Prepositions – Place, Time, Direction

📘 Rule Summary

A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relationship with another word in the sentence. It tells us where, when, or in which direction something happens.

📝 Examples

The cat is under the table. (Place)

We met on Monday. (Time)

She walked towards the door. (Direction)

📖 Explanation

🧠 Day 16: Prepositions – The Invisible Connectors of English

✍️ Prepositions are small but powerful. They connect people, places, times, and directions in a sentence. Without them, sentences feel broken or confusing.

🌱 Level 1 – Beginner (A1–A2): What is a Preposition?

A preposition shows position, time, or direction. It’s followed by a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase.

🎯 Prepositions of Place (Where?)

These describe location or position.

Preposition	Example
in	The keys are in the drawer.
on	The book is on the table.
under	The cat is under the bed.
over	The painting hangs over the sofa.
behind	He stood behind the curtain.
between	The bank is between the school and the mall.
next to	She sat next to her friend.

🎯 Prepositions of Time (When?)

These relate to specific points or durations of time.

Preposition	Example
at	The train arrives at 6 PM.
on	We met on Monday.
in	I was born in March.
since	He has worked here since 2019.
for	She stayed for two weeks.
before	Wash your hands before dinner.
after	Let’s meet after lunch.

🎯 Prepositions of Direction (Where to?)

These show movement from one place to another.

Preposition	Example
to	She went to school.
into	He walked into the room.
onto	The cat jumped onto the sofa.
towards	They ran towards the beach.
from	He came from Canada.
out of	She got out of the taxi.

🧩 Real-Life Scenario – The Café

Let’s say you’re at a café with a friend. You sit on a chair, put your bag under the table, and place your phone next to your coffee. You talk for 30 minutes, then walk towards the exit and leave at 5 PM.

How many prepositions did you spot?
→ on, under, next to, for, towards, at

🌿 Level 2 – Intermediate (B1–B2): Patterns, Collocations & Meaning Shifts

✅ Prepositions with Verbs (Phrasal Verbs)

Some verbs require prepositions:

listen to music
believe in yourself
depend on parents
apply for a job
agree with someone
look after children

🧠 Tip: These are collocations — memorize them as chunks.

✅ Prepositions with Adjectives

good at dancing
interested in art
afraid of spiders
famous for acting
proud of you
bored with this game

She is good at writing.
They’re excited about the trip.

✅ Prepositions with Nouns

a reason for delay
a cause of death
an answer to the question
a relationship with your boss

⚖️ Multiple Meanings

Some prepositions can change meaning based on context:

on (place): The paper is on the table.
on (time): I was born on a Monday.
on (topic): A book on architecture.

📘 Mini Story – A Train Journey

Maria arrived at the station at 9 AM. She sat on a bench near the platform. Her train was expected in 10 minutes. She placed her bag next to her feet and looked at her watch. Suddenly, she heard the whistle. The train pulled into the station. She got on and walked through the coach towards her seat. She was going to Delhi, where she had lived since 2020.

🧠 Count the prepositions: at, on, near, in, next to, at, into, on, through, towards, to, since

🌳 Level 3 – Professional (C1–C2): Advanced Usage & Common Errors

❌ Common Errors (and how to fix them)

❌ I’m good in English.
✅ I’m good at English.
❌ He married with her.
✅ He married her.
❌ She depends in me.
✅ She depends on me.
❌ I’m waiting you.
✅ I’m waiting for you.
❌ He entered into the room.
✅ He entered the room. (“Enter” doesn’t need a preposition.)

🧠 Complex Prepositional Phrases

Phrase	Example
in front of	He parked in front of my car.
in addition to	In addition to reading, she paints.
with regard to	With regard to your query, here’s my reply.
in spite of	In spite of the rain, they played.

🎯 Position & Punctuation in Formal Writing

❌ We discussed the issue the manager referred to.
✅ We discussed the issue to which the manager referred. (More formal)

In academic writing, avoid ending sentences with prepositions.
But in spoken English, it’s fine:
“Who are you talking to?” ✅

💬 Spoken vs. Formal Differences

Casual / Spoken	Formal / Written
She’s good with numbers.	She demonstrates proficiency in mathematics.
I looked into the issue.	I conducted an investigation into the issue.

Use based on context (e.g., conversation vs. business email).

🔁 Practice Sentences

The cat is hiding ___ the bed. (under)
He left the house ___ 7 PM. (at)
The shop is ___ the post office and the school. (between)
They’ve lived here ___ 5 years. (for)
She moved ___ France last year. (to)

🧠 Summary Table

Type	Common Prepositions	Example
Place	in, on, under, over, behind	The ball is under the table.
Time	at, on, in, before, after	We met on Tuesday.
Direction	to, from, into, onto, out of	He walked into the room.
Collocation	with verbs, adjectives, nouns	proud of, agree with