British English Prepositions Made Simple and Clear

Prepositions are little words in a sentence which tells us where or when something is in relation to the noun in the sentence. They are essential to be used correctly in British English because they can be misleading or lead to miscommunication if used inaccurately. There can be a slight difference between British and American usage with prepositions so make sure you are following the correct dialect. Even for the advanced learner, they can be tricky to understand, so go slow and steady when learning them. Don't be discouraged if you find them too difficult, you are not alone! Below, I will make the meanings and usage clear with examples.

What Are Prepositions?

Prepositions can be split into categories. The main categories are time, place, direction and manner. Each preposition shows the relationship to each category.

Preposition of time

Preposition	Usage	Example
in	months, seasons, time phrases (in a minute etc.), years, parts of the day	In January, in summer, in the past, in 2016, in the morning.
On	Days of week, specific dates	On Monday, on 12th June 2025.
At	Celebrations, specific times, meals, time of day	At Christmas, at 4pm, at dinner time, at night/noon.
Since	A specific time in the past. Usually used with present perfect tense	Since 2023, since I have been awake, since I was young.
For	Duration of an action	For 2 hours, for a long time, for 30minutes.
From...to/till	A time starts and finishes	From 9am to 5pm, from morning till night.
By	By a certain time	By then, by the end of April, by 3pm.

Preposition of place

Preposition	Usage	Example
On/on top of	an object is touching something else.	The pen is on the desk. She is sitting on the floor.
Over/above	an object doesn't touch another thing.	The bird is flying over the house. The picture is above the computer.
Under/below	an object is below another thing.	Worms are below the ground. The books are under my bed.
Between	something is in the middle of two things.	I work between 12pm and 5pm. The post office is between the shop and bank.
Behind	an object is located at the back of something else.	The park is behind the church. The paper is behind the lamp.
In front of	an object is located forward of something else.	I am sitting in front of the computer. The car is in front of the house.
Next to	an object is located directly beside something else.	The remote is next to the tv. The kettle is next to the toaster.
Near	something close by.	The shop is near my house. The flowers are near the shed.
In	an object is inside something.	My purse is in my bag. The bags are in the car.
Across	something is opposite something else.	The restaurant is across the road. My mum is sat across from me at the table.
At	the location of where something is.	We are at the train station. They are eating dinner at home.

Preposition of manner

Preposition	Usage	Example
In	Describes how something is done	She left the room in tears. I wrote the book in English.
With	Describes how an action is performed and what was used	He ate with a knife and fork. The child painted the picture with great skill.
By	Describes the method used to do an action.	He got home by bus. The letter was delivered by post.
On	Describe the method of transport or method used	He walked home on foot. She fixed the bike on her own.

Preposition of movement

Preposition	Usage	Example
Into	to move in to another place	He put his hand into his pocket. She jumped into the pool.
Out of	To move out of a place	He took his hand out of his pocket. They got out of the car.
Around	to move in a circular motion or in a general area in different directions	We walked around the town. He drove the car around the block.
From...to...	to go from one place to another	We will travel from Italy to Portugal. The flight from Manchester to Spain is 3 hours.
Across	the movement from one side to the other	We swam across the lake. She walked across the road.
Through	the movement from one end to the other, usually in a smaller space	We travelled through the tunnel. The ball went through the window.
Towards	the action of an object moving closer to another object	The car was moving towards me. She moved towards the window.

Key Differences in British vs. American Usage

There is some difference in the way British and American prepositions are used. Here are some examples of which dialect use which preposition more commonly.

• At the weekend (British) vs On the weekend (American)

• In hospital (British) vs In the hospital (American)

• At university (British) vs In college (American)

• Monday to Friday (British) vs Monday through Friday (American)

• In the team (British) vs On the team (American)

• Write to someone (British) vs Write someone (American)

• In a street (British) vs Ona street (American)

Commonly Confused Prepositions

Confusion with prepositions usually comes from differences with a student's native language. Try not to directly translate prepositions because this will lead to more mistakes. Another reason students are confused is because of British vs American differences. Use the table above to help with understanding prepositions and look out for the following mistakes in particular:

• At/In/On for time and place

• With travel and transport - in the car and on the bus/train

• In vs At for location - at home and in hospital

Tips for Mastering British Prepositions

Use the following tips to become more confident in using the correct preposition in your English.

• Read, read and read - read as many books or articles (depending on your level) as you can. The more you read prepositions being used correctly, the more you remember the correct one intuitively and the others don't sound quite right.

• Listen - listen to as many native speakers as possible. You can try YouTube, podcasts, tv shows etc.

• Use context - understanding the context will give a good idea of the meaning of the preposition, then you can choose a more appropriate preposition to use.

Mastering prepositions is essential to using English correctly in speaking and writing. Using the tables above will help you to make a distinction between each preposition and its usage. Read and listen to as much as you can consistently and you'll soon be using prepositions accurately.

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