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.
