Prepositions beginning with B

One-word prepositions

bar

• Everyone came bar Angela.
• He is the best bar none.

barring

• Barring rain, we'll play tennis tomorrow.

before (also conjunction)

• We had lunch [1pm] before the meeting [3pm].
• We met the day before yesterday.
• She was before me in the queue.
• I would rather die before doing that.

behind

• There is a police car behind us. It's following us.
• We have a garden behind our house.
• The child was hiding behind the tree.
• I am behind your project. I will support it.
• Vonica finished behind Shirley in the race.
• She is behind the other children in her class.

below

• Much of Holland is below sea-level.
• There is a family in the flat below us.
• The temperature is 5 degrees below freezing point. [-5ºC]
• I came below Vonica in the test.
• You can buy it if it's below $50.

beneath

• Our garage is beneath our house.
• The tunnel runs beneath the sea.
• Laurence is beneath the General Manager.
• It was beneath his dignity to do that.

beside

• The river runs beside our house.
• James was sitting beside Miriam.

besides

• What shall we have besides coffee?

between

• Tara was sitting between Ram and Ati.
• Between you and me, I think she's crazy.
• 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 conjunction)

• 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.

Complex prepositions

because of

• We can't play tennis because of the rain.

but for

• It's your fault! But for you, I'd have been on time.

by means of

• You open a door by means of its handle.