Prepositions

Form

A preposition links a noun to the rest of the sentence and shows time, place, direction or a fixed relationship (in June, on the desk, to the airport, good at math).

Three of them do most of the work: at for a point (at 9 a.m., at the bus stop), on for a surface, a day or a date (on the wall, on Monday, on July 4), and in for anything enclosed, including a space, a month and a year (in the drawer, in June, in 2021). Many others are collocations you learn as whole phrases, because the preposition belongs to the word in front of it rather than to the meaning (depend on, responsible for, married to). Some verbs take a direct object with no preposition at all, where many other languages add one (discuss the plan, join a club, call a friend).

When to Use It

1. 1

   A point in time or in space takes at

   The train leaves at 6 a.m.

2. 2

   A surface, a day or a date takes on

   The party is on Friday.

3. 3

   An enclosed space, a month, a season or a year takes in

   She was born in June.

4. 4

   A deadline takes by, while something that continues up to a point takes until

   Send it by Friday, and I will wait until Monday.

5. 5

   Many verbs and adjectives need one specific preposition

   The result depends on the weather.

6. 6

   A few common verbs take their object directly

   We discussed our vacation plans yesterday.

Common Mistakes

• An extra about after discuss: write We discussed the plan, not We discussed about the plan — discuss already takes the thing you talk about as its object.
• Join or call with a preposition: write She joined a gym or I called my mom, not She joined to a gym or I called to my mom — both verbs take a direct object.
• Until for a deadline: write Return the book by Friday, not Return the book until Friday — by sets the latest moment, until marks how long something continues.
• Depend without on: write It depends on the weather, not It depends the weather — depend needs on in front of its object.
• Married with: write She is married to a doctor, not She is married with a doctor — the fixed pair is married to.