Compound Prepositions: Usage, Examples & Exercise

Compound Prepositions contain two or more prepositional words used in English vocabulary. The last word in these prepositions is always one of the simple prepositions. Some examples of compounds include ‘due to’, ‘outside of’, ‘in spite of’ and many others.

In this blog, you will learn about compound prepositions and how they are formed, which will help you gain knowledge on the same. 

What are Compound Prepositions?

A compound preposition is a preposition that comprises two or more prepositional words. They are often said to be a combination of words. They are written by combining two or more words in a sentence before a noun, pronoun adverb or adjective. 

It is prepared through the joining of a prepositional or a non-prepositional word to a simple preposition used with a noun, adverb, adjective, and pronoun.

Also Read: Rules for Prepositions in English Grammar with Examples

How Are Compound Prepositions Formed?

As mentioned above, compound prepositions are formed using two or more words. The first word is usually an adverb, adjective or conjunction. While the second word is a simple preposition. 

Three-word prepositions usually have a structure different from a two-word preposition. The last words of these prepositions include simple prepositions while the second word is either a noun or an article. 

Here are some compound prepositions examples that can be used in sentences:

1. According to his teacher, he is a good student.
2. You should have gone north instead of going right.
3. They worked because of the recognition they got.
4. The washrooms were not clean aside from the kitchen.

Also Read: Learn All About Adjectives in English Grammar!

Two-Word Compound Prepositions Examples

Here is the list of two-word prepositions that can be used in sentences:

Owing to	In between
After	Owing to
Except for	Regardless of
Beauce of	Aside from
Regardless of	Outside of
As regards	Apart from
As of	Ahead of
Before	Instead of
Due to	Amongst
Amidst	Beneath

Also Read: Prepositions: Definition, Types, Examples and Exercise

Three-Word Compound Prepositions Examples

Here are some examples of three-word prepositions that can be used in sentences.

1. She ran away from the dog as far as she could.
2. There is a candy store in front of the park.
3. They carried their bags on top of their heads.
4. His mother attended the ceremony on behalf of him.

Here are some more three-word compound prepositions which will help you in constructing sentences.

On behalf of	With respect to
In terms of	In aid of
In front of	In line with
With relation to	With regard to
As far as	In order to

What is the Difference Between Simple and Compound Prepositions?

Below is the difference between simple prepositions and compound prepositions that will help you with the understanding.

Simple Preposition	Compound Preposition
Simple prepositions comprise single-word prepositions.	While compound prepositions are made up of two or three words.
Examples: on, form, of	Examples: In addition to, In front of, In order to

Prepositions Exercise with Answer

Fill in the black with the appropriate compound prepositions. 

1. In front ____ (as/for/to/with/of)
2. As far _____(as/for/to/with/of)
3. In answer ______ (as/ for/to/with/of)
4. By means ______ (as/ for/to/with/of)
5. In order _________ (as/ for/to/with/of)
6. With compliments _______ (as/ for/to/with/of)
7. In compensation ________ (as/ for/to/with/of)

Check your answers:

1. Of
2. As
3. To
4. Of
5. To
6. Of
7. Of

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