among

amongst (UK) - also compare AMID

Is there a doctor among us?
There were secret police among the crowd.
I was amongst strangers. I didn’t know anyone.

anti Opp. Pro) (to/with/of/for/about etc.)

He seems to be anti my idea.
Some people are anti everything.

around 
We walked around the town for an hour.
They all sat around the camp fire.
There is a big fence around the house.
He was born around 1570.
Let’s meet around 7pm.

at 
He is at school.
We first met at a party.
Let’s start the meeting at 9 o’clock.
He started work at 17 (years of age).
We are aiming at sales of $1,000,000.

bar – (But/ Except/ Save/ Except for/ Save for)

Everyone came, bar Angela.

beside by/ next to/ close to/ in vicinity of/ in proximity of/
adjacent to)
The river runs beside our house.
Mr. Biden was sitting beside Deep.

besides 
What shall we have besides coffee?

between 
Tara was sitting between Ram and Sabri.
Between you and me, there is only Aarti.
I can meet you between 1pm and 2pm.

beyond Can you see someone in the distance, beyond

that house?
This is too difficult. It’s beyond me.
The meeting continued beyond midnight.

but (also conj.) Everyone came but Andrea.

by

We came by car.
Fireworks were invented by the Chinese.
He was shot by a professional killer.
It happened by accident.
He lost the race by five seconds.
The room is 10 metres by 6 metres.
We must finish by Tuesday.
We were sitting by the window.
By my calculation he must be 73

Considering (taking into account/ looking at) 

Considering the poor quality, I think the price is too high.
I think I must be going, considering the time.

Counting Including / inclusive of)

There were four people, or five counting the baby.
That makes $70, not counting the tax.

cum 
I have a study-cum-bedroom.
She is a kind of secretary-cum-receptionist.

despite n spite of sth)

We went swimming despite the cold water.
He passed the test despite being ill.
down 
They ran down the hill.
The post office is down the road.
They have had many wars down the years.

during
He fell asleep during the meeting.
I want to go swimming during the weekend.
I was bored during the whole film.

except 
You can have any colour except blue.
They all came except Stephen.

excepting 
I can eat anything excepting Pizza.
Excepting Mukesh, everyone was present.

excluding 
It costs $70, excluding $10 for delivery. (Total = $80.)
We are open every day excluding Christmas Day.

for (also conj.) 

This is for you.
Do you want to go for a walk?
You use a corkscrew for opening bottles.
Cigarettes are bad for you.
I’m saving for a new car.
Is this the road for Akshardham?
Is this the train for Surat?
I bought it for $10.
We worked for three hours.
Keep walking for two kilometres.

from 
Where do you come from?
This letter is from my wife.
I bought this car from Obama.
They prevented me from entering.
My car is different from yours.
We worked from Monday to Wednesday.
Paper is made from wood.
It can cost anything from $5 to $15.
The police took my driving licence from me.
He died from overwork.

in 
Monkeys live in the jungle.
John is the man with his hand in his pocket.
I live in an apartment.
he lives in Bangkok.
Tara was born in 1977.
Trains were invented in the nineteenth century.
I’ll come back in two weeks.
Let’s meet in the morning.
There are 60 seconds in a minute.

including 
The price is $70 including $10 for delivery. (Total = $70.)
There were four of us, including the baby.

inside 
It was dark inside the tunnel.
My modem is inside my computer. It’s an internal modem.

into 
John went into that shop.
If you heat ice it turns into water.
We cut the cake into ten pieces.
Five into ten makes two. (Devide)

less 10 less 3 = 7.

like 
She is like her sister.
She sings like a bird.
Do it like this.
I feel like swimming.
It looks like rain.
I want something cold, like iced-coffee.

minus 
10 minus 3 = 7.
The temperature is minus 30 degrees centigrade.

near 
The school is near the post office.
It’s 20 December. We are very near Christmas Day.

Notwithstanding 
Notwithstanding the low price, I don’t want it.
They went swimming, notwithstanding the rain.

off 
Please take your shoes off the table.
Keep off the grass.
It fell off the table and broke.
hey live in a street off City bank.

on 
Please don’t put your shoes on the table.
The picture is on page 7.
We live on a busy road. It’s very noisy.
He is sunbathing on the beach.
Is there water on the Moon?
I need a book on bio-chemistry.
My birthday is on Monday.
I start work on 7 May.
Let’s meet on the weekend. (US)
I’ll see you on Christmas Day.
You must be on time.

onto (US)
The cat jumped onto the chair.
The police are onto us. (slang)

opposite 
There is a post office opposite my house.
She sat opposite him and looked into his eyes.

outside 
I don’t live in Gujarat. I live outside Gujarat.
It was very cold outside the car.
This is outside my scope.

pro pp. Anti)

Are you pro capital punishment?
He is generally pro new ideas.

regarding 
I would like to speak to you regarding my homework.
Regarding John, let’s talk later.

round 
They all sat round the fire.
There is a hedge round the house.
I live round the corner.(From the other side of sth)

save (formal) Except

All save Mrs Jones were present.
Save you, nobody thanked me.

since (also conj.) 

I haven’t seen Josef since Monday.
Mr Brown has worked in a bank since 1985

than (also conj.) 

Your car is bigger than my car.

through
thru (US)
The train goes through a tunnel.
I can see light through the keyhole.
You have been through a difficult experience.
You went through a red light.
The error occurred through my own stupidity.
They worked Monday through Thursday. [US] (Until)

throughout 
It is raining throughout the whole country.
He worked throughout the day, and most of the night.

till (also conj.) 

I work from 9am till 5pm.
Please wait till I come.

to 
Could you give this to your father?
My car does 10 miles to the litre.
To his surprise, the door was open.
The museum is open from Monday to Friday.
The time is ten to five. [4.50]

toward (US)
towards (UK)
He drove off toward(s) the mountain.
I’d better go. It’s getting toward(s) midnight.
He contributed $100,000 toward(s) the new building.
It’s the first step toward(s) peace.
He has a positive attitude toward(s) his work.

under 
The mouse ran under the chair.
The bucket is under the sink.
Submarines can travel under water.
We drove under a bridge.
I have a T-shirt under my pullover.
Who do you work under? Who is your boss?
I am under orders from the President.
What is the subject under discussion?
Under the company rules, we can’t do that.
Please buy it if it’s under $50.

underneath 
The nurse put a pillow underneath his head.
There is a big cellar underneath our house.

unlike 
This problem is unlike any we have met before.
Unlike you, Mukesh is a very smart boy

until (formal, also conj.)

They continued the meeting until 11pm.
Please wait until I come.

up 
Jack and Jill ran up the hill.
There is a post office up the street.

upon (formal) 
Please don’t put your shoes upon the table.
There are now no dinosaurs upon Earth.
I need a book upon bio-chemistry.
We met upon a Monday.
He broke his leg upon getting out of the car.

versus 
He was the judge in the case of Gore versus Bush.
We should choose peace versus war.

via 
We flew from Paris to Bangkok via Dubai.
with 
Do you live with your parents?
He’s been with Milestone Academy for two years.
I discussed it with her.
With your permission, I’d like to go.
If you mix red with yellow you get orange.
Radhika is the girl with black hair.
Do you want to come with us?
I made this chair with my own hands.
You’ll forget her with time.

within 
There is a modem within the computer.
I will finish within 30 minutes.
He lives within 10 miles of his work.
It’s not within my power to help you.

without 
I want trousers without buttons.
I came without my wife because she is working.
He watched without speaking.

worth 
This car is worth $10,000.

Complex Prepositions

Complex Prepositions
according to According to John, Mary was late. I believe John.
ahead of Anthony is ahead of Rachel in the race. He’ll win.
We have a long day ahead of us. Let’s get going!
because of We can’t play tennis because of the rain.
due to The cancellation was due to the rain. There was
no other reason.
in lieu of (Instead of)I don’t have any dollars. Can I pay euro in
lieu of
dollars?
in spite of We went swimming in spite of the cold water.
instead of We don’t have any tea. Would you like coffee
instead of tea?
in view of Considering) In view of your illness, we will wait for a
week.
irrespective of I don’t like it, irrespective of what you say.
Irrespective of the price, I don’t want it. Price isn’t
everything.
near to There is a restaurant near to my office. Just two
minutes away.
next to The school is next to the bank. Between the hotel
and the bank.
on behalf of I’m calling you on behalf of Mr Brown. I represent
him in legal matters.
Vis-à-vis
(from French)
I prefer Jaguar cars vis-à-vis BMW cars.(in comparison with)
I need to speak to you vis-à-vis your homework.(in relation to)

Raju and his family are planning to visit Goa next month.

Raju, as well as (besides/along with) his family, is planning to visit Goa next month.

Raju is planning to visit Goa next month as well as (besides/along with) his family

Poverty and unemployment are big issues

Poverty, besides unemployment, is a big issue

Poverty is a big issue besides unemployment

Besides unemployment, poverty is a big issue