Learning how to use nouns with prepositions is important in English grammar. We often see prepositions used with verbs to explain relations in TIME and PLACE.
Let’s meet IN twenty minutes IN the conference room.
When two nouns relate to each other we also use prepositions to describe that relationship.
There has been a rise IN customer complaints recently.
In this blog post, you will learn lots of common examples where prepositions are used with nouns. Keep reading.
Nouns with Prepositions LIST
- anxiety/worry about
- a book/story about
- concern about
- confusion about
- a debate about
- a decision about
- an attempt at
- a connection between
- the difference between
- an agreement between
- an advertisement/a commercial for
- a cure for
- a demand for/a need for
- an explanation for
- a reason for
- a receipt for
- respect for
- room for
- a talent for
- an thirst for
- a change in
- a delay in
- a difference in
- faith in
- growth in
- an increase in/a decrease in
- an interest in
- a rise in/a fall in/a drop in
- success in
- a cause of
- a picture of/a drawing of
- a map of
- a video of/a recording of
- a ban on
- congratulations on
- a decision on
- information on
- a report on
- a spin on
- an answer to/a reply to
- contribution to
- damage to
- desire to
- an invitation to
- a key to
- a reaction to
- resistance to
- a solution to
- a threat to
- a deal with
- an arrangement with
- contact with
- a relationship with
Keep reading for real English example sentences.
Nouns with Prepositions – grammar
Nouns used with prepositions can be pronouns (it, this, that, him, her, etc.) or combinations of words that are called noun phrases. (The shortage of disposable masks, our energy problem, etc.)
The examples below are all written in natural English that you can modify (change) and use in your own conversations.
Prepositions with Nouns – examples
ABOUT
on the subject of somebody/something; in connection with
All definitions are from Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries
- a book/news article/story about
I’m reading a book about Steve Jobs now. It’s interesting.
A private investor wants to build luxury condos on the waterfront. I read an article about it in today’s newspaper.
My grandfather used to tell me stories about life when he was young.
- a concern about
The school board has some concerns about class sizes this year. The teachers think the classes are too big but the school board thinks they could be bigger.
- confusion about
There seems to be some confusion about the cause of this problem.
There’s still confusion about who is in charge.
AT
used to show the situation somebody/something is in, what somebody is doing or what is happening
- an attempt at
The team will make a second attempt at the summit tomorrow. The weather is not good for climbing today, the wind is too strong.
Last season Andrew ran the 100-meter dash in 10.49 seconds. This season he wants to make an attempt at the school record of 10.22 seconds.
The school record is a noun phrase.
BETWEEN
used to show the situation somebody/something is in, what somebody is doing or what is happening
- an agreement between
There is finally an agreement between the local and national governments to help people whose jobs have been affected by the pandemic.
- a connection between
Police couldn’t find any connection between the two crimes.
- the difference between
A: What’s the difference between remote working and working from home?
B: Working from home means exactly that, you work from your house. Remote working can be done from anywhere. From your home, a café, or even from another country.
FOR
used to show purpose or function
about; in connection with somebody/something
- an advertisement/a commercial for
They have advertisements for Starbucks all over the train cars.
- a cure for
I hope they find a cure for cancer in my lifetime.
- a demand for/a need for
There has been a demand/need for masks since the pandemic started. Manufacturers are struggling to make enough.
- an explanation for
This report should have been on my desk yesterday, now the information is useless. Why wasn’t it finished on time? I demand an explanation for this!
- a reason for
The virus is the reason for the shortage of disposable masks available in drugstores.
The shortage of disposable masks is a noun phrase.
- a receipt for
My Bluetooth keyboard broke after only 6 months. I will take it back to the store. I’m glad I kept the receipt for it.
- respect for
Pauline has respect for her elders.
- room for
There is always room for improvement.
- a thirst for
This generation has a real thirst for knowledge. They want to learn as much as possible.
- a talent for
Rebecca has a real talent for baking cookies. They’re always so delicious.
Baking is a noun in the sentence. It’s the gerund form of the verb to bake. It’s part of the noun phrase baking cookies.
IN
used to show a state or condition
used to describe something that is all around you
contained within something/somebody
- an increase/a decrease in
There has been an increase in people under 40 getting covid-19 in Japan.
After widespread vaccination, we are seeing a decrease in new cases.
An increase or decrease IN something is talking about A NUMBER or AMOUNT of something.
*The number of people under 40
*The number of new cases
- a rise/a fall/a drop in
Analysts are sure that a rise in housing prices in Toronto is coming.
Experts are predicting a fall in Foreign investments this year.
Universities are experiencing a drop in student applications. Young people are finding tuition too expensive. The hope is that this will cause a drop in tuition.
More preposition practice IN AT ON with Time and Place
OF
belonging to something; being part of something; relating to something
relating to or showing somebody/something
used after nouns formed from verbs
- a cause of
A leaky pipe turned out to be the cause of the water damage.
- an example of
I was writing a new CV this morning so I found a good example of a resume online and I used it as a model.
- a fear of
Wanda has a real fear of spiders. If she sees one she will scream.
- a knowledge of
Dylan’s knowledge of classic movies is impressive.
- a love of
You can see he has a real love of cinema.
- a map of
I bought a map of the city so that I wouldn’t get lost.
- a picture/a drawing of
After the accident, Jeremy took a picture of the damage to his car. He will send the photo to his insurance company.
My daughter gave me a drawing of our family that she made in school. It is so cute.
- an understanding of
Modern research has helped the understanding of advanced brain body connections.
- a video/a recording of
I took a video of my baby’s first steps. It was very exciting.
I made a recording of my interview with the professor. I plan to turn this recording into a podcast.
ON
used with some nouns or adjectives to say who or what is affected by something
about something/somebody
- a ban on
My university has a ban on smartphones in the classroom.
All hospitals have a ban on smoking inside the building.
- congratulations on
Congratulations on your promotion Hank!
- a decision on
We have to make a decision on the color of the new family van.
- information on
Hey boss, I got the information on our competitors that you asked for.
- a report on
I read a report on the cost of living in Costa Rica. It might be a nice place to move to now that I’m doing remote work.
- a spin on
I don’t like this NEWS channel. They always put their own spin on the news.
The noun spin means – a way of presenting information or a situation in a particular way, especially one that makes you or your ideas seem good.
TO
used to show a relationship between one person or thing and another
directed towards; in connection with
- an answer/a reply to
I need your answer/reply to the question by Wednesday morning.
- a contribution to
I want to thank Francis for his contribution to the project.
- damage to
The flooding caused damage to homes beside the river.
- a desire to
I have a strong desire to visit South Africa one day. My dream is to see real lions on a safari.
- an invitation to
I was happy when I got an invitation to Scott’s party.
- a key to
One of the keys to our energy problem is to use more renewable sources of fuel.
- a reaction to
Fans had a mixed reaction to the new movie trailer. Some liked it but others thought it was too predictable, it wasn’t new or fresh.
- resistance to
James has always had a resistance to authority.
- a solution to
Scientists have been working hard to find a solution to global warming.
- a threat to
Global warming is a threat to everyone.
WITH
in the company or presence of somebody/something
- an arrangement with
I have an arrangement with the property owner. I can park my car here on weekends for free if I teach his son English.
- contact with
I haven’t seen Rick in almost two years. I don’t have any contact with him.
- a deal with
The construction company made a deal with local Wildlife experts to protect the wild animals living near the building site.
- a relationship with
My company has a policy against employees having romantic relationships with co-workers.
Nouns used with Prepositions – conclusion
We can see that nouns are commonly used with prepositions to show how they relate. Use these examples to help you make your own natural English sentences and to share your own stories with friends and coworkers.
I hope this blog post has helped take your English to the next level. Be sure to check out my other preposition blog posts, videos, and more. Have a look at my Resource page too for more helpful English tools, courses, and freebies.
Thanks to 7ESL.com and Cambridge Dictionary for some preposition/noun combination ideas.
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