Prepositions are small words — but they cause big confusion. "I am good in English" or "I am good at English"? "Married with" or "married to"? "Since 2020" or "for 2020"? If you have ever paused mid-sentence wondering which tiny word to use, this guide is for you.
This is not a short list — it is a complete reference. We will cover every major preposition of time, place, and movement, plus the "other" prepositions that don't fit neatly into a category, along with real examples, comparison tables, the exact mistakes students make, and practice questions with answers. Read it once fully, then keep coming back to it as a reference whenever you're unsure.
A preposition is a word that connects a noun or pronoun to the rest of the sentence, usually showing where, when, or how something happens.
"The book is on the table." (where)
"We will meet at 5 PM." (when)
"She travels by train." (how)
1. Prepositions of Time
The easiest way to master time prepositions is to think in terms of size — from the smallest, most exact point in time, to the widest span of time.
AT — for an exact point in time
- Clock times: at 6 o'clock, at 7:30 PM, at noon, at midnight
- Specific points in the day: at sunrise, at sunset, at dawn
- Fixed festival periods (short ones): at Diwali, at Christmas, at Eid
- Certain fixed phrases: at night, at the moment, at present, at the same time
Example: "The train leaves at 9:15 AM."
ON — for days and dates
- Days of the week: on Monday, on Fridays
- Specific dates: on 15th August, on my birthday
- Specific single days/events: on New Year's Day, on the weekend (UK: "at the weekend")
- Parts of a specific day: on Monday morning, on Sunday afternoon
Example: "We are meeting on Friday morning."
IN — for longer periods of time
- Months: in June, in December
- Years: in 2024, in 1998
- Seasons: in summer, in winter
- Centuries and decades: in the 21st century, in the 1990s
- Parts of the day (general, not a specific one): in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening
- A period of time in the future: "I'll be ready in ten minutes." (means "after 10 minutes have passed")
Example: "She was born in 1995, in the month of March."
Other essential time prepositions
| Preposition | Meaning / Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| since | from a starting point up to now | "I have lived here since 2015." |
| for | a duration/length of time | "I have lived here for 9 years." |
| during | within a period (something happens inside it) | "It rained during the match." |
| by | not later than (a deadline) | "Submit the form by Friday." |
| until / till | up to a point, then stopping | "I will wait until 6 PM." |
| before | earlier than | "Reach before the meeting starts." |
| after | later than | "We left after dinner." |
| from...to | start and end point of time | "The shop is open from 9 to 6." |
| within | before a period ends | "Reply within 24 hours." |
Since is always followed by a point in time (a
starting moment): since 2020, since Monday, since 6 PM, since I was a child.
For is always followed by a duration (an amount of
time): for 5 years, for two days, for a while, for a long time.
❌ "I have worked here since 5 years." → ✅ "I have worked here for 5 years." / "I have worked here since 2019."
2. Prepositions of Place
Just like time, place prepositions follow the same "size" logic — a point, a surface, or an enclosed space.
AT — a specific point
- at the door, at the bus stop, at the corner, at the top
- Addresses: at 24 MG Road
- Events/places treated as a point: at the party, at work, at school, at home
ON — a surface
- on the table, on the wall, on the floor, on the ceiling
- Also used for streets: on Main Street
- Also for transport surfaces: on the bus, on the train, on a plane, on a bicycle (but "in a car" — see below)
IN — an enclosed space or area
- in the room, in the box, in a bag, in the garden
- Larger areas: in the city, in India, in Asia
- Small enclosed vehicles: in a car, in a taxi
Small, personal vehicles you sit inside → in (in a car, in a taxi,
in a helicopter).
Larger public vehicles you walk into and move around in → on (on a
bus, on a train, on a plane, on a ship, on a bicycle/motorbike — since you sit
"on top" of a bike).
Other essential place prepositions
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| above | higher than, not necessarily directly over | "The plane flew above the clouds." |
| below | lower than | "The temperature is below zero." |
| over | directly above, covering, or across | "There's a bridge over the river." |
| under | directly below, beneath | "The cat is sleeping under the bed." |
| between | in the middle of two things/people | "She sat between her parents." |
| among | in the middle of more than two (a group) | "He was popular among his classmates." |
| behind | at the back of | "The keys are behind the sofa." |
| in front of | facing the front of | "He stood in front of the class." |
| next to / beside | right next to, at the side | "Sit next to me." |
| near / close to | not far from | "The school is near my house." |
| opposite | facing, across from | "The bank is opposite the market." |
| inside / outside | within / not within a space | "Wait outside the office." |
Use between for exactly two things, or for items considered individually even in a larger set. Use among for three or more, considered as a group/mass.
✅ "The treaty was signed between India and Nepal." (two countries)
✅ "The prize money was divided among the five winners." (a group)
3. Prepositions of Movement / Direction
These prepositions describe motion — going from one place to another.
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| to | movement towards a destination | "I am going to school." |
| into | movement to the inside of something | "She walked into the room." |
| onto | movement to the top/surface of something | "The cat jumped onto the table." |
| from | starting point | "He came from Delhi." |
| out of | movement from inside to outside | "He ran out of the house." |
| through | movement from one side to another, passing inside | "We drove through the tunnel." |
| across | movement from one side to the other, over a surface | "She swam across the river." |
| along | movement following a line (a road, a path) | "We walked along the beach." |
| towards | in the direction of (not necessarily arriving) | "He walked towards the exit." |
| up / down | movement to a higher / lower position | "They climbed up the hill." |
| past | moving beyond a point | "We drove past the mall." |
| around | movement in a circle or on all sides | "We walked around the park." |
In shows a fixed position (no movement). Into shows movement towards the inside.
✅ "The children are playing in the garden." (already there, no movement)
✅ "The children ran into the garden." (movement — they weren't there before)
4. Other Essential Prepositions
These don't fit neatly into time/place/movement, but you will use them constantly.
| Preposition | Meaning / Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| with | accompaniment, or "using" | "I went with my friend." / "Cut it with a knife." |
| without | absence of | "He left without saying goodbye." |
| by | method/means, or the doer (in passive voice) | "She travels by bus." / "It was written by him." |
| for | purpose, benefit, or duration | "This gift is for you." / "I waited for two hours." |
| about | topic/subject | "We talked about the movie." |
| of | belonging, part of, made of | "The cover of the book." / "A cup of tea." |
| like | similarity/comparison | "She sings like a professional." |
| as | role/function (not comparison) | "He works as a doctor." |
| against | opposition, or physical contact | "He leaned against the wall." / "We played against them." |
| despite / in spite of | contrast, "even though" | "Despite the rain, we went out." |
| besides | "in addition to" | "Besides English, he speaks French." |
| except | excluding | "Everyone came except Rahul." |
| according to | based on what someone said/wrote | "According to the report, sales increased." |
| instead of | replacing/in place of | "Take tea instead of coffee." |
Like is used to compare two different things. As is used to talk about a real role or job someone actually has.
✅ "He works like a machine." (comparison — he isn't actually a machine)
✅ "He works as an engineer." (his actual job)
5. Fixed Preposition Combinations You Must Memorize
Many English words are always followed by one specific preposition. There is usually no "logical" reason — you simply have to learn these combinations by heart. Here are the most useful ones, grouped by type.
Adjective + Preposition
| Combination | Example |
|---|---|
| good at | "She is good at maths." |
| afraid of | "He is afraid of spiders." |
| married to | "She is married to a doctor." |
| proud of | "I am proud of you." |
| interested in | "He is interested in music." |
| angry with/at | "She is angry with me." |
| famous for | "Agra is famous for the Taj Mahal." |
| similar to | "This is similar to that one." |
| different from | "My idea is different from yours." |
| tired of | "I am tired of waiting." |
| satisfied with | "We are satisfied with the results." |
| capable of | "He is capable of doing this." |
Verb + Preposition
| Combination | Example |
|---|---|
| depend on | "It depends on the weather." |
| believe in | "I believe in hard work." |
| listen to | "We listened to music." |
| look at | "Look at this photo." |
| look for | "I'm looking for my keys." |
| look after | "She looks after her sister." |
| wait for | "We are waiting for the bus." |
| apologize for | "He apologized for being late." |
| agree with | "I agree with you." |
| apply for | "She applied for the job." |
| consist of | "The team consists of ten players." |
| succeed in | "He succeeded in passing the exam." |
| congratulate on | "They congratulated her on her success." |
| arrive at / in | "We arrived at the station." / "We arrived in Mumbai." |
Use arrive at for smaller/specific places (a station, an airport, a building, an event). Use arrive in for larger places (a city, a country).
Noun + Preposition
| Combination | Example |
|---|---|
| reason for | "What's the reason for the delay?" |
| solution to | "We found a solution to the problem." |
| interest in | "His interest in art is growing." |
| relationship with | "She has a good relationship with her boss." |
| increase/decrease in | "There was an increase in sales." |
| request for | "He made a request for leave." |
6. The Most Common Mistakes Students Make
❌ "Let's discuss about this topic."
✅ "Let's discuss this topic." (the verb "discuss" already means "talk about" — never add "about" after it)
❌ "She is married with a doctor."
✅ "She is married to a doctor."
❌ "I am good in English."
✅ "I am good at English." (use "good at" for skills/abilities)
On time = exactly at the planned/scheduled time (not late).
In time = before the last possible moment, with time to spare.
✅ "The train arrived on time." (at 5:00 as scheduled)
✅ "We reached the station in time to catch the train." (just before it left)
❌ "I am waiting her." → ✅ "I am waiting for her."
❌ "Listen me." → ✅ "Listen to me."
❌ "He entered into the room." → ✅ "He entered the room." ("enter" never takes "into")
7. Practice Exercise (Fill in the Correct Preposition)
Cover the answers, try each sentence, then check yourself.
- She was born ______ 14th April, ______ 1998. → on / in
- The keys are ______ the drawer. → in
- We will meet you ______ the entrance ______ 6 PM. → at / at
- He has been ill ______ Monday. → since
- I have known her ______ ten years. → for
- The cat jumped ______ the table. (movement) → onto
- She is scared ______ the dark. → of
- Please finish this ______ Friday. (deadline) → by
- He walked ______ the room and sat down. (was already inside, no movement) → in
- The prize was shared ______ the three winners. → among
8. FAQ
Q: What is a preposition in English grammar?
A preposition is a word that connects a noun or pronoun to the rest of a sentence, showing
relationships of place, time, direction, or manner — words like at, on, in, by, for, and
with.
Q: What is the difference between at, on, and in?
Think of size: at is used for an exact point (a time or place), on
is used for surfaces, days, and dates, and in is used for enclosed spaces
and longer periods of time, like months and years.
Q: How many prepositions are there in English?
There is no single fixed number, but around 150 common prepositions are used regularly,
including compound ones like "in front of" and "according to." Learning the roughly 40–50
most frequent ones — covered in this guide — is enough for fluent everyday English.
Q: Can a sentence end with a preposition?
Yes. In modern English, ending a sentence with a preposition is completely acceptable and
often sounds more natural — for example, "What are you looking for?" is perfectly correct.
Summary
- At = a point (exact time or place). On = a surface, day, or date. In = an enclosed space, or a longer period of time.
- Since = starting point in time. For = duration of time.
- Between = two things. Among = three or more (a group).
- In = fixed position. Into = movement to the inside.
- Like = comparison. As = actual role/job.
- Many verbs, adjectives, and nouns are always paired with one fixed preposition — memorize these combinations instead of translating word-for-word from your own language.
- Come back to this page any time you're unsure — it covers nearly every preposition you'll need for fluent, confident English.