Prepositional Phrases with BY, AT, IN and FOR in English (with Useful Examples)

Prepositional phrases act as single parts of speech. They usually act as adjectives or adverbs.

Prepositional Phrases with AT

• at the age of

E.g. I learned to drive at the age of 21.

• at the beginning of

E.g. I joined a gym at the beginning of the year.

• at the bottom of

E.g. There’s a shop at the bottom of this hill.

• at all costs

E.g. I need to pass this exam at all costs.

• at one’s desk

E.g. My manager spoke to me at my desk.

• at the door

E.g. There’s somebody at the door.

• at the end

E.g. I’m going to Madrid at the end of month.

• at fault

E.g. Who was at fault for the accident?

• at first

E.g. At first, I was happy here but now I’m not.

Prepositional Phrases with FOR

• for nothing

E.g. I can’t believe it’s closed. I came all this way for nothing.

• for once

E.g. Late again! For once, can you try to arrive on time?

• for the rest of

E.g. I could live here for the rest of my life.

• for safekeeping

E.g. At the gym, I put my stuff in a locker for safekeeping.

• for somebody’s sake

E.g. Maria was upset so I had to be calm for her sake.

• for the sake of

E.g. They stayed together for the sake of their children.

• for sale

E.g. There’s a lovely house for sale at the end of this street.

• for short

E.g. My name is John but my family call me J for short.

Prepositional Phrases with BY

• by heart

E.g. At school we had to learn poems by heart.

• by invitation

E.g. Membership to the club is by invitation only.

• by land/sea/air

E.g. I get sick whenever I travel by sea.

• by law

E.g. Dog owners must have a licence for the pets by law.

• by luck

E.g. They played badly but won the match by luck.

• by means of

E.g. I was able to afford the car by means of a bank loan.

• by mistake

E.g. I chose the wrong road by mistake. Now we’re lost.

• by nature

E.g. German people tend to be quite organised by nature.

• by no means

E.g. It’s by no means certain that the economy will improve.

• by now

E.g. If you don’t know me by now, you’ll never know me.

• by oneself

E.g. I don’t mind spending time by myself.

• by phone

E.g. Get in touch with me by phone if you need any help.

Prepositional Phrases with IN

• in a hurry

E.g. I can’t talk right now as I’m in a hurry.

• in a mess

E.g. The whole house is in a mess. We need to tidy it today.

• in a way

E.g. Can money buy happiness? In a way, I think so.

• in action

E.g. I went to Camp Nou to see Lionel Messi in action last week.

• in addition (to)

E.g. In addition to feeling tired, I felt a bit sick.

• in advance (of)

E.g. It’s a busy restaurant so we should book a table in advance.

• in agreement with

E.g. I’m in agreement with many of the views of my classmates.

• in any case

E.g. I don’t want to go and in any case, I wasn’t invited.

• in brief

E.g. The interview was, in brief, a complete disaster.

in case (+ clause)

E.g. Take an umbrella in case it rains.

• in case of (+ noun)

E.g. In case of emergency, dial 911.

• in cash

E.g. I’d prefer to pay in cash, if you don’t mind.

• in charge of

E.g. Our president is too incompetent to be in charge of the economy.

• in common (with)

E.g. I have a lot of in common with my best friend.

• in comparison with

E.g. The weather in Scotland is awful in comparison with Italy.

• in conclusion

E.g. In conclusion, I believe we should do more to help the poor.