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Lesson Plan October 31, 2025

Topic: Complex Prepositions

In this lesson we will look at a number of complex prepositions - phrases that consist of more than one word and have the same function as single-word prepositions.

Section A: Complex Prepositions and Examples

• Ahead of

  • The Los Angeles Dodgers are ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays by one game.

• Away from

  • The cat ran away from the dangerous dog.

• Close to

  • I don’t need to commute to work evert day. The office is very close to my house.

• In between

  • the Irish Sea is in between Ireland and Britain.

• In front of

  • The dog ran in front of the car and was nearly killed!

• Near to

  • There is a gym near to my office, which is really convenient. It’s just a five minute walk.

• Next to

  • Who’s that man standing next to your car?

• On top of

  • I dream of standing on top of the Eiffel Tower next summer.

• Out of

  • He took a cigarette out of the packed and smoked it.

• Outside of

  • There’s a large forest outside of my town.

• Prior to (formal)

  • I’d never spoken to an Italian prior to meeting him.

• Up to

  • The present perfect tense describes a situation that start in the past and continues up to now.

Section B: Other Complex Prepositions and Examples

• According to

  • According to the forecast it will rain this coming weekend.

• Along with

  • We need a bigger group to enter the club, so we decided to bring Kate along with us.

• Apart from

  • Apart from the salty soup, the mea was really good.

• As well as

  • Remember to pack an extra sweater as well as a warm jacket.

• Because of

  • Sam was dismissed from his job because of his bad behaviour.

• Due to

  • My flight was delayed due to snow.

• Except for

  • Everybody was at the party except for Dean, who had to work.

• In addition

  • The room is spacious and, in addition, has a beautiful view.

• In case of

  • In case of fire, leave the building immediately.

• In spite of

  • In spite of their differences, Joe and Michael are good friends.

• Instead of

  • Why don’t we eat out tonight instead of eating at home?

• Thanks to

  • Thanks to the fine weather we had an amazing holiday.

• With regard to (formal)

  • I’d like to speak to your manager with regard to the price of this item.

Lesson Notes

Words & Phrases

• I made sure she bought herself some stuff as well. I told her it was more important for her to have souvenirs from the trip rather than buying them for others.

• For her, flying isn’t something she enjoys very much. She said the flight back had a lot of turbulence and was uncomfortable.

Complex Prepositions

• We could say "Did you learn any Italian BEFORE moving to Italy?" but not 'before to’

• ‘Before to’ is never used in English

• Close to and near to both mean that something is a short distance from something else.

• “Close to” is more common in everyday conversation.

• “Near to” is also correct, but in modern English, we often just say “near” without the “to.”

• Sorry alone is like a short apology. You just say it to show you feel bad.

• I’m sorry.

• Sorry for is used when you talk about an action or something you did.

• I’m sorry for breaking your cup.

• I’m sorry for being late.

• Sorry about is used when you talk about a situation or event, not necessarily caused by you.

• I’m sorry about the traffic.

• I’m sorry about your loss.