Prepositions express relationships—in space, time, or other senses—between nouns or pronouns and other words in a sentence.
We did not want to leave during the game.
The contestants waited nervously for the announcement.
A prepositional phrase (see Chapter 43) begins with a preposition and ends with the noun or pronoun it connects to the rest of the sentence.
Drive across the bridge and go down the avenue past three stoplights.
SOME COMMON PREPOSITIONS
| about | at | down | near | since |
| above | before | during | of | through |
| across | behind | except | off | toward |
| after | below | for | on | under |
| against | beneath | from | onto | until |
| along | beside | in | out | up |
| among | between | inside | over | upon |
| around | beyond | into | past | with |
| as | by | like | regarding | without |
SOME COMPOUND PREPOSITIONS
| according to | except for | instead of |
| as well as | in addition to | next to |
| because of | in front of | out of |
| by way of | in place of | with regard to |
| due to | in spite of |
Research for this book shows that many writers—including native speakers of English—have trouble choosing appropriate prepositions. If you are not sure which preposition to use, consult your dictionary.