🙋♂️What is an example of a preposition of manner?

This preposition group shows how an action happens or the way it is done. You might say "The skaters managed their routines with ease." 'With' is a preposition of manner because it connects the manner of skating (ease) with the act (managed).

🔄What's the difference between a preposition of manner and an adverb of manner?

A preposition of manner connects the word describing how something is done with the action. For example, "He spoke with confidence". You can also say "He spoke confidently", using an adverb of manner. However, these two sentences do not mean the same thing.

Understanding and Using Every Preposition of Manner

Humans and their built environment are complex, talented, and wonderfully weird. We have many ways of doing things: with confidence, by using tools, like the masters we are (or want to be, at least). Those three examples are prepositions of manner; they help us describe how we do things. This article lists those prepositions, explains them, and gives you sample sentences for them all.

preposition	what it defines	Sample sentences
with	The emotion, quality, or tool used to do something	He smiled with heartfelt sincerity. She danced with abandon. The chef cut the vegetables with a knife.
without	The absence of something.	I cleaned my room without any help. I aced my exam without revising!
by	Suggests the means or method in which something was done.	We travelled by train. I sent you the pictures by email.
as	Connects two ideas that are almost the same.	I dressed as Lady Gaga for the fancy dress party. Her lovely smile, bright as the sun!
like	Draws a closer line between two ideas.	You sing like an angel! You look like my uncle Harry.
through	Connects an effort or process with its result.	She earned her diploma through gritty determination. We can do amazing things through willpower and effort alone.
in	The condition, style, or manner something is done.	They arrived at the party in style. Don't react in anger when a stranger makes you mad!

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Prepositions of Manner: Basic Information

Your English teacher has likely told you all about prepositions. They are small words, usually just one syllable long, with the power to give meaning to entire sentences.

Two people walking down the street, chatting. — Chatting in English is easier with prepositions. Photo by Ahmed

The English language has many such prepositions. English speakers use them to define particular aspects of the human experience. Of them, prepositions of manner describe how we do and say things.

Like all prepositions, prepositions of manner connect a sentence's verb with a description. For this particular preposition, the description is how the action is done.

They help us understand the emotion or attitude of the action-taker, as well as the style and the means they perform the action.

The chart above lists prepositions of manner, what they define, and how to use them. That table presents only a general breakdown of these prepositions.

It shows they're separate in their use and meaning from other types of prepositions. However, it does not inform you that, even in this category of prepositions, we find four subcategories.

Preposition of Manner Categories

Prepositions of method describe what we use to do things and the style we do them in. Examples: handle with care; write in English.

Prepositions of object or tool describe the instruments and devices we use to do things. Examples: go by bus; cut with a knife; talk on the phone

Prepositions of similarity describe things that closely resemble each other.
Examples: bright like the sun; pretty as a picture.

Prepositions of agency describe the person or thing that causes something to happen.
Examples: I did it by myself; essays written by the students.

If you're a beginner English learner, this information might take you far beyond what you need to know about prepositions right now. However, as you advance in your learning - or if you're already an advanced learner, this information will help you better understand preposition use.

Rules for Using Prepositions of Manner

As with every aspect of English grammar (and other languages' grammar), rules dictate how to use words properly. Prepositions, tiny words that they are, have a set of rules all their own to follow. And prepositions of manner have rules all to themselves. Fortunately, you only have two main ones to remember⁵.

Prepositions of manner typically come right after the verb.

Always use the gerund verb form (-ing) after the preposition 'by'.

The first rule is a bit flexible because you can also place the preposition at the beginning of the sentence in some cases. This sentence gives you an idea of what that construction looks like.

With great tenderness, he laid the baby on the bed.

This construction works well when you want to emphasise the way the subject does something. It's also great if you're writing poetry or a formal narrative. Otherwise, this order is very clunky and, for the most part, unnecessary.

Preposition of Manner: Examples of Incorrect Usage (With Corrections)

Beware of preposition of manner mistakes! In general, preposition mistakes plague every English learner's journey to mastery. Prepositions of manner don't present quite the number of challenges that place prepositions do. Still, these are oft-repeated mistakes you should avoid.

The mistakes

I rode the bus with myself.
I wrote my essay by pen.
Even poor, we live in dignity.
I passed my test with perseverance.
We improve our English by practise every day.
He plays the piano as a professional*.

The right way to say it

I rode the bus by myself.
I wrote my essay with a pen.
Even poor, we with live with dignity.
I passed my test through perseverance.
We improve our English by practising every day.
He plays the piano like a professional.

* With this sentence, the speaker might be trying to say that the man in question is a professional piano player. But we can't tell if that's the intended meaning. This is an instance where using an adverb - 'professionally', in this case - works better than a preposition.

To express that idea clearly, you should say: "He plays the piano professionally." However, if you mean that he played the piano so well he sounded like a professional piano player, the 'right way to say it' sentence above is the way to do so.

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Adverbs Versus Prepositions of Manner

As you likely know from your English lessons, adverbs are a type of word that describes verbs. For instance, in the sentence, "She ran swiftly", the adverb 'swiftly' describes the quality (the speed) of her run. You might ask, "How did she run?", to which the answer would be, "She ran swiftly."

Prepositions of manner definition

Don't prepositions of manner describe how something is done?

Indeed, the definition above states that this group of prepositions answers the 'how?' question. But if adverbs can do that, why do we need prepositions? Or the opposite: if prepositions describe how we do things, why do we need adverbs? To answer those questions, consider this pair of sentences.

He spoke confidently.

He spoke with confidence.

They appear to say the same thing, but they suggest two different ideas. In the first sentence, we might assume the 'he' in question might be a touch arrogant; maybe he's always so cocky. Or maybe it's all for show. We don't know because we don't have enough context.

By contrast, speaking with confidence signals the speaker is confident on the particular subject he's currently talking about. This sentence gives no reflection of the speaker's greater self. From this example, we see the difference between adverb and preposition usage. Prepositions of manner can give us more context and clarity than an adverb can.

The road to hell is paved with adverbs.
Stephen King, American author

So, the question must be: should we focus on proper preposition of manner usage, or let adverbs describe how things are done? The American author, Stephen King, makes his feelings about adverb usage clear. And he's not the only professional writer who thinks that way¹.

Adverb or preposition of manner?

English speakers have many adverbs to describe their actions.
Prepositions of manner may not be suitable in all instances.

The example you read above, about the man playing piano professionally, demonstrates why we need adverbs. Professionals say that adverbs of manner sound more natural and make our speech less formal³. We can test their advice using a few sentences.

She ran swiftly.
He walked carefully.
The teacher spoke quietly.
The baby cried lustily.

She ran with great speed.
He walked with great care.
The teacher spoke in hushed tones.
The baby cried with great vigor.

This is visual proof that adverbs make sentences shorter. Still, shorter isn't always better, and sometimes, sentences with adverbs do not deliver quite the same meaning. Strangely, this issue doesn't crop up nearly as often when using time prepositions like at and on.

A man wearing casual clothing and a hat dances in the street. — Did you know that dancing with joy and dancing for joy are not the same thing? Photo by Andre Hunter

How a Preposition of Manner Can Change a Sentence's Meaning

Did you know that using the wrong movement preposition in a sentence can completely change the sentence's meaning? The English language is notoriously imprecise²; as we've seen throughout this article. That's why we need adverbs and prepositions to give English speakers' expressions depth.

As noted above, prepositions of all types serve to add meaning, too. So, it's important that you use the correct preposition to express what you mean. Study these sentences to see how changing the preposition of manner changes the sentence's meaning and/or usage.

1️⃣They danced for joy. The focus is emotional; their joy alone made them dance.
2️⃣They danced with joy. The focus is on the event or happening that made them so happy they had to dance.

1️⃣She wept in sorrow. Stresses the cause: something made her sad, which made her weep.
2️⃣She wept with sorrow. Stresses the feeling; her weeping reflects her emotional state.

1️⃣He's strong as an ox = his strength is like that of a strong animal.
2️⃣He's strong like an ox - same meaning, but only suitable for spoken English, not written English.

Even native English speakers use these prepositions interchangeably, making what they're trying to communicate hard to understand. Unfortunately, this is a category of preposition mistakes that can only be avoided through long experience as an English speaker.

Practise Using Prepositions of Manner

Congratulations! You've made it all the way through this lesson. But, as always, lessons alone cannot make you a master. You must practise and practise until using prepositions of manner fall into your sentences naturally.

This flashcard deck uses all the preposition of manner examples you read about in this article. Did you take notes as you read? Good for you, as that will help you with this challenge. Don't forget to share how many of these 'fill in the blanks' you got right. We'd like to celebrate your success, too!

Flashcard Deck

Preposition of Manner Workout

Learn More About Prepositions of Manner

Mendoza, Prof Scott. “Adverbs in Formal Writing: When to Use Them and When to Avoid Them.” Professor Scott’s English, 26 Dec. 2024, professorscottsenglish.com/english-grammar/adjectives-and-adverbs/adverbs-in-formal-writing/adverbs-in-formal-writing/. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
Harriet. “Exploring English – Imprecise Language | Harriet Stack.” Harriet Stack | Expert English Tuition, 28 Sept. 2021, harrietstack.com/exploring-english-imprecise-language/. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
Ginger. “Prepositions | Definition, Examples, and Exercises– Ginger Software.” Www.gingersoftware.com, www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/preposition. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
Vedantu. “Types of Preposition: Learn All You Need to Know.” VEDANTU, Vedantu, 7 Sept. 2020, www.vedantu.com/english/kinds-of-preposition. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
My English Grammar. “Prepositions of Manner and Cause/Effect - My English Grammar.” My English Grammar, 20 Sept. 2023, myenglishgrammar.com/lessons/prepositions-of-manner-and-cause-effect/. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.