Prepositions (place, time, movement)

Question 1

Place (IN)

Answer 1

Use “in” for enclosed spaces and larger areas:

Rooms and buildings:
Example: “She’s in the kitchen.”
Cities, countries, and continents:
Example: “I live in New York.”
Enclosed spaces (cars, boxes, etc.):
Example: “The keys are in the car.”

Question 2

Place (ON)

Answer 2

Use “on” for surfaces and specific places:

Surfaces (tables, walls, etc.):
Example: “The book is on the table.”
Public transport (bus, plane, etc.):
Example: “He’s on the bus.”
Floors in buildings:
Example: “They live on the second floor.”

Question 3

Place (AT)

Answer 3

Use “at” for specific points or locations:

Exact addresses or places:
Example: “Meet me at 123 Main Street.”
Events or locations:
Example: “She’s at the concert.”
Specific places in cities:
Example: “I’m at the store.”

Question 4

“Under”

Answer 4

Use “under” when something is directly beneath another object.

Example: “The cat is under the table.”
Example: “He hid under the bed.”

Question 5

“Below”

Answer 5

Use “below” when something is at a lower level but not necessarily directly beneath.

Example: “The valley is below the mountain.”
Example: “The temperature dropped below zero.”

Question 6

“Over”

Answer 6

Use “over” when something is directly above another object or moving across it.

Example: “The lamp is over the table.”
Example: “The plane flew over the city.”

Question 7

“Above”

Answer 7

Use “above” when something is at a higher level, but not necessarily directly over.

Example: “The clouds are above the mountains.”
Example: “His grades are above average.”

Question 8

“On Top Of”

Answer 8

Use “on top of” when something is resting directly on the surface of another object.

Example: “The book is on top of the desk.”
Example: “She placed the box on top of the cabinet.”

Question 9

“Next to,” “By,” and “Beside”

Answer 9

Use “next to,” “by,” and “beside” to indicate something that is directly adjacent to or very close to another object. These three are almost interchangeable.

Example: “She sat next to me.”
Example: “The lamp is by the sofa.”
Example: “The dog is beside the bed.”

Question 10

“Near”

Answer 10

Use “near” to indicate something that is close, but not necessarily directly adjacent.

Example: “The school is near the park.”
Example: “She lives near the beach.”

Question 11

“In Front Of”

Answer 11

Use “in front of” to indicate something that is positioned directly ahead of another object.

Example: “The car is parked in front of the house.”
Example: “He stood in front of the mirror.”

Question 12

“Opposite”

Answer 12

Use “opposite” to indicate something that is facing or across from another object.

Example: “The bank is opposite the supermarket.”
Example: “She sat opposite him at the table.”

Question 13

“Among”

Answer 13

Use “among” when something is surrounded by or in the midst of a group.

Example: “She was among friends at the party.”
Example: “The keys are among the papers on the desk.”

Question 14

“To”

Answer 14

Use “to” when showing movement towards a specific destination or direction.

Examples:
“Go to the bank and turn right.”
“Give the book to Jamie.”

With some verbs like “throw,” “shout,” or “point,” “to” shows the direction or intention to reach someone or something:

Examples:
“Throw the ball to me.” (You want me to catch it.)
“He pointed to the sky.” (To show something in the sky.)

Question 15

“At”

Answer 15

Use “at” when showing movement directed towards a point, usually with a sense of aiming or targeting.

Examples:
“She threw the ball at me.” (To try and hit me.)
“He shouted at the crowd.” (Aggressively or angrily.)
Remember:

“To” is used when you want something to reach someone or something.
“At” is used when there’s a sense of aiming, attacking, or focusing on a specific point.

Question 16

“Into”

Answer 16

Use “into” when something moves from the outside to the inside of a place or thing.

Examples:
“He walked into the room.”
“The cat jumped into the box.”

Question 17

“Out of”

Answer 17

Use “out of” when something moves from the inside to the outside of a place or thing.

Examples:
“She ran out of the house.”
“Take the book out of the bag.”

Question 18

“Onto”

Answer 18

Use “onto” when something moves from a lower place to a higher place or surface.

Examples:
“The dog jumped onto the bed.”
“She put the cup onto the table.”

Question 19

“Off”

Answer 19

Use “off” when something moves from a higher place or surface to a lower one.

Examples:
“He fell off the ladder.”
“Take your shoes off the chair.”

Question 20

“Across”

Answer 20

Use “across” when something moves from one side of a place to the other side.

Examples:
“They walked across the street.”
“She swam across the river.”

Question 21

“Through”

Answer 21

Use “through” when something moves in one side and out the other side of an enclosed space.

Examples:
“The car drove through the tunnel.”
“He walked through the door.”

Question 22

“Along”

Answer 22

Use “along” when something moves in a line, following a path or edge.

Examples:
“They walked along the beach.”
“She cycled along the road.”

Question 23

Time (IN)

Answer 23

Use “in” for longer periods of time: months, years, centuries, seasons, and parts of the day.

Months and Years:
Examples: “She was born in July.” / “He graduated in 2020.”

Seasons:
Examples: “We travel in summer.” / “It gets cold in winter.”

Parts of the day (except night):
Examples: “I will call you in the morning.” / “We’ll meet in the afternoon.”

Question 24

“On”

Answer 24

Use “on” for specific days, dates, and special days.

Days of the week:
Examples: “I have a meeting on Monday.” / “The event is on Friday.”

Dates:
Examples: “My birthday is on May 5th.” / “We moved here on the 1st of April.”

Special days:
Examples: “We celebrate on Christmas Day.” / “She arrived on New Year’s Eve.”

Question 25

“At”

Answer 25

Use “at” for exact times and specific points of time.

Clock times:
Examples: “Let’s meet at 3 PM.” / “The train leaves at 7:30.”

Specific times of the day:
Examples: “I usually wake up at sunrise.” / “She sleeps at night.”

Holidays without “day”:
Examples: “We visit family at Christmas.” / “They have a party at New Year.”

Question 26

“By”

Answer 26

Use “by” to indicate a deadline or a time not later than a specific point.

Examples:
“Please submit the report by Friday.”
“She will arrive by 6 PM.”

Question 27

“Before”

Answer 27

Use “before” to indicate an earlier time than a specific point.

Examples:
“Finish your homework before dinner.”
“He left before sunrise.”

Question 28

“After”

Answer 28

Use “after” to indicate a later time than a specific point.

Examples:
“We will go out after lunch.”
“She called me after the meeting.”

Question 29

“During”

Answer 29

Use “during” to indicate a period of time when something happens.

Examples:
“It rained during the night.”
“She stayed quiet during the movie.”

Question 30

“For”

Answer 30

Use “for” to indicate the duration of time something happens.

Examples:
“We’ve been waiting for two hours.”
“He’s been studying for three years.”