Phrasal Prepositions: List And Example Sentences

Phrasal prepositions are often difficult for English language learners because their meanings are not always clear from the individual words that make them up. Learners cannot simply “figure out” these expressions by combining words logically; instead, phrasal prepositions must be learned and memorized as fixed multi-word units.

Even small mistakes with phrasal prepositions can cause problems. For example, a common error my students make is mixing up the prepositions of and to, which are often found at the end of phrasal prepositions. In most cases, this makes the whole phrase unintelligible (in front to → in front of).

Because the meaning of phrasal prepositions is not immediately obvious, and because learners can easily make mistakes, they need repeated exposure and practice using them in different sentences before they can use them confidently and naturally. To help you or your students master these useful expressions, we’ve put together a list of phrasal prepositions with example sentences. You can also download a printable PDF of this list below to practice more later.

What Are Phrasal Prepositions?

A phrasal preposition is a combination of two or more words that act as a single preposition, such as “in spite of,” “because of,” and “in addition to.” Phrasal prepositions are often used in everyday speech and writing, and they can also be useful in academic contexts.

They are used to express relationships between nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and essentially any part of speech. Examples include: “in front of“, “out of“, “due to“, “on behalf of“, and “along with“. Phrasal prepositions can help create complex sentences with interesting ideas and make them easier for readers to understand.

Phrasal Prepositions vs Prepositional Phrases?

A phrasal preposition is a preposition that is made up of more than one word, and it is used to indicate a location or a relationship between two things. A prepositional phrase, on the other hand, is a group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun, and it functions as an adjective or adverb in a sentence.

For example:

She is standing in front of the building. (In this sentence, “in front of” is a phrasal preposition indicating location. It is not a prepositional phrase because it is not modifying a noun or pronoun.)
The book on the shelf is mine. (In this sentence, “on the shelf” is a prepositional phrase modifying the noun “book.” It begins with the preposition “on” and ends with the noun “shelf.”)

So, the main difference between phrasal prepositions and prepositional phrases is that phrasal prepositions are prepositions made up of more than one word, while prepositional phrases are groups of words that function as adjectives or adverbs in a sentence.

List Of Phrasal Prepositions

Here is a list of common phrasal prepositions:

according to
because of
by means of
due to
except for
in addition to
in front of
in spite of
inside of
on account of
on behalf of
on top of
out of
owing to
throughout
to the detriment of
with regard to
with respect to
worth of

Example Sentences With Phrasal Prepositions

Here are many example sentences using phrasal prepositions. In each of the sentences below, the phrasal preposition is in bold.

According to the weather forecast, it’s going to rain tomorrow.
I’m late because of the traffic.
They communicated by means of a secret code.
The event was canceled due to the pandemic.
Everyone has left except for me.
In addition to the usual suspects, several new players have joined the team.
She’s standing in front of the store.
In spite of the rain, we decided to go for a walk.
I will wait inside of the car.
On account of the bad weather, we decided to stay home.
I’m writing this letter on behalf of the company.
I left my keys on top of the fridge.
He’s been out of town for a week.
Owing to the pandemic, many people have lost their jobs.
We’ll be traveling throughout Europe for three months.
She put her own interests ahead of everyone else, to the detriment of the team.
With regard to the project, we need to finalize the budget and timeline.
With respect to the proposed changes, I have some concerns.
He donated a million dollars worth of medical equipment to the hospital.

Download PDF List

Download PDF

More Vocabulary Lists

Thanks for reading. If you’d like more practice with common English vocabulary and expressions, you can explore our other vocabulary lists by clicking the button below.

More Vocabulary Lists