A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relation to another word in the sentence (relation of time, place, direction, agent or manner).
1. Prepositions of Time — at / on / in
| Use | Preposition | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Exact time / point of time | at | at 5 o'clock, at noon, at night, at dawn, at sunset |
| Days & dates | on | on Monday, on 15 August, on my birthday |
| Months, years, seasons, parts of day | in | in May, in 2026, in summer, in the morning |
| Before / after a time | by, before, after, since, for | finish by 6, wait since morning, slept for an hour |
2. Prepositions of Place — at / on / in
- at → a specific point: at the door, at the bus stop, at the corner.
- on → a surface: on the table, on the wall, on the shelf.
- in → an enclosed space / area: in the room, in the box, in India.
- Others: above, below, under, beside, between (two), among (more than two), in front of, behind, near.
3. Prepositions of Direction / Movement
to, into, onto, towards, through, across, along, up, down, off, out of.- He jumped into the pool. (movement inward) vs He is in the pool. (position)
- She walked through the tunnel / across the road / along the river.
4. Fixed Combinations (learn these — heavily tested)
Adjective + preposition: good at, afraid of, fond of, proud of, interested in, confident of/in, famous for, angry with (a person) / about (a thing), different from, similar to, capable of, aware of.Verb + preposition: depend on, rely on, agree with (person) / to (plan), believe in, consist of, succeed in, suffer from, apologise for, congratulate on, listen to, look at / after / for / into, accuse of, insist on, prevent from.
Noun + preposition: reason for, need for, cause of, solution to, increase in, cure for, demand for.
5. Common Errors to Avoid
- discuss / enter / reach take no preposition: discuss the matter (✗ discuss about).
- married to (not married with). Different from (not different than).
- He is good at Maths. (not good in). Listen to me. (not listen me).
Quick tip: When unsure, read the sentence aloud — the natural-sounding fixed combination is usually right. Build a personal list of verb/adjective + preposition pairs and revise daily.