Prepositions — Interactive Lesson

What Is a Preposition?

Small but essential — prepositions connect a noun or pronoun to the rest of the sentence.

A preposition is a word placed before a noun (or pronoun) to show its relationship to another word in the sentence. Prepositions can show time (when), place (where), direction (which way), manner (how) or cause (why).

💡 Think of prepositions as relationship words — they show how one thing connects to another. Remove them and sentences quickly become confusing: "She sat the cat the mat" tells us nothing useful.

Exercise 1

Click the Prepositional Phrase

Each sentence has a specific prepositional phrase to find. Read the task, click the words, then press Check.

Sentence 1 of 5

🎯 Click the place prepositional phrase.

Click all the words that form the place prepositional phrase.

Sentence 2 of 5

🎯 Click the time prepositional phrase.

Click all the words that form the time prepositional phrase.

Sentence 3 of 5

🎯 Click the direction prepositional phrase (the one showing movement towards somewhere).

Click all the words that form the direction prepositional phrase.

Sentence 4 of 5

🎯 Click the duration prepositional phrase (how long the action lasted).

Click all the words that form the duration prepositional phrase.

Sentence 5 of 5

🎯 Click the fixed phrase preposition — the preposition that follows the adjective.

Click just the preposition word.

Prepositions of Time

The three most important time prepositions — in, on and at — follow clear patterns.

in

Longer periods
Months · Years · Seasons
Parts of the day · Centuries / decades

in July · in 2024 · in the summer
in the morning / evening
in the 1990s · in the 21st century

on

Specific days & dates
Days of the week · Calendar dates
Named special days

on Monday · on Tuesdays
on 15 June · on my birthday
on Christmas Day · on New Year's Eve

at

Precise points in time
Clock times · Meal times · Night
Holiday periods (British English)

at 9am · at midnight · at noon
at breakfast · at night
at Christmas · at the weekend (BrE)

for

A duration of time — how long something lasts.
"She studied for three hours." "I've lived here for ten years."

since

A starting point in the past — used with present perfect.
"He has worked here since 2018." "I haven't eaten since breakfast."

during

Something that happens within a period (not how long).
"It rained during the night." "She fell asleep during the lecture."

by

No later than a specific time — a deadline.
"Please submit the report by Friday." "I'll be home by 6pm."

until

Up to a point in time — when something continues and then stops.
"She worked until midnight." "Wait here until I get back."

⚠️ for vs since vs during

for + duration: "for two hours" · since + starting point: "since 2pm" · during + named period: "during the film"
❌ "I've been here during three hours." · ✓ "I've been here for three hours."

Exercise 2

Prepositions of Time

Choose the correct preposition of time.

Question 1 of 6

The meeting is ___ Monday morning.

Question 2 of 6

She was born ___ 1995.

Question 3 of 6

The film starts ___ 8 o'clock.

Question 4 of 6

I've been learning English ___ three years.

Question 5 of 6

Please submit your assignment ___ Friday. (no later than)

Question 6 of 6

It rained heavily ___ the night.

Prepositions of Place

Again, in, on and at are the core — but each has a distinct logic.

in

Inside an enclosed space
Rooms · Buildings · Containers
Cities · Countries · Areas

in the box · in the room · in a car
in the kitchen · in the park
in Bangkok · in Thailand

on

On a surface or line
Flat surfaces · Transport (public)
Streets · Floors

on the table · on the floor · on the wall
on the bus · on a plane · on a ship
on Oxford Street · on the left

at

A specific point or location
Addresses · Events / venues
Precise spots

at the door · at the bus stop
at school · at work · at a party
at the top · at 5 Park Street

above/
below

Higher or lower than something, without touching.
"The painting is above the fireplace." "The temperature fell below zero."

between/
among

Between = two things. Among = three or more / a group.
"She sat between Tom and Sarah." "He was popular among his students."

next to /
beside

Immediately to the side of something.
"The café is next to the bank." "Sit beside me."

in front of /
behind

Position relative to the front or back of something.
"The car parked in front of the house." "The garden is behind the building."

⚠️ in / on / at — the transport trap

in a car / taxi / lift · on a bus / train / plane / bike / ship · at the station / airport (the location)
❌ "She is on the car." · ✓ "She is in the car." (private vehicles = in; public transport = on)

Exercise 3

Prepositions of Place

Choose the correct preposition of place.

Question 1 of 4

She lives __________ Bangkok.

Question 2 of 4

I fell asleep __________ the bus.

Question 3 of 4

The temperature fell __________ zero last night.

Question 4 of 4

She was waiting __________ the bus stop.

Prepositions of Movement & Direction

These show where something is going, not where it is.

to

Movement towards a destination. (Compare: at/in = already there)
"She walked to the station." "We're flying to Japan next month."

into /
out of

Movement entering or leaving an enclosed space.
"He walked into the room." "She climbed out of the car."

through

Movement passing from one side to the other of something.
"The train went through the tunnel." "She walked through the forest."

across

Movement from one side to the other of a flat surface or open area.
"They swam across the river." "She ran across the road."

along

Movement following the length of something.
"We walked along the beach." "Drive along this road for two miles."

towards /
away from

Direction of movement — not necessarily reaching the destination.
"She moved towards the exit." "He walked away from the crowd."

past

Movement going by something without stopping.
"Drive past the church and turn left." "He ran past me without stopping."

Exercise 4

Prepositions of Place & Movement

Choose the correct preposition of place, direction or fixed phrase.

Question 1 of 5

She has lived ___ Paris for five years.

Question 2 of 5

The book is ___ the shelf, between the two dictionaries.

Question 3 of 5

They drove ___ the tunnel to get to the other side of the mountain.

Question 4 of 5

I was sitting ___ the bus when I saw the accident.

Question 5 of 5

She is very good ___ solving complex problems.

Fixed Preposition Phrases

Many verbs and adjectives always take the same preposition. These must be learned as fixed combinations.

Verb + Preposition

wait for · listen to
depend on · rely on
apologise for · pay for
agree with · deal with
believe in · result in
belong to · refer to
consist of · dream of/about

Adjective + Preposition

good / bad at
afraid / proud / capable of
interested / involved in
responsible / famous for
similar to · different from
full / aware / fond of
keen / dependent on

🔑 Key principle: With fixed phrases, you simply have to learn the combination — there is no logical rule. When you learn a new verb or adjective, learn its preposition at the same time: not just interested but interested in.

Exercise 5

Which Preposition?

These verbs and adjectives always take the same preposition. Choose the correct one.

Question 1 of 4

I'm waiting __________ my friend.

Question 2 of 4

She is very good __________ maths.

Question 3 of 4

Thailand is famous __________ its food.

Question 4 of 4

You can rely __________ me.

Exercise 6

Mixed Review

A mix of everything — time, place, movement, and fixed phrases.

Time Prepositions

Question 1 of 16

We usually visit our grandparents ___ Christmas. (holiday period)

Question 2 of 16

She hasn't called me ___ last week.

Question 3 of 16

He'll finish the project ___ the end of the month. (deadline)

Question 4 of 16

I'll wait here ___ you come back. (continues, then stops)

Place Prepositions

Question 5 of 16

The keys are ___ the drawer.

Question 6 of 16

There's a poster ___ the wall.

Question 7 of 16

Let's meet ___ the entrance.

Question 8 of 16

She sat ___ her two best friends. (exactly two people)

Movement Prepositions

Question 9 of 16

He walked ___ the room without saying a word. (leaving)

Question 10 of 16

They swam ___ the lake to reach the other side.

Question 11 of 16

She drove ___ the shop but didn't stop. (going by, not stopping)

Question 12 of 16

We walked ___ the beach for hours, enjoying the sunset. (following its length)

Fixed Phrases

Question 13 of 16

He is afraid ___ spiders.

Question 14 of 16

This result depends ___ the weather.

Question 15 of 16

Her style is similar ___ her sister's.

Question 16 of 16

They apologised ___ the delay.