Grammar topic
Prepositions of time, place and movement
Prepositions are short words with fixed habits, so the same place can take in, on or at. Learn the time and place rules first, because most other uses grow from them. Then practise the pairs that learners confuse and the prepositions that follow verbs and adjectives.
Lessons in learning order
Each lesson explains one rule and ends with a 20-question drill.
Prepositions of time and place: at, on and in
At, on and in for clock times, days and periods, and for points, surfaces and spaces.
Prepositions of time: at, on and in
At marks a point on the clock, on marks a day, in marks a bigger period. The size of the time decides the preposition.
Prepositions of place: at, on and in
In puts something inside a space, on puts it on a surface, and at marks a point. The same object can take all three, depending on how you see it.
Prepositions of movement: to, into, through and across
Movement prepositions answer the question "which way?". Into and out of are about entering and leaving, through and across are about crossing, and to is the destination.
By car, on foot, in a taxi: transport prepositions
By + vehicle for the way you travel, on or in + a/the + vehicle when you picture the journey, and the fixed phrase on foot.
By vs until: deadline or duration
By names the latest moment for a finished action. Until names the end of a continuing situation. The verb decides which one you need.
During vs while
During + noun answers when; while + subject and verb answers what else was happening at the same time.
Verb + preposition: depend on, listen to, wait for
A verb and its preposition form a fixed pair: depend on, listen to, wait for, agree with. Learn the pair with one example and use it as a single unit.
Adjective + preposition: good at, interested in, afraid of
An adjective and its preposition form a fixed pair. Learn the pair, not the preposition alone: interested in, good at, afraid of, proud of and keen on.
Prepositions at the end of questions
Wh- questions often end in a preposition because the question word is the object; formal English moves it to the front.