Prepositions

6 min

A preposition shows the relation of a noun or pronoun with another word in the sentence.

What is a Preposition?

A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relation of place, time, direction, cause or manner with the rest of the sentence. In 'The book is on the table', the word on links 'book' with 'table'.

Why are Prepositions Important?

2 to 4 direct questions appear in SSC, Railway, Police and Defence papers.
Error Spotting and Sentence Improvement mostly hide a wrong preposition.
Fixed prepositions cannot be guessed by logic — they must be memorised.

Quick Memory

AT = exact point · ON = surface or day · IN = inside or long period
Smallest to largest: AT → ON → IN
A preposition is always followed by a noun, pronoun or -ing verb.

Types of Prepositions

Type	Shows	Common words	Example
Place	Position	in, on, at, under, beside	She is at the gate.
Time	When	at, on, in, since, for, by	We meet on Monday.
Direction	Movement	to, into, towards, across	He ran towards the field.
Cause	Reason	for, because of, due to	He was praised for his work.
Manner	How	by, with, like	She writes with a pen.

Visual Guide: Common Prepositions

(inside)

The ball is in the box.

(on a surface)

The ball is on the table.

(specific time/place)

We will meet at 5 pm.

under

(below)

The ball is under the table.

Exam Trap / Common Mistakes

on Junein June

Months and years always take IN.

in 5 pmat 5 pm

Clock time always takes AT.

discuss about the plandiscuss the plan

Discuss takes no preposition.

married with hermarried to her

Married is always followed by TO.

different than minedifferent from mine

Different always takes FROM.

Practice Questions

Q1.She was born ____ 15 August 1998.

Q2.The committee will discuss ____ the new policy.

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