Prepositions of Relationship, Purpose, and Possession
Introduction
In this lesson, you'll learn some English prepositions that are used to indicate relationships, purpose, and possession. You'll also learn some compound prepositions.
Example sentences and an interactive quiz are included to help you learn the prepsitions covered in this lesson.
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Prepositions of Relationship, Purpose, and Possession
With
With is used to indicate accompaniment, connection, or the instrument used to perform an action.
| I am going to the cinema with my brother. | Voy al cine con mi hermano. |
| She cut the cake with a sharp knife. | Ella cortó el pastel con un cuchillo afilado. |
| Can you go with me to the concert? | ¿Se puede ir conmigo al concierto? |
Without
Without is used to indicate the absence of something or someone.
| He managed to finish the marathon without any water. | Él logró terminar el maratón sin agua. |
| It is difficult to navigate the city without a map. | Es difícil navegar la ciudad sin un mapa. |
Against
Against is used to indicate opposition, disagreement, or physical contact/pressure.
| The local community voted against the new development. | La comunidad local votó en contra del nuevo desarrollo. |
| He leaned his bicycle against the brick wall. | Él apoyó su bicicleta contra la pared de ladrillos. |
For
For is used to indicate purpose, reason, or the person intended to receive something.
| I bought this bouquet of flowers for my mother. | Compré este ramo de flores para mi madre. |
| They are studying hard for their final exams. | Ellos están estudiando mucho para sus exámenes finales. |
| He waited for two hours. | Esperó dos horas. |
Of
Of is used to indicate belonging, origin, or the material something is made from.
| This is the first page of the book. | Esta es la primera página del libro. |
| The table is made of solid oak. | La mesa está hecha de roble macizo. |
About
About is used to indicate the subject or topic of a conversation, book, or thought.
| The story is about a cat. | La historia trata de un gato. |
| We were talking about our plans for the summer. | Estábamos hablando sobre nuestros planes para el verano. |
| I am reading a fascinating story about space travel. | Estoy leyendo una historia fascinante sobre viajes espaciales. |
Compound Prepositions
A compound preposition consists of two or more words, but acts like a single preposition. The following table shows some common compound prepositions.
| ahead of | as far as | because of | by means of |
| in addition to | in back of | in case of | in regard to |
| in spite of | instead of | next to | out of |
Examples
| They arrived ahead of me. | Llegaron por delante de mí. |
| Your jacket is next to the door. | Su chaqueta está al lado de la puerta. |
| I finished in spite of the interruptions. | Terminé a pesar de las interrupciones. |
Quiz
Fill in the blank with the best preposition from the choices in parentheses.
