COMPOUND PREPOSITIONS
Definition Of Compound Prepositions:
Which are generally formed by prefixing a Preposition to a Noun, an Adjective or an Adverb.
| Compound Prepositions List | ||
|---|---|---|
| above | about | across |
| along | among | against |
| after | around | between |
| beyond | before | behind |
| beside | besides | through |
| towards | since | inside |
| outside | within | without |
Definitions Of Some Important Compound Prepositions
Above (higher than)
Above Indicates : at a higher place, at a higher level, earlier , negative action, expressions.
Examples For Compound Preposition Above.
| Astronauts work a long way above the surface of the earth | higher than |
| He was driving above the speed limit | scale of measuring |
| A dark cloud was above the house | in or at a higher place |
| He hanged the picture above the sofa | at a higher place |
| The children in her class are all above average | value |
| His blood pressure is above normal | value |
| Please see the instructions above | earlier |
| The policeman is above cruelty | too good |
About (on the topics or subjects)
About Indicates : identifies a topic, to get information, not exactly.
Examples For Compound Preposition About.
| What’s the book about? | identifies a topic |
| What about you? | to get information |
| What’s the time please? It’s about 10 | approximately |
| I think that’s about right | approximately |
| This website is about prepositions | topic |
| He often talks about his job | topic |
| we will see about that later | to delay a decision |
| He asked me about my trip | to get information |
Across (on the other side of)
Across Indicates : movement from one side, other side, facing, in every area of, .
Examples For Compound Preposition Across.
| There was no bridge across the river | from one side to another |
| The boy ran across the yard | movement from one side |
| My friend lives across the street | on the other side of a place |
| My secretary sits across from me | opposite |
| There is a heat wave all across the country | in every area of |
Along (following)
Along Indicates : together, movement or place, from one end towards the other end.
Examples For Compound Preposition Along.
| Taxis often come along this street | place |
| They rode along the road | towards the other end |
| Police walked along with dogs in murder place | together |
| He used to sing along with me | together |
| He walked along the pavement | towards the other end |
Among (surrounded by)
Among indicates : with each other, to the individuals in a group.
Examples For Compound Preposition Among.
| A village among lakes | surrounded by |
| They camped in the woods among the trees | towards the other end |
| Divide that money among us | between more than one |
| The boys quarrelled among themselves | between more than one / with each other |
| They distributed the flyers among the students | to the individuals in a group |
Against (in the opposite side to)
Against Indicates : touching something for support, touching forcibly, in opposition to, toward a force in the opposite direction.
Examples For Compound Preposition Against.
| He fights against her | in the opposite side to |
| This is against the law | in the opposite side to |
| The rain beat against the window | touching forcibly |
| Our senator voted against that bill | in opposition to |
After (following on)
After Indicates : later than, behind.
Examples For Compound Preposition After.
| I am glad we have met after two years | later |
| I am not after money | behind |
| He is looking after his own business | following on |
| After you finish your homework, you can watch television | following on |
| The cat ran after the mouse | behind |
Around (on all sides)
Around Indicates : movement in a circular direction in place, following a boundary, in all areas of, on another side of.
Examples For Compound Preposition Around.
| The bank is around the corner | on another side of |
| She must be around twenty | following a boundary |
| The earth revolves around the sun | movement in a circular direction |
| There are several trees around my college | in all areas of |
Between (in or within two)
Between Indicates : separation of two things, a choice of, together.
Examples For Compound Preposition Between.
| There is no issue between us | together |
| She must be around twenty | following a boundary |
| The earth revolves around the sun | movement in a circular direction |
| There are several trees around my college | in all areas of |
Beyond (on the other side of, farther on)
Beyond Indicates : past the limits of, later than, more distance after that.
Examples For Compound Preposition Beyond.
| The house is beyond the hill | more distance after that |
| That situation is beyond my understanding | past the limits of |
| David’s behavior is beyond any excuse | far awareness |
| In this town nothing is open beyond ten o’clock | later than |
Before (advance, about priority in a sequence)
Before Indicates : earlier than, in a more important position than, facing, in the future, in the presence of.
Examples For Compound Preposition Before.
| Christmas comes before New Year’s Day | earlier than |
| I’ll do my homework before dinner | earlier than |
| She is so ambitious that she puts her job before her family | in a more important position than |
| The bride smiled as she thought of the happiness before her | in the future |
| I was told to appear before the judge | in the presence of |
Behind (in the rear of)
Behind Indicates : at the back, less advanced than, left in the past, late, encouraging or supporting.
Examples For Compound Preposition Behind.
| He hid behind the door | in the rear of |
| My car is behind the bus | in the rear of |
| My friend sits behind me in class | in the rear of |
| The train is behind schedule | late |
| He is always behind in his rent payments | late |
| The successful man had an ambitious woman behind him | supporting |
| He is rich now; all his financial problems are behind him | left in the past |
Beside (by the side of, near)
Beside Indicates : next to .
Examples For Compound Preposition Beside.
| There was a tree beside the river | next to |
| Why don’t you sit beside me | by the side of |
| He always wastes time at our meetings by talking about things that are beside the point | irrelevant |
Besides (in addition to)
Besides Indicates : excepting, apart from.
Examples For Compound Preposition Besides.
| Everyone besides me is at the beach | excepting |
| Besides the captain and the crew, there were twenty passengers on the ship | in addition to |
| Besides all of my friends, all of their brothers and sisters are there, too | in addition to |
Through (movement)
Through Indicates : length of time, passage within , vision beyond something, parts beginning, between, and including, finish something that requires effort.
Examples For Compound Preposition Through.
| The train sped through the tunnel | motion or movement |
| I cann’t see through window | vision beyond something |
| The strike continued through the summer | length of time |
| We came through the front door | motion or movement |
| Please read from chapter one through chapter four | between |
Towards (in the direction of)
Towards Indicates : near a period of time, moving .
Examples For Compound Preposition Towards.
| The train rushed towards the tunnel | in the direction of |
| Water moves towards the pool | in the direction of |
| He threw a stone towards the sky | in the direction of |
| I always feel hungry towards dinnertime | near a period of time |
| We start getting ready for school towards the end of the summer | near a period of time |
Since (time up to now)
Since Indicates : length of time.
Examples For Compound Preposition Since.
| Since you have finished your homework, you can help me make dinner | length of time |
| He has been ill since friday night | length of time |
| I didn’t see her since I was 5 years old | time up to now |
| I have been leaving here since 1980 | time up to now |
| Long since I meet you | length of time |
Inside (within)
Inside Indicates : indoors, within.
Examples For Compound Preposition Inside.
| Is there anybody inside? | indoor |
| The dentist looked inside his mouth | within |
| She put the money inside the envelope | within |
| The children went inside because it had started to rain | indoor |
Outside (not within)
Outside Indicates : out.
Examples For Compound Preposition Outside.
| It’s raining heavily outside | not within |
| It will soon be dark outside | not within |
| You can play outside after lunch | not within |
Within (inside the limits)
Within Indicates : length of time, less than a distance, not outside a place, possible, not exceeding the limits of something.
Examples For Compound Preposition Within.
| He will return within a week | length of time |
| I live within three miles of the city center | less than a distance |
| At last, the beach is within sight | possible |
Without (not having)
Without indicates : absence of somebody, not using, not performing an action, negative of with.
Examples For Compound Preposition Without.
| The president attended the meeting without his wife | not having, absence |
| We had to cook without gas | not using |
| She can’t read without her glasses | not using |
| He left without saying good-bye | not performing an action |
| No entry without permission | not having |
| Please meet your doctor without fail | absence |
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