Prepositions

Rules

1. Time: at + clock time (at 5 pm), on + day/date (on Monday), in + month/year (in May).
2. Place: at a point (at the gate), in an enclosed space (in the room), on a surface (on the table).
3. 'Between' for two, 'among' for more than two.
4. Fixed pairs: afraid of, good at, interested in, depend on, prefer to, senior to.

Examples

• The meeting is at 10 am on Friday.
• Divide the sweets among the children.
• She is good at maths.

Practice MCQs

1. The train arrives ___ 6 o'clock.

   1. in
   2. on
   3. at
   4. by
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) at. Clock time takes 'at'.

2. My birthday is ___ 5 June.

   1. in
   2. on
   3. at
   4. of
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) on. A date takes 'on'.

3. Share the work ___ the two brothers.

   1. among
   2. between
   3. with
   4. in
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) between. Two people take 'between'.

4. She is afraid ___ dogs.

   1. from
   2. with
   3. of
   4. by
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) of. 'Afraid of' is the fixed pair.

5. He is senior ___ me by two years.

   1. than
   2. to
   3. from
   4. over
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) to. 'Senior', 'junior', 'prefer' take 'to', not 'than'.

6. I prefer tea ___ coffee.

   1. than
   2. over
   3. to
   4. from
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) to. 'Prefer A to B' is the standard form.

7. He has been ill ___ Monday.

   1. for
   2. from
   3. since
   4. by
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) since. A point of time with perfect tense takes 'since'.