Prepositions
Overview
Prepositions are small but essential words that show relationships between nouns, pronouns, and other elements in a sentence. They indicate position, direction, time, manner, and other logical connections. Despite being few in number, prepositions account for a significant portion of errors in competitive exams because their usage often defies simple rules and depends heavily on idiomatic conventions.
For OTET Language II, prepositions appear directly in fill-in-the-blank questions, error-spotting items, and sentence-correction tasks. They also feature indirectly in comprehension passages where precise understanding of prepositional phrases determines correct interpretation. Mastering the 25–30 most common prepositions and their typical contexts will help you handle most exam questions confidently.
The key challenge is that prepositions in English do not always translate logically from Odia, Hindi, or other Indian languages. You must learn prepositions through usage patterns and fixed expressions rather than trying to apply translation-based reasoning.
Key Concepts
- Definition: A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relationship with another word in the sentence. Example: The book is on the table.
- Object of a preposition: The noun or pronoun that follows a preposition is called its object. Pronouns after prepositions must be in objective case (me, him, her, us, them—not I, he, she, we, they).
- Prepositional phrase: A preposition plus its object (and any modifiers) forms a prepositional phrase, which functions as an adjective or adverb. Example: The girl with long hair is my sister (adjective); He ran across the field (adverb).
- Categories of meaning: Prepositions express place/position (in, on, at, under, between), direction/movement (to, into, towards, through), time (at, on, in, by, during, since, for), agent/instrument (by, with), and cause/purpose (for, because of).
- Fixed expressions: Many prepositions combine with verbs, adjectives, or nouns in fixed phrases: depend on, interested in, afraid of, reason for. These must be memorised.
- No preposition needed: Some verbs that require prepositions in Indian languages take direct objects in English: discuss the problem (not discuss about), enter the room (not enter into), accompany me (not accompany with me).
- Compound prepositions: Phrases that function as single prepositions: in front of, because of, in spite of, on account of, with regard to.
Formulas / Key Facts
Prepositions of Time
| Preposition | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| at | Specific time, festivals without "day" | at 5 o'clock, at noon, at Diwali |
| on | Days, dates, specific day phrases | on Monday, on 15th August, on my birthday |
| in | Months, years, seasons, parts of day (except night) | in June, in 2024, in winter, in the morning |
| by | Deadline (not later than) | Submit by Friday |
| since | Starting point (with perfect tenses) | since 2010, since morning |
| for | Duration | for three hours, for two years |
| during | Throughout a period | during the holidays |
Prepositions of Place
| Preposition | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| at | Specific point, small places | at the bus stop, at home |
| in | Enclosed spaces, large areas | in the room, in Bhubaneswar, in India |
| on | Surfaces, floors | on the table, on the second floor |
| between | Two items | between the two houses |
| among | More than two | among the students |
| beside | Next to | beside the river |
| besides | In addition to (not place) | Besides English, she knows Odia |
Prepositions of Direction
- to: movement towards destination — go to school
- into: movement from outside to inside — jumped into the water
- onto: movement to a surface — climbed onto the roof
- towards: direction without arrival — walked towards the station
- through: movement within and out — passed through the tunnel
- across: movement from one side to another — swam across the river
Common Verb + Preposition Combinations
- agree with (a person), agree to (a proposal), agree on (a point)
- apologise to (a person) for (something)
- arrive at (small place), arrive in (city/country)
- consist of, depend on, believe in, insist on
- congratulate on, complain about/of, dream of/about
- listen to, look at, look for, look after
- prevent from, prohibit from, suffer from
- succeed in, interested in, result in
Common Adjective + Preposition Combinations
- afraid of, aware of, capable of, fond of, proud of, tired of
- good at, bad at, surprised at, angry at/with
- different from, absent from, safe from
- responsible for, famous for, sorry for
- similar to, married to, accustomed to
Worked Examples
Example 1: Fill in the blank
She has been working here ______ 2015.
Solution: The sentence uses present perfect continuous ("has been working"), indicating an action that started in the past and continues. We need a preposition showing starting point. Use since for a specific point in time.
Answer: since
Example 2: Error spotting
He discussed about the matter with his colleagues.
Solution: "Discuss" is a transitive verb that takes a direct object. It does not require "about." The correct sentence is:
He discussed the matter with his colleagues.
Error: "about" is incorrect and should be removed.
Example 3: Choose the correct preposition
The train arrived ______ the station ______ time.
(a) at, in (b) at, on (c) in, on (d) to, in
Solution:
- "Arrive" uses "at" for small/specific places like stations, airports, bus stops.
- "On time" is a fixed phrase meaning punctually.
Answer: (b) at, on
Example 4: Fill in the blank
The thief jumped ______ the wall and escaped.
Solution: Movement from one side of a barrier to the other requires "over" (if going above) or "across." Since walls are vertical barriers one goes above, use over.
Answer: over
Common Mistakes
- Using "since" with duration instead of "for": Wrong: I have lived here since five years. Correct thinking: "Five years" is a duration, so use "for." Since needs a starting point (since 2019, since Monday).
- Adding unnecessary prepositions: Wrong: Where are you going to? or He entered into the room. Correct thinking: "Where" already implies direction; "enter" takes a direct object. Remove the extra preposition.
- Confusing "in" and "into": Wrong: She jumped in the pool. Correct thinking: "In" shows position (already inside); "into" shows movement from outside to inside. Use into when describing the action of entering.
- Using "between" for more than two: Wrong: Distribute the sweets between all the children. Correct thinking: "Between" is for two entities; "among" is for more than two. Use among all the children.
- Wrong preposition after verbs/adjectives: Wrong: He is interested on music. or She is married with him. Correct thinking: Fixed combinations must be memorised—interested in, married to.
Quick Reference
- at for precise times and small places; in for enclosed spaces, large areas, and longer time periods; on for surfaces, days, and dates.
- since + point in time; for + duration (both with perfect tenses).
- between = two; among = more than two.
- into = movement inside; in = already inside; onto = movement to a surface; on = already on surface.
- Verbs taking direct objects (no preposition): discuss, enter, accompany, reach, approach, resemble, comprise.
- When in doubt about verb/adjective + preposition, recall the fixed phrase rather than translating from your mother tongue.