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
26graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis · showing 20 of 26
Identify the error in the following sentence:
The committee has agreed (A) / to the proposal (B) / that was submitted (C) / by the department head. (D) / No error (E)
Practice 2easy
The committee has decided to go ahead (A) / with the proposal (B) / despite the objections (C) / raised by the members. (D) No error (E)
Practice 3easy
Identify the error in the following sentence:
The students are looking forward (A) / to attending (B) / the annual sports day (C) / at the school ground. (D) / No error (E)
Practice 4easy
Identify the error in the following sentence:
The manager insisted (A) / on the employees attending (B) / the training session (C) / in time. (D) / No error (E)
Practice 5easy
Identify the error in the following sentence:
The report is based (A) / on the data collected (B) / from various sources (C) / during the survey period. (D) / No error (E)
Practice 6easy
Identify the error in the following sentence:
The company has invested (A) / in developing (B) / new technologies (C) / for the past five years. (D) / No error (E)
Practice 7easy
She is not interested (A) / in attending (B) / the conference (C) / next month. (D) No error (E)
Practice 8easy
The manager insisted (A) / on the employees (B) / completing the project (C) / before the deadline. (D) No error (E)
Practice 9easy
The students are looking forward (A) / to the summer (B) / holidays and (C) / to visiting their grandparents. (D) No error (E)
Practice 10medium
The manager insisted (A) / on the employees attending (B) / the training session (C) / at the conference hall. (D) No error (E)
Practice 11medium
The committee has decided to allocate funds (A) / for the construction of (B) / a new community centre (C) / in the locality. (D) No error (E)
Practice 12medium
Identify the error in the sentence:
The employees complained (A) / about the lack of transparency (B) / in the management's decision-making process (C) / No error (D)
Practice 13medium
The report highlights the challenges (A) / faced by the organisation (B) / in implementing the new policy (C) / across all departments. (D) No error (E)
Practice 14medium
Identify the error in the sentence:
The committee has agreed (A) / to provide financial assistance (B) / for the underprivileged students (C) / No error (D)
Practice 15medium
Identify the error in the sentence:
The students are not interested (A) / in attending the seminar (B) / because of its poor reputation (C) / No error (D)
Practice 16medium
Identify the error in the sentence:
The manager insisted (A) / on the employees working (B) / overtime during the project (C) / No error (D)
Practice 17medium
The organisation has been praised (A) / for its commitment (B) / towards environmental sustainability (C) / and social responsibility. (D) No error (E)
Practice 18medium
The students are worried (A) / about the upcoming examination (B) / and they are looking forward (C) / to succeed in it. (D) No error (E)
Practice 19hard
The professor insisted on the students submitting (A) / their assignments before (B) / the deadline, regardless of (C) / any external circumstances. (D) / No error (E)
Practice 20hard
The committee has decided to allocate funds (A) / for the construction of (B) / a new community centre in (C) / the outskirts of the city. (D) / No error (E)
6 more practice questions in the Study Panel
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