Educational Resources: Prepositions

Preposition

🧩 What is a Preposition?

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence.

👉 It usually tells us where, when, how, or in what way something happens.

It always has an object (a noun or pronoun that comes after it).

🌟 Basic Formula:

Preposition + Noun/Pronoun = Prepositional Phrase

Example:

on the table
under the bed
at school
for her

🧭 Types of Prepositions (with examples)

Let’s group them by function 👇

🏠 1. Prepositions of Place (Where?)

They tell where something is.

Preposition	Example
in	The cat is in the box.
on	The book is on the table.
under	The shoes are under the bed.
behind	The boy is behind the door.
between	The ball is between two shoes.
near	The shop is near my house.
at	I’m at the bus stop.

🧠 Tip:

in = inside (in a room, country, city)
on = touching the surface (on the table, on the wall)
at = point or location (at school, at home)

⏰ 2. Prepositions of Time (When?)

They tell when something happens.

Preposition	Example
at	The class starts at 9 a.m.
on	We meet on Monday.
in	I was born in 1997.
before	Finish this before lunch.
after	Let’s talk after class.
during	I slept during the movie.
until	Wait until 6 o’clock.

🧠 Tip:

at → for clock time (at 5 p.m.)
on → for days and dates (on Friday, on 12th October)
in → for months, years, seasons (in June, in 2025, in winter)

🚗 3. Prepositions of Movement or Direction (Where to?)

They tell movement from one place to another.

Preposition	Example
to	She’s going to school.
from	He came from Chennai.
into	The dog jumped into the pool.
out of	She ran out of the room.
across	He walked across the street.
through	The train went through the tunnel.
toward(s)	He ran toward the finish line.

⚙️ 4. Prepositions of Manner (How?)

They show how something happens.

Preposition	Example
by	She travelled by train.
with	He cut it with a knife.
like	He swims like a fish.
without	Don’t go without your ID card.

👥 5. Prepositions of Agency or Instrument

They show who or what does something or what tool is used.

Preposition	Example
by	The poem was written by Keats.
with	The letter was written with a pen.

📍 6. Prepositions of Possession

Preposition	Example
of	The cover of the book is torn.
with	A man with a hat came in.
without	A girl without shoes entered.

💡 Common Preposition Confusions

Confusion	Correct Use	Example
in / at	in = inside a larger place; at = specific point	I live in Hyderabad. / I’m at the railway station.
between / among	between = 2 items; among = 3 or more	Share this between you two. / Discuss among yourselves.
since / for	since = point of time; for = duration	I’ve worked here since 2018. / I’ve worked here for 5 years.
on / over	on = touching surface; over = above without touching	The pen is on the table. / The lamp is over the table.

🚦 Remember

A preposition always has an object (noun or pronoun).
❌ He sat on.
✅ He sat on the chair.
It usually comes before its object.
✅ The book is on the table.
Sometimes, it can come at the end (especially in questions).
- What are you looking at?
- This is the house I live in.

🎯 Quick Summary

Type	Example Question	Example
Place	Where?	The keys are on the table.
Time	When?	We’ll meet at 6 p.m.
Movement	Where to?	He walked into the room.
Manner	How?	She spoke with confidence.
Agency	Who/what did it?	The song was sung by Lata Mangeshkar.

⚠️ Common Errors in Prepositions (with Corrections)

❌ Wrong	✅ Correct	💬 Why / Explanation
She discussed about the plan.	She discussed the plan.	“Discuss” already includes the meaning of “about.”
They are married with two years.	They are married for two years.	Use for to show duration.
He is good in English.	He is good at English.	“Good at” is the correct collocation.
I am waiting you.	I am waiting for you.	“Wait” always takes for.
She entered into the room.	She entered the room.	“Enter” already implies movement inside; don’t use “into.”
I prefer coffee than tea.	I prefer coffee to tea.	“Prefer” is followed by to, not than.
He is senior than me.	He is senior to me.	“Senior,” “junior,” “superior,” “inferior,” “preferable” take to.
He is afraid from the dog.	He is afraid of the dog.	“Afraid of” is the correct phrase.
The train will arrive to the station.	The train will arrive at the station.	“Arrive at” (for small place); “arrive in” (for city/country).
She is married to a doctor.	✅ (Correct!)	“Married to” — not “with.”
He is angry on me.	He is angry with me.	“Angry with a person,” “angry at a thing.”
I will return back soon.	I will return soon.	“Return” already means “come back”; don’t repeat.
The pen is in the table.	The pen is on the table.	Use on for surfaces.
The boy is in the bus stop.	The boy is at the bus stop.	“At” is used for specific points or places.
She congratulated me for my success.	She congratulated me on my success.	“Congratulate on” is correct.
I was born at 1999.	I was born in 1999.	“In” for years, months, seasons; “at” for time.
He is married with a teacher.	He is married to a teacher.	“Married to” = correct usage.
She lives in a small street.	She lives on a small street.	“On a street/road,” not “in.”
Don’t shout on me!	Don’t shout at me!	“Shout at someone,” not “on.”

💡 Quick Tips to Avoid Errors

Some verbs have fixed prepositions (e.g., depend on, listen to, believe in, look at).
👉 Memorize them as phrases.
Example: “Listen to music,” not “listen music.”
Remember common preposition pairs:
- angry with (a person) / angry at (a thing)
- interested in
- famous for
- worried about
- different from

Watch for double meanings:

In the car (inside it) vs On the bus (public transport)

In time (early enough) vs On time (exact time)

🟢 1. Verb + Preposition

Verb/Preposition	Example Sentence
agree with	I agree with you.
apologize for	She apologized for her mistake.
apply for	He applied for a job.
belong to	This book belongs to me.
believe in	I believe in hard work.
depend on	It depends on the weather.
listen to	Listen to the teacher carefully.
look at	Look at the board.
look for	She is looking for her keys.
look after	He looks after his grandparents.
laugh at	We laughed at his joke.
wait for	I’m waiting for the bus.
worry about	Don’t worry about the test.
rely on	You can rely on me.
complain about	She complained about the food.
pay for	He paid for the tickets.
suffer from	Many people suffer from allergies.
shout at	Don’t shout at your brother.
smile at	She smiled at the baby.
talk to / about	I talked to him about the plan.

🟠 2. Adjective + Preposition

Adjective/Preposition	Example Sentence
afraid of	He is afraid of snakes.
angry with / at	She is angry with me at the delay.
aware of	Are you aware of the rules?
capable of	She is capable of great work.
famous for	This city is famous for its food.
interested in	I’m interested in music.
jealous of	He is jealous of his brother.
proud of	I’m proud of my students.
responsible for	He is responsible for the report.
similar to	Your handwriting is similar to mine.
sorry for / about	I’m sorry for being late.
tired of	She’s tired of waiting.
worried about	They are worried about their exams.
good / bad at	She’s good at drawing.
different from	My phone is different from yours.

🔵 3. Noun + Preposition

Noun/Preposition	Example Sentence
advantage of	The advantage of exercise is good health.
cause of	The cause of the fire is unknown.
example of	This is an example of good teamwork.
need for	There’s a need for better planning.
reason for	What’s the reason for your absence?
reply to	I got a reply to my email.
solution to	There is no solution to this problem.
increase / decrease in	There was an increase in sales.
demand for	There’s a high demand for skilled workers.
relationship with / between	She has a close relationship with her parents.

💡 Quick Trick to Remember:

🗝️ Always learn verb + preposition or adjective + preposition as a single unit.
Example: Don’t memorize just “depend” — memorize depend on.

Educational Resources

Prepositions