A1Prepositions

Prepositions (overview)

What is it?

Prepositions are small words that show relationships between things: PLACE (where?): in, on, at, under, between, behind, next to; TIME (when?): in, on, at, during, before, after; MOVEMENT (where to/from?): to, from, into, out of, through, across. Most common: IN (inside/enclosed): "in the box" / "in June"; ON (surface/contact): "on the table" / "on Monday"; AT (specific point): "at home" / "at 5pm". Key rule: prepositions come BEFORE nouns/pronouns: "in the house" / "on the table" / "at school". They DON'T change form (no plurals, no tenses).

How to form it

Subject	Positive	Negative	Question
Place prepositions	in, on, at, under, behind, between, next to, by	not used	Where?
Time prepositions	in, on, at, during, before, after, for, since	not used	When?
Movement prepositions	to, from, into, out of, through, across, towards	not used	Where to/from?
IN (enclosed/inside)	in the box, in the house, in June, in 2024, in the morning	not used	Where/When?
ON (surface/contact)	on the table, on the wall, on Monday, on July 4th	not used	Where/When?
AT (specific point)	at home, at school, at 5pm, at night, at the corner	not used	Where/When?

• Prepositions: small words showing relationships (place, time, movement)
• Always come BEFORE nouns/pronouns → in the house, on the table
• Don't change form (no plurals, tenses) → in, on, at (always same)
• Place: in (inside/enclosed), on (surface), at (specific point)
• Time: in (months/years/morning), on (days/dates), at (specific times)
• Movement: to (destination), from (origin), into (entering), out of (exiting)
• Common errors: at school ✓ (not: in school*), on Monday ✓ (not: in Monday*)
• After verbs: many verbs need specific prepositions → listen to, look at, wait for

When to use it

1
Place — IN (inside/enclosed space)
"in the box" / "in the house" / "in the room" / "in the car" / "in London" / "in the park"
2
Place — ON (surface/contact)
"on the table" / "on the wall" / "on the floor" / "on the bus/train" (public transport)
3
Place — AT (specific point/location)
"at home" / "at school" / "at work" / "at the corner" / "at the station" / "at the top"
4
Time — IN (months, years, longer periods)
"in June" / "in 2024" / "in the morning" / "in the summer" / "in an hour" (future)
5
Time — ON (days, dates)
"on Monday" / "on July 4th" / "on Christmas Day" / "on my birthday" / "on the weekend" (US)
6
Time — AT (specific times)
"at 5pm" / "at night" / "at midnight" / "at noon" / "at the moment" / "at Christmas" (point in time)
7
Movement — TO (destination), FROM (origin)
"go to school" / "come from London" / "travel to Paris" / "walk to the park" / "fly from New York"

Common mistakes

in Monday

on Monday

Use ON with days of the week, not IN.

at June / at 2024

in June / in 2024

Use IN with months and years, not AT.

on 5pm

at 5pm

Use AT with specific times, not ON.

in school (American mistake)

at school

Use AT with institutions (school, work, home) as locations, not IN.

I go at home.

I go home. OR I am at home.

Don't use TO/AT with 'go home' (exception). But 'at home' for location is correct.

Quick reference

Prepositions: show relationships (place, time, movement)
Always before nouns → in the house, on the table, at school
Place: IN (inside), ON (surface), AT (specific point)
Time: IN (months/years), ON (days/dates), AT (specific times)
IN: the box, June, 2024, the morning
ON: the table, Monday, July 4th
AT: home, school, 5pm, night
Movement: TO (destination), FROM (origin), INTO (entering)

Natural conversation example

Discussing daily schedule

Tom

Where are you at 9am?

Lisa

I'm at school. My class is in room 204.

Tom

What day? On Monday or Tuesday?

Lisa

On Monday. I have it in the morning.

Tom

And where do you go after school?

Lisa

I go to the library. It's on Main Street.

Tom

Cool! I'll meet you there at 3pm.

Practice Exercises

Complete with the correct preposition.

1.
The book is the table. (surface)
2.
I live London. (city)
3.
She is school. (location)
4.
My birthday is June. (month)
5.
The meeting is Monday. (day)
6.
I wake up 7am. (time)

All Topics Prepositions of Place

Now use Prepositions (overview) in real conversation

Grammar sticks when you use it out loud. Practise with an AI tutor who gives you instant feedback.

Speak with AI Tutor