PREPOSITIONS – WHEN & WHERE TO USE (ALL TYPES)
1. Prepositions of TIME (WHEN to use)
Use AT when you talk about an exact time or point of time.
Example: at 5 o’clock, at noon, at night
Sentence: I wake up at 6 a.m.
Use ON when you talk about a day or a date.
Example: on Monday, on Sunday morning, on 15th August
Sentence: The test is on Friday.
Use IN when you talk about a long period of time.
Example: in January, in 2024, in the morning
Sentence: I was born in July.
2. Prepositions of PLACE (WHERE to use)
Use AT when you talk about an exact place or point.
Example: at the door, at the bus stop, at school
Sentence: She is standing at the gate.
Use ON when something is on a surface.
Example: on the table, on the wall, on the floor
Sentence: The book is on the desk.
Use IN when something is inside or enclosed.
Example: in the room, in the box, in the city
Sentence: He is in the classroom.
3. Prepositions of MOVEMENT / DIRECTION (WHERE something moves)
Use TO to show direction.
Sentence: Go to school.
Use INTO when something moves inside.
Sentence: The boy jumped into the river.
Use ONTO when something moves onto a surface.
Sentence: The cat jumped onto the table.
Use OUT OF when something moves from inside to outside.
Sentence: Come out of the room.
4. Prepositions of POSITION (WHERE something is)
Use ABOVE when something is higher but not touching.
Sentence: The fan is above my head.
Use OVER when something is covering another thing.
Sentence: A cloth is over the table.
Use UNDER or BELOW when something is lower.
Sentence: The bag is under the chair.
Use BETWEEN when something is in the middle of two things.
Sentence: Sit between Ram and Sam.
Use AMONG when something is in the middle of many.
Sentence: He was sitting among friends.
5. Prepositions of MANNER / METHOD (HOW something is done)
Use BY to show method or transport.
Sentence: He goes to school by bus.
Use WITH to show the tool or instrument.
Sentence: She cut the apple with a knife.
Use IN to show language or style.
Sentence: She speaks in English.
6. Prepositions of AGENT (WHO did the work)
Use BY to show the doer of the action (mostly in passive voice).
Sentence: The letter was written by her.
7. Prepositions of POSSESSION (WHOSE / belonging)
Use OF to show ownership or belonging.
Sentence: This is the bag of Ram.
Use WITH to show having something.
Sentence: A man with a hat is standing there.
8. Prepositions of REASON / PURPOSE (WHY something happened)
Use FOR to show purpose or reason.
Sentence: He is known for honesty.
Use BECAUSE OF to show reason.
Sentence: The match was cancelled because of rain.
Use DUE TO to show result or cause.
Sentence: The delay was due to fog.
9. Prepositions of MEASURE / QUANTITY (HOW MUCH)
Use OF to show quantity.
Sentence: A cup of tea, a kilo of rice.
Use BY to show measurement.
Sentence: Vegetables are sold by weight.
10. Compound Prepositions (fixed phrases)
Use IN FRONT OF to show before something.
Sentence: He stood in front of me.
Use ACCORDING TO to mean as per.
Sentence: According to the teacher, the exam is easy.
Use IN SPITE OF to show contrast.
Sentence: He went out in spite of rain.
11. Final Easy Memory Rule
• When? → at, on, in
• Where? → at, on, in
• Direction? → to, into, onto
• How? → by, with, in
• Who did it? → by
• Whose? → of
• Why? → for, because of
Prepared by: Bhavi