Small words that link everything: A preposition is a small word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and the rest of the sentence.
| Relationship | Example |
|---|---|
| time | at seven o'clock |
| place | on the table |
| movement | into the room |
Two things to know
- The noun that follows is the object of the preposition: in on the table, the preposition is on and the object is the table.
- English has a fixed set of common prepositions, and choosing the right one is one of the trickiest parts of the language — there are few rules, so you learn them by use.
- preposition
- a word showing a relationship of time, place or movement (in, on, at, to, from, by)
- object of the preposition
- the noun or pronoun that follows the preposition (on the table → the table)
- preposition of time
- shows when something happens (at 6pm, on Monday, in July, since 2020)
- preposition of place
- shows where something is (in the box, at the door, between the trees)
- preposition of movement
- shows direction or motion (to school, into the room, across the bridge)
- dependent preposition
- a preposition fixed to a particular verb or adjective (good at, interested in, depend on)
Why it carries the marks: Prepositions appear in every sentence you write and almost every line you read. A wrong one — "good in maths", "depend of", "in Monday morning" instead of "on Monday morning" — is an obvious error that costs you Criterion A (Language) accuracy. Learning the common patterns is one of the fastest ways to lift a written answer.
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Three jobs: time, place, movement: Most common prepositions do one of three jobs. The hardest trio is in / on / at: the choice depends on how big or precise the time or place is.
| Job | at | on | in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | a clock time (at 6pm) | a day or date (on Monday, on 5 June) | a longer period (in July, in 2025, in the morning) |
| Place | a point (at the door) | a surface (on the wall) | an enclosed space or area (in the box, in London) |
Narrow it down: Narrow it down step by step.
| Job | in | on | at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | long periods: in July, in 2025, in the morning | days & dates: on Monday, on my birthday | clock times: at 7pm, at midnight, at the weekend |
| Place | enclosed space / area: in the box, in Paris | a surface / line: on the wall, on the bus | a point: at the door, at the bus stop |
| Other useful prepositions | Job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| for / since | time — duration vs starting point | I've studied for two years / since 2024. |
| during / until / by / ago | time | during the film · until 6pm · by Friday · two days ago |
| between / among / next to / opposite | place | between the trees · among friends · next to the bank · opposite the park |
| to / into / onto | movement — towards / entering | go to school · walk into the room · climb onto the roof |
| from / towards / through / across / along | movement — direction | from home · towards town · through the tunnel · across the road · along the river |
Dependent prepositions are fixed: Some prepositions are simply glued to a verb or adjective and follow no logic — you memorise the pair: good at, interested in, afraid of, depend on, listen to, wait for, belong to. A learner who writes "good in tennis" or "depend of" loses an easy mark, so treat each pair as one chunk of vocabulary.
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Match the preposition to the meaning: Choosing a preposition is about meaning, not grammar rules you can recite.
Two steps to the right preposition
1
Ask one question first
Is this about WHEN, WHERE or which DIRECTION? That tells you which family of prepositions you need.
2
Pick the precise one
Then choose the exact word from that family.
Family first, then the precise word
| Useful pair | Use it for |
|---|---|
| for | a length of time (for three years) |
| since | a starting point (since 2022) |
| between | two things |
| among | more than two |
Decide what the preposition is showing
- WHEN (time) → in / on / at, plus for, since, during, until, by, ago — "We meet at 5pm on Friday."
- WHERE (place) → in / on / at, plus between, among, next to, opposite, above, below — "The café is opposite the station."
- WHICH DIRECTION (movement) → to, into, onto, from, towards, through, across, along — "She walked across the bridge towards the market."
- for vs since — "for two hours" (length) vs "since Monday" (starting point).
- Fixed to a word (dependent) → learn the pair: "interested in", "good at", "depend on", "listen to".
to vs at — a classic trap: Use to for movement towards a destination ("I go to school") and at / in for the static location ("I am at school", "I study in school"). Mixing them — "I go at school" or "I am to school" — is one of the most common preposition errors at HL.
All three families in one paragraph: Here is a short everyday paragraph built one sentence at a time. Read it once for meaning, then notice how each preposition was chosen.
| Family | Prepositions in the paragraph |
|---|---|
| time | at half past seven, in the afternoon, from four to six, by Friday |
| place | on the corner, in room 12, next to the library, opposite the science labs |
| movement | to the bus stop, through the old town, across the river, along the main road |
| dependent pairs | interested in, depend on |
IB-style task — prepositions in action
A school morning, sentence by sentence
- On weekday mornings I leave the house at half past seven and walk to the bus stop on the corner.
- The bus goes through the old town, across the river and along the main road until it reaches my school.
- My first lesson is in room 12, on the second floor, next to the library and opposite the science labs.
- I am really interested in photography, so in the afternoon, from four to six, I work on a project with a friend.
- Whether we finish on time depends on the weather, but by Friday the photos are usually ready for the wall.
Steal this for your writing: Notice how a small set of prepositions carries the whole description. Pick the family first (at/on/in for time and place, to/through/across/along for movement), keep the dependent pairs as fixed chunks (interested in, depend on), and you can describe a place or a routine precisely — exactly what the oral and Paper 1 reward.
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The slips to watch for: Four mistakes dominate at HL. Compare the right version with the typical mistake and the fix becomes obvious.
The four slips
- The wrong in/on/at for a time or place: "on the morning" instead of in the morning.
- A wrong dependent preposition: "good in maths" instead of good at maths.
- Confusing for / since: "since two years" instead of for two years.
- Mixing movement vs location: "I go at school" instead of I go to school.
Correct
- I study best in the morning.
- She is really good at drawing.
- We have lived here for five years.
- Every day I go to school by bus.
Common mistake
- I study best on the morning. (wrong: a part of the day takes 'in')
- She is really good in drawing. (wrong: the pair is 'good at')
- We have lived here since five years. (wrong: a length of time takes 'for')
- Every day I go at school by bus. (wrong: movement to a place takes 'to')
Ask: which family, and is it a fixed pair?
1
Decide the family
WHEN (time), WHERE (place) or DIRECTION (movement), then pick the precise word (in the morning, at the door, to the shop).
2
Check for a fixed pair
Is the preposition fixed to a verb or adjective? If so, recall the chunk (interested in, good at, depend on, listen to) rather than guessing.
Before you write a preposition, do two quick checks