Preposition Examples

1. similar to; comparable to

• Don't act like a baby.
  
  
• That perfume smells like roses.
  
  
• He looks like his father.

1. close to; next to

• The train will arrive near dark.
  
  
• I will wait for you near the entrance.
  
  
• There's a palm tree near the hut.

• I am the tallest person in my family, next to my mom.
  
  (My mom is taller than I am. I am second tallest.)
  
  
• Next to you, John is the highest paid employee.
  
  (You are the only employee who makes more money than John.)

• I parked my car next to yours.
  
  
• The bride walks next to her father.
  
  
• The goat is sitting next to the bear.

1a. belonging to or connected with someone or something

• The final score of last night's football game was 35-12.
  
  
• Do you know the price of a movie ticket?
  
  
• The President of the United States will be visiting our city.

1b. belonging to or connected with a group of people or things

• Are you one of Mary's sisters?
  
  
• Please hand me one of those pencils.
  
  
• The three of us flew to China last year.

2. from a certain place

• The residents of my town built the city park.
  
  
• Some plants of Hawaii are endangered.
  
  
• The people of Mexico speak Spanish.
  
  

3. used with measurements and time

• My birthday is the sixteenth of November.
  
  
• You must be 18 years of age to attend.
  
  
• Mom bought three bags of groceries.
  
  

1. remove; shows something has been separated or removed

• Please take off your muddy shoes before coming in the house.
  
  
• She cut all of her hair off.
  
  
• I took your name off the list.

2. away from a price or time

• Everything is 20% off the original price.
  
  
• The coupons took $5 off my total.
  
  
• The shortcut will knock 10 minutes off your drive.

3. down or away from

• Stay off the wet cement!
  
  
• I live 15 miles off the main road.
  
  
• The bird fell off the wire. 

1. covering something; part of the surface

• Most people put butter on their toast.
  
  
• Put your jacket on before you go outside.
  
  
• I wear my grandmother's ring on my left ring finger.

2. about

• I need to check out a book on zebras.
  
  
• Did you see that television series on Thomas Jefferson?
  
  
• The teacher gave us an exam on prepositions.

3. used to show a date or day something will happen or already happened

• Our next meeting will be on February 10.
  
  
• Ben saw a deer on his way to work yesterday.
  
  
• I have a date on Wednesday.

4. used to show a type of transportation

• Tony was on the bus this morning.
  
  
• Didn't you see me on my bike?
  
  
• I live to travel on a plane.

1. moving to a position on something

• Can you copy those songs onto a CD?
  
  
• Tom dropped his ice cream onto the clean floor.
  
  
• I climbed onto the horse's back.

1. on the other side; next to; across from

• Put the stamp opposite your name.
  
  
• Our house is opposite the park.
  
  
• During the interview, she sat in the chair opposite me.

1. opposite of inside; in a place near

• Meet me outside the library.
  
  
• Put your name on the outside of the envelope.
  
  
• Leave the dog outside the house.

1. covering; on top of

• She is wearing a sundress over her swimsuit.
  
  
• Lay the blanket over his legs.
  
  
• I put my hand over her mouth to keep her quiet.

2. to, from, or at a higher place (not touching); above

• The geese flew over our heads.
  
  
• I saw the clouds coming over the mountains.
  
  
• He likes to cook marshmallows over the campfire.

3. going across; from one side to the other side

• We flew over the Atlantic Ocean.
  
  
• I just crossed over the border of Mexico.
  
  
• Follow the bridge over the river.

4. more than

• I waited at the office over two hours.
  
  
• The swimming pool is open if the temperature is over 70 degrees.
  
  
• She does not date men over 35.

5. during

• A foot of snow fell over the last three days.
  
  
• He has grown up over the years.
  
  
• We talked over coffee.