Prepositions Grammar

Overview

Prepositions show relationships between nouns, pronouns, and other words in a sentence. They indicate location, time, direction, manner, and other relationships. Mastering prepositions is crucial for precise, natural-sounding English.

Common Prepositional Errors

1. “Different from” vs “Different than”

Correct: “Different from”

• Right: “This book is different from that one”
• Right: “Your approach is different from mine”
• Wrong: “This is different than that”

Exception: “Different than” is acceptable when followed by a clause:

• Acceptable: “The result was different than what we expected”
• Better: “The result was different from what we expected”

2. “Type of” vs “Type of a”

Correct: “Type of” (no article)

• Right: “What type of car do you drive?”
• Right: “This type of music relaxes me”
• Wrong: “What type of a car do you drive?“

3. Ending Sentences with Prepositions

Formal writing: Avoid ending with prepositions

• Informal: “Where are you going to?”
• Formal: “Where are you going?”
• Informal: “What are you looking for?”
• Formal: “For what are you looking?” (though this sounds awkward)

Modern approach: It’s often acceptable in casual speech and writing when avoiding it creates awkwardness.

Preposition + Pronoun Rules

Always use object pronouns after prepositions:

• “between you and me” (not “between you and I”)
• “for him and her” (not “for he and she”)
• “with us” (not “with we”)
• “to them” (not “to they”)

Common mistakes:

• Wrong: “This is between you and I”
• Right: “This is between you and me”
• Wrong: “Come with my friend and I”
• Right: “Come with my friend and me”

Idiomatic Prepositions

These combinations must be memorized:

Agree

• Agree with a person: “I agree with Sarah”
• Agree to a plan/proposal: “I agree to the terms”
• Agree on a decision: “We agreed on the price”

Angry

• Angry with a person: “I’m angry with my brother”
• Angry about a situation: “I’m angry about the delay”

Capable/Independent/Afraid

• Capable of: “She is capable of great things”
• Independent of: “He is independent of his parents”
• Afraid of: “I’m afraid of spiders”

Interest/Skill/Responsibility

• Interested in: “She’s interested in art”
• Good at: “He’s good at mathematics”
• Responsible for: “I’m responsible for the project”

Additional Common Combinations

• Fond of: “She’s fond of classical music”
• Proud of: “We’re proud of our achievements”
• Worried about: “I’m worried about the exam”
• Satisfied with: “Are you satisfied with the results?”
• Familiar with: “I’m familiar with this software”
• Dependent on: “Success is dependent on effort”

Location vs Movement

”In” vs “Into”

“In” indicates location (where something is):

• “The book is in the bag”
• “She lives in New York”
• “The keys are in the drawer”

“Into” indicates movement toward the inside:

• “Put the book into the bag”
• “She walked into the room”
• “The car crashed into the tree"

"On” vs “Onto”

“On” indicates position/surface contact:

• “The book is on the table”
• “The picture hangs on the wall”
• “She lives on Fifth Street”

“Onto” indicates movement to a surface:

• “Place the book onto the table”
• “The cat jumped onto the roof”
• “Please step onto the platform"

"At” vs “In”

“At” for specific points/locations:

• “Meet me at the corner”
• “She’s at work”
• “Turn left at the traffic light”

“In” for enclosed spaces:

• “She’s in the office”
• “The money is in the bank”
• “We live in California”

Time Prepositions

”At” for Specific Times

• “at 3:00”
• “at noon”
• “at midnight”
• “at dawn”
• “at Christmas” (specific time)

“On” for Days and Dates

• “on Monday”
• “on December 25th”
• “on Christmas Day”
• “on weekends”
• “on my birthday"

"In” for Months, Years, and Longer Periods

• “in January”
• “in 2023”
• “in the morning”
• “in the 21st century”
• “in spring"

"During” vs “For”

“During” indicates when something happens:

• “It rained during the night”
• “I fell asleep during the movie”

“For” indicates how long:

• “It rained for three hours”
• “I slept for eight hours”

Direction and Movement

”To” vs “Toward/Towards”

“To” indicates reaching a destination:

• “I’m going to the store”
• “She walked to the door”

“Toward/Towards” indicates direction without necessarily reaching:

• “She walked toward the door” (but may not have reached it)
• “The ball rolled towards the goal"

"Through” vs “Across”

“Through” indicates movement within something:

• “Walk through the park”
• “The bullet went through the wall”

“Across” indicates movement from one side to another:

• “Walk across the street”
• “Swim across the lake”

Advanced Prepositional Concepts

Phrasal Prepositions

These are prepositions made of multiple words:

• “because of”: “We canceled because of the rain”
• “in spite of”: “We went in spite of the weather”
• “according to”: “According to the report…”
• “due to”: “The delay was due to traffic”

Prepositions with Gerunds

After prepositions, use gerunds (verb + -ing):

• “She’s interested in learning Spanish”
• “I’m tired of waiting”
• “He succeeded by working hard”

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Unnecessary prepositions:

   • Wrong: “Where are you at?”
   • Right: “Where are you?”

2. Missing prepositions:

   • Wrong: “I arrived the airport”
   • Right: “I arrived at the airport”

3. Wrong preposition choice:

   • Wrong: “I’m going in the store”
   • Right: “I’m going to the store”

4. Preposition confusion:

   • Wrong: “She’s married with John”
   • Right: “She’s married to John”

Practice Exercises

Fill in the correct prepositions:

1. I’m interested ___ learning French.
2. The meeting is scheduled ___ 3 PM ___ Monday.
3. She’s afraid ___ flying.
4. Put the dishes ___ the dishwasher.
5. I disagree ___ your opinion.
6. The book is different ___ the movie.
7. He’s responsible ___ the project.
8. We’ve been waiting ___ two hours.

Answers:

1. in
2. at, on
3. of
4. into (or in)
5. with
6. from
7. for
8. for

Key Takeaways

• Use “different from” in formal writing
• Don’t use “type of a” - just “type of”
• Use object pronouns after prepositions
• Memorize idiomatic preposition combinations
• “In” = location, “into” = movement toward inside
• “On” = surface, “onto” = movement to surface
• “At” = specific times, “on” = days/dates, “in” = months/years/periods
• Practice with common phrasal prepositions
• When in doubt, consult a dictionary for standard usage