By the end of this lesson you should be able to
- Use the correct preposition after common adjectives, verbs and nouns
- Tell apart prepositions that are easily confused, such as beside and besides
- Use a reliable method to answer multiple-choice preposition questions
Why prepositions cause trouble
A preposition is a small word, such as at, on, by or of, that links a noun or pronoun to the rest of the sentence. In examinations you are often asked to choose the correct preposition from four options. The difficulty is that the right choice usually depends on the word before it, not on logic. We say “good at football” and “keen on football”, and no rule explains why. These fixed pairings are called word patterns or dependent prepositions, and they must be learned.
Key ideas
Three groups to learn
- Adjective + preposition (for example afraid of)
- Verb + preposition (for example depend on)
- Noun + preposition (for example reason for)
Learn each pattern as a whole phrase, and always check the word after the gap as well.
Adjective + preposition
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| good / poor / clever at | She is clever at solving puzzles. |
| interested in / keen on | He is keen on chess. |
| afraid / fond / proud / jealous / capable / tired of | We are proud of our school. |
| responsible / famous / sorry for | The town is famous for its market. |
| similar / married / close / grateful to | Your answer is similar to mine. |
| different from | Cats are different from dogs. |
| pleased / satisfied / angry / bored with (a person or thing) | The teacher was pleased with the results. |
| worried / excited / anxious about | Parents are anxious about the exams. |
| aware / typical / guilty of | He was not aware of the danger. |
Verb + preposition
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| depend / rely / insist / count on | Farmers depend on the rains. |
| belong / listen / apologise / object to | This book belongs to the library. |
| consist / accuse (someone) / think of | The team consists of eleven players. |
| suffer / recover / benefit from | He is recovering from malaria. |
| believe / succeed / result in | The plan resulted in higher profits. |
| complain / worry / care about | Residents complained about the noise. |
| blame / thank / punish (someone) for | She thanked us for our help. |
| provide / present (someone) with | The school provides pupils with books. |
| prefer (one thing) to (another) | I prefer rice to potatoes. |
Noun + preposition
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| reason / need / demand / respect for | There is a great demand for clean water. |
| cause / lack / knowledge of | Poor drainage is a cause of flooding. |
| increase / decrease / rise / fall in | There was a rise in prices. |
| solution / answer / key / reaction to | We need a solution to this problem. |
| difference / relationship between | What is the difference between the two? |
| damage / harm to | Smoke causes damage to the lungs. |
Some verbs take no preposition. These are followed directly by the object: discuss (not “discuss about”), enter, reach, attend, resemble, approach, marry, mention.
Prepositions of time and place that are easily confused
| Prepositions | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| at / on / in | at for a point in time or place, on for days and dates, in for months, years and longer periods | at noon, on Monday, in June |
| between / among | between for two, among for more than two | between the two roads, among the crowd |
| beside / besides | beside means next to, besides means in addition to | She sat beside me. Besides English, he speaks French. |
| for / since / during | for a length of time, since a starting point, during within a period | for two weeks, since March, during the holidays |
| by / until | by means not later than, until means up to that time | Finish by five. Wait until five. |
| in / into / onto / on | in and on show position, into and onto show movement | He is in the room. He ran into the room. |
| across / through / along | across means from side to side, through means inside something, along follows a line | across the bridge, through the tunnel, along the road |
Method for multiple-choice questions
- Read the whole sentence before looking at the options.
- Look at the word before the gap. Ask whether it belongs to one of the patterns above.
- Try each option in the sentence, and say it quietly in your head.
- Eliminate the ones that sound wrong.
- Write your answer as the instructions say. Spell it correctly, and follow any instruction about how to mark your answer.
Worked examples
Example 1. The judge sentenced him ______ five years in prison. (for, to, at, by)
The verb sentence is followed by to. Answer: to.
Example 2. Many farmers depend ______ rainfall. (on, in, at, of)
The pattern is depend on. Answer: on.
Example 3. The prize was shared ______ the ten finalists. (between, among, beside, besides)
There are more than two people, so we need among. Answer: among.
Example 4. She has lived in this town ______ 2015. (for, since, during, from)
A starting point in time needs since. Answer: since.
Example 5. She is very fond ______ her grandmother. (of, at, for, with)
The pattern is fond of. Answer: of.
Common mistakes
Choosing by what “sounds right” in your mother tongue. Word patterns in English are fixed, so learn them as phrases.
Mixing up beside and besides. Beside is about position. Besides means “in addition to”. They are different words.
Adding a preposition where none is needed. Say “we discussed the plan”, not “we discussed about the plan”, and “she entered the room”, not “entered into the room”.
Writing “different than”. In standard English use different from.
Practice questions
Choose the word that completes each sentence correctly.
- The villagers were grateful ______ the rescue team for saving them. (to, of, with, at)
- He was accused ______ stealing the goats. (for, of, with, about)
- She does not believe ______ ghosts. (in, on, at, of)
- She is not aware ______ the danger. (about, for, of, to)
- I am sitting ______ my brother in the hall. (besides, beside, between, among)
- They have waited ______ three hours. (since, for, during, from)
- He insisted ______ paying for the meal. (on, to, at, in)
- Our results are similar ______ theirs. (with, to, as, than)
- This gift belongs ______ my grandmother. (at, to, for, with)
- The meeting will continue ______ Friday. (by, until, during, at)
Show answers
- to (grateful to someone for something)
- of (accused of)
- in (believe in)
- of (aware of)
- beside (next to)
- for (a length of time)
- on (insisted on)
- to (similar to)
- to (belong to)
- until (up to that time)
Summary
- Most preposition questions test fixed word patterns, so learn them as phrases.
- Look at the word before the gap, then try each option in the sentence.
- Learn the confusing pairs: between/among, beside/besides, for/since/during, by/until.
- Some verbs, such as discuss and enter, take no preposition.
Now practise this topic
Real questions show you what still needs work. Try a past paper under timed conditions, or take a short quiz.