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 — usually relationships of time, place or movement: at seven o'clock, on the table, into the room.
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", "on Monday morning" vs "in the 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.
Three jobs: time, place, movement: Most common prepositions do one of three jobs. The hardest trio is in / on / at, because the choice depends on how big or precise the time or place is — narrow it down step by step.
Time: at a clock time (at 6pm), on a day or date (on Monday, on 5 June), in a longer period (in July, in 2025, in the morning).
Place: at a point (at the door), on a surface (on the wall), in an enclosed space or area (in the box, in London).
| 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. Ask yourself one question first: Is this about WHEN, WHERE or which DIRECTION? That tells you which family of prepositions you need; then pick the precise one.
A useful pair to keep straight is for vs since: for + a length of time (for three years), since + a starting point (since 2022). Another is between (two things) vs 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 SL.
All three families in one paragraph: Here is a short everyday paragraph built one sentence at a time. Each sentence puts prepositions to work — 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) and movement (to the bus stop, through the old town, across the river, along the main road) — plus two dependent pairs (interested in, depend on). Read it once for meaning, then notice how each preposition was chosen.
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.
- In the afternoon I am really interested in photography, so 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 SL: choosing the wrong in/on/at for a time or place ("on the morning" instead of in the morning), using a wrong dependent preposition ("good in maths" instead of good at maths), confusing for / since ("since two years" instead of for two years), and mixing movement vs location ("I go at school" instead of I go to school). Compare the right version with the typical mistake and the fix becomes obvious.
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?: Before you write a preposition, do two quick checks. 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. 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.