Prepositions
Prepositions are used to connect words in a sentence and show the relationship between them. They typically express information about time, place, direction, or other connections.
Common Prepositions
Time-related Prepositions
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at: used for specific times
- Example: The meeting is at 9:00.
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on: used for specific days
- Example: I have a dentist appointment on Monday.
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in: used for months, years, and seasons
- Example: They will visit us in January.
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from ... to ...: used to indicate a range of time
- Example: The store is open from 11:00 to 17:00.
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until: used to indicate a point in time when something ends
- Example: The sale lasts until Friday.
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since: used to indicate a starting point in time
- Example: They have been living here since 2010.
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for: used to indicate a duration of time
- Example: She studied for three hours.
Sequence and Duration Prepositions
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before: used to indicate an event happening earlier in time
- Example: We arrived before the movie started.
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after: used to indicate an event happening later in time
- Example: They left after dinner.
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during: used to indicate something happening within a period of time
- Example: It rained during the night.
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while: used to indicate something happening at the same time as another event
- Example: She called while I was cooking.
Location and Direction Prepositions
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in: used for larger areas, such as countries, cities, or rooms
- Example: They live in France.
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at: used for specific locations or addresses
- Example: We met at the library.
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on: used for surfaces
- Example: The book is on the table.
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to: used to indicate movement toward a destination
- Example: She went to the store.
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in: used to indicate movement into a place
- Example: They walked in the park.
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at: used to indicate movement to a specific location
- Example: He arrived at the party.
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up, over, through, etc.: used to indicate movement in various directions
- Example: She climbed up the ladder.
- Example: The bird flew over the trees.
- Example: He drove through the tunnel.
Prepositions for Other Relationships
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on, at, by, with, about: used to show various connections between words
- Example: I found this book on the Internet.
- Example: She is good at math.
- Example: The painting is by Picasso.
- Example: He cut the paper with scissors.
- Example: She is worried about her test.
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afraid of ..., good at ...: used to show emotions or abilities
- Example: He is afraid
- Example: She is good at painting.
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listen to ..., look at ...: used to show actions related to our senses
- Example: I like to listen to music.
- Example: Look at that beautiful sunset.
Prepositions play a vital role in connecting words and expressing relationships in the English language. Understanding how to use them correctly will enhance your ability to convey more detailed and precise information.
Check your progress in your language learning journey with our quiz!
Correct Answers
The answer "The painting is by Picasso." uses the preposition "by" to indicate authorship. In "Stand by me" "by" is used to indicate the position besides.
In the option "The book is on the table", the preposition "on" is used for surfaces. In "This questions is on prepositions", "on" is used to indicate subject.
The answer "We arrived before the movie started" uses preposition "before" to indicate an event happening earlier in time. "I saw it right before myself" uses "before" to indicate position in space.
Choose the sentence that uses the preposition "about" correctly.
The correct answer is "She told me about her vacation plans." The preposition "about" is used correctly here to indicate a topic.
In "We met at last" "at last" is used to end the sentence which expresses the final result. In "We met at the library" the preposition "at" is used for specific location. In "We met at 5 pm" "at" is used to indicate exact time.
Select the sentence that uses the preposition "in" correctly.
The correct answer is "She arrived in France." The preposition "in" is used for larger areas, such as countries, cities, or rooms.
Choose the sentence with the correct use of the preposition "since."
The correct answer is "They have been living here since 2010." The preposition "since" is used to indicate a starting point in time.
In "They will visit us in April" the preposition "in" is used for months (and for years, and seasons too). "They will see us in the house" "in" indicates location inside the house. In "They will see us, in a sense" "in" is used to indicate the "they will see us" according to a certain view or explanation, or in a way.
"He cut the paper with precision": "with" is being used to indicate the tool or method used to perform the action of cutting. In this case, "with" is being used to show that the person cut the paper using precision.
"He cut the paper with me": "with" is being used to indicate the company or accompaniment of the person involved in the action. In this case, "with" is being used to show that the person cut the paper while being accompanied by someone else (i.e., the speaker).
"He cut the paper with scissors": "with" is being used to indicate the tool or instrument used to perform the action of cutting. In this case, "with" is being used to show that the person cut the paper using scissors.
Identify the correct use of the preposition "during."
The correct answer is "It snowed during the day." The preposition "during" is used to indicate something happening within a period of time.
"She climbed up the ladder." In this sentence, "up" is used to indicate movement towards a higher position or level. The sentence means that she ascended the ladder, going from a lower position to a higher one.
"She climbed up the ratings." In this sentence, "up" is used to indicate a positive change or improvement. The sentence means that she achieved a higher position or better rating, implying that she did something to improve her situation.
"She cleaned up the ladder." In this sentence, "up" is used to indicate completion or conclusion of an action. The sentence means that she finished cleaning the ladder, suggesting that the task was completed to a high standard or thoroughly.
Choose the sentence that uses the preposition "for" correctly.
The correct answer is "She studied for three hours." The preposition "for" is used correctly here to indicate a duration of time. In the other options, the preposition "for" is used incorrectly.
Preposition
- ✅ interested in — ❌ interested on
- ✅ good at football — ❌ good in football
- ✅ depend on — ❌ depend of
- ✅ arrive at the station — ❌ arrive to the station
Prepositions link nouns to the rest of the sentence: time (at 5pm), place (in London), manner (with care), abstract (afraid of). Most are idiomatic — the "correct" preposition must be memorised with each verb/adjective combination.
Rule: there is no universal rule. English prepositions are learned by combination: interested IN, good AT, depend ON, afraid OF. Your native language's equivalent will often mislead.
English Grammar Basics
- She is a teacher. — verb be + noun complement
- He runs every day. — present simple, third-person -s
- They don't like coffee. — negation with do-support
- I have two cats. — possession, countable noun, no article before plurals
These sentences demonstrate English Grammar Basics — the foundational patterns every other topic builds on: parts of speech, basic tenses, articles, and simple sentence structure.
If you can identify the verb, the subject, and count the noun correctly, you've nailed the basics that make everything else click.
A1 | Elementary | Beginners
- ✅ My name is Anna. — present simple of be
- ✅ Where is the station? — basic *wh-*question
- ✅ I have two brothers. — possession with have
- ✅ She likes coffee. — third-person -s
These are A1 sentences — the starting level of the CEFR framework. At A1 you can introduce yourself, ask and answer simple personal questions, and handle basic everyday transactions using present tense, be/have/do, and core vocabulary.
If you can say these but freeze at normal speaking speed, you're solidly A1 — and that's exactly where to start.
Easy
- She is a teacher. — one verb form, one rule
- I have two cats. — basic possession, short sentence
- He doesn't like coffee. — simple negation with do-support
- Only one answer is clearly correct; distractors are obviously wrong.
Easy marks beginner-level challenges: A1–early A2, one rule at a time, everyday vocabulary, no trick questions.
Use "Easy" when you want to build confidence on a specific rule without interference from other grammar or tricky contexts.