Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic
Common prepositions include
in, on, at, by, for, with, from, to, under, over, between, among, through, during, since, until
KEY RULES FOR TIME PREPOSITIONS
• AT - specific times (at 5 PM, at noon, at night)
• ON - days and dates (on Monday, on 15th August)
• IN - months, years, seasons (in January, in 2023, in summer)
• SINCE - starting point (since morning)
• FOR - duration (for 2 hours)
• BY - deadline (by evening)
• DURING - throughout a period (during the match)
KEY RULES FOR PLACE PREPOSITIONS:
• AT - specific points (at home, at the station)
• ON - surfaces (on the table, on the road)
• IN - enclosed spaces (in the room, in Delhi)
• ABOVE/OVER - higher position
• BELOW/UNDER - lower position
• BETWEEN - two things (between you and me)
• AMONG - more than two (among friends)
Formula BlockMemorise — at least one formula appears in every paper
Time Formula: AT (specific) → ON (days) → IN (periods)
Place Formula: AT (point) → ON (surface) → IN (space)
Movement Formula: TO (destination) / FROM (source) / THROUGH (passage)
Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
1
Fill in the blanks (5-7 questions per paper)
2
Error spotting in sentences
3
Phrase replacement questions
4
Idioms with fixed prepositions
ShortcutsUse these to save 30–60 seconds per question
- THE 'AIM' METHOD:
A - AT for specific (AT 6 PM, AT Delhi station)
I - IN for general/enclosed (IN morning, IN the box)
M - ON for surface/days (ON table, ON Sunday)
Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1
First blank needs specific time → use AT
2
Step 2
Second blank needs specific day → use ON
Answer: 'The meeting is scheduled AT 3 PM ON Monday.'
WORKED EXAMPLE 2:
Question: 'He has been working ___ the company ___ 5 years.'
1
Step 1
First blank shows association → use FOR or IN or WITH
2
Step 2
'working in the company' is correct (enclosed workspace)
3
Step 3
Second blank shows duration → use FOR
Answer: 'He has been working IN the company FOR 5 years.'
SHORTCUT 2 - FIXED PREPOSITION PAIRS:
• Different FROM (not 'different than')
• Consist OF (not 'consist in')
• Comply WITH (not 'comply to')
• Capable OF (not 'capable to')
SHORTCUT 3 - MOVEMENT PREPOSITIONS:
• INTO = movement inside (walked into the room)
• ONTO = movement on surface (climbed onto the roof)
• Use TO for destination, FROM for source
Exam TrapsCommon mistakes students make — avoid these
#1 - THE BIGGEST TRAP:
Students confuse IN and AT for places. Remember: Use IN for cities/countries (in Mumbai, in India) but AT for specific locations (at the airport, at school). This confusion appears in 60% of preposition questions.
OTHER COMMON ERRORS:
• Writing 'on time' vs 'in time' - 'on time' means punctual, 'in time' means before deadline
• Using 'from' instead of 'since' for time - use SINCE for point of time, FROM for place
• Mixing up 'between' and 'among' - use BETWEEN for two items, AMONG for more than two
The key to mastering prepositions is practice and memorizing fixed combinations.
Many prepositions don't follow logical rules - they must be learned through repetition.
Key Points to Remember
AT for specific times and points, ON for days and surfaces, IN for periods and enclosed spaces
SINCE shows starting point in time, FOR shows duration of time
BETWEEN is used for two items, AMONG is used for more than two items
Time Formula: AT (specific) → ON (days) → IN (periods)
Place Formula: AT (point) → ON (surface) → IN (space)
Different FROM, Consist OF, Comply WITH, Capable OF are fixed combinations
INTO shows movement inside, ONTO shows movement on surface
ON TIME means punctual, IN TIME means before the deadline
Use IN for cities/countries, AT for specific locations within them
Movement prepositions: TO (destination), FROM (source), THROUGH (passage)
Exam-Specific Tips
Different FROM is correct, never use 'different than' or 'different to'
Consist OF is the only correct form, never 'consist in' or 'consist with'
Comply WITH is correct, never use 'comply to' or 'comply of'
Capable OF doing something is correct, never 'capable to do'
Preposition questions appear 5-7 times per SSC CGL Tier-I paper
SINCE is used only with perfect tenses, never with simple past
BETWEEN requires 'and' to connect two items (between A and B)
AT NIGHT is correct but IN THE MORNING/EVENING are also correct
Practice MCQs
Prepositions — Practice Questions
12graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis
In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains an error. If there is no error, select 'No error'.
The organisation is committed (A) / for providing (B) / quality services (C) / to all its clients. (D) / No error (E)
Practice 2easy
In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains an error. If there is no error, select 'No error'.
The committee has decided (A) / to proceed with (B) / the project in accordance to (C) / the new guidelines. (D) / No error (E)
Practice 3easy
In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains an error. If there is no error, select 'No error'.
The manager insisted (A) / on the employees (B) / to complete the report (C) / before the deadline. (D) / No error (E)
Practice 4easy
In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains an error. If there is no error, select 'No error'.
The students are looking forward (A) / to attending (B) / the annual conference (C) / at the university campus. (D) / No error (E)
Practice 5easy
In the following sentence, four parts are underlined. Identify the part that contains an error. If there is no error, select 'No error'.
The report is based on (A) / the data collected (B) / from the survey conducted (C) / among the participants. (D) / No error (E)
Practice 6medium
The report highlights the challenges (A) / faced by farmers in coping (B) / with climate change and adapting (C) / for sustainable agricultural practices. (D) / No error (E)
Practice 7medium
The manager insisted (A) / that all employees comply (B) / to the new safety regulations (C) / without any exceptions. (D) / No error (E)
Practice 8medium
The committee has decided to proceed (A) / with the new policy (B) / despite of the objections (C) / raised by the members. (D) / No error (E)
Practice 9medium
Identify the error in the sentence below:
The committee has decided (A) / to proceed with the merger (B) / in accordance to (C) / the board's recommendations. (D) / No error (E)
Practice 10medium
The research team is working (A) / on a project that focuses (B) / in improving the efficiency (C) / of renewable energy systems. (D) / No error (E)
Practice 11hard
The regulatory framework has been designed with the objective of ensuring compliance, and all financial institutions are required to adhere with the stipulated norms without any deviation from the prescribed guidelines.
Practice 12hard
The committee has decided to allocate funds towards the development of infrastructure in rural areas, and they are committed to working on it despite of the financial constraints they face.
60-Second Revision — Prepositions
Remember: AT-ON-IN formula for time (AT specific, ON days, IN periods)
Trap: IN for cities (in Delhi), AT for specific places (at Red Fort)
Formula: Different FROM, Consist OF, Comply WITH, Capable OF
Remember: SINCE for starting point, FOR for duration
Trap: BETWEEN (two items) vs AMONG (more than two items)
Remember: ON TIME = punctual, IN TIME = before deadline