Christmas Day

At bedtime In the next century On your birthday

At the moment In the future On New Year's Eve

When we say next, last, this, every we do not use at, in, on.
•I went to Bombay last June (not in last June)
•She is coming back next Monday. (not on next Monday)
•I go home every Sunday. (not at every Sunday)
We'll call you this afternoon. (not in this afternoon)

www.sai-ielts.in 20
Place: at, in, on
In General:
•At for a POINT (dog, money, love)
•In for an ENCLOSED SPACE; AREA
•On for a SURFACE
At In On

At the station In New Delhi, In Connaught Place On the wall

At the corner In the park On the ceiling
At the gate In a box On the table
At the crossing In a premises On the carpet

At the top of the page In a car On a page

Some other common uses of at / on / in

At In On
At home In a car On a bus
At work In a taxi On a train
At school In a helicopter On a plane
At university In an elevator On a bicycle
At the top In the sky On the radio
At the bottom In the street On the left
At the side In a row On a horse
At reception In a boat On a boat

Notice how we can use on a boat or in a boat depending on the type and the size of the particular boat/ship.

www.sai-ielts.in 21
 More Prepositions

Prepositions use Example

during the meeting, during the flight, during my graduation
during while in years.
for for two days, for an hour
from / to from Saturday to Monday, from 10 to 6

between the time period from one to another between 1950 and 2014, between Saturday and Monday
until/till before a certain time until/till Sunday,5 o'clock

by at the least By next year, by Tuesday, by next month, by tomorrow

to movement towards to school, to work, to the station

into movement towards inside something into the cinema, into the car
out of to leave a place/a thing out of the theater, out of the car
by near/next to/beside LINK stand by me, by the lake
through through the tunnel, through the room
across opposite ends across the river, across the street
against against the wall, against the door

into movement towards inside something into the cinema, into the car

www.sai-ielts.in 22