Prepositions & Prepositional Phrases

Prepositions are short words such as in, on, at, for, by and with, but they cause many errors because languages organise relationships differently. Some uses follow broad patterns; others need to be learned as part of a phrase. Prepositional phrases also affect sentence structure and information flow.

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Level 3

Understand

Time: at, on and in

These patterns are useful starting points, although fixed expressions sometimes behave differently.

at 8 o'clock / at night
on Monday / on 12 May
in June / in 2026 / in the morning

Place: at, on and in

At often focuses on a point or activity, on on a surface or line, and in inside an area or space.

Examples: at school, on the table, in Stockholm.

Prepositions after verbs

Many verb + preposition combinations need to be learned together.

Examples: depend on, belong to, apply for, participate in, agree with someone, agree on a plan.

Prepositions after adjectives and nouns

Adjectives: interested in, responsible for, similar to, aware of.

Nouns: reason for, effect on, increase in, relationship between.

Preposition + -ing

After a preposition, a following verb normally uses the -ing form.

Correct: They succeeded by working together.

Correct: She is interested in studying abroad.

Prepositional phrases in sentences

A prepositional phrase can add information about time, place, cause, method or relationship.

Moving a longer phrase can change emphasis: After several months of negotiation, the two sides reached an agreement.

Example

Weak: The report discusses about the effect in young people.

Better: The report discusses the effect on young people.

Discuss does not normally take about, while effect commonly combines with on when describing what is affected.

How to do it

Decide whether the preposition expresses time, place or another relationship.
Use broad patterns such as at/on/in where they apply.
For verb, adjective and noun combinations, check the whole phrase rather than translating the preposition alone.
After a preposition, use an -ing form if a verb follows.
Check whether the prepositional phrase is placed where its relationship is clear.
Record recurring combinations as chunks: responsible for, increase in, effect on.