Grammar / usage: Prepositions — common confusions
Subtopic: Section D · Grammar
How to structure your answer
Rule: a preposition links a noun or pronoun to another word in the sentence and shows a relationship of place, time, direction or manner. English prepositions are largely idiomatic — there is no rule that explains every choice, so the safest method is to learn fixed verb-and-preposition combinations and common contrasts.
Approach: learn the four high-frequency contrasts — in / at / on (place and time), between / among (two vs more than two), since / for (point vs duration), different from / different than (BrE prefers from). Maintain a small notebook of verb-preposition pairs ('comply with', 'consist of', 'depend on', 'refer to').
What an examiner expects: the rule stated cleanly; corrected sentences with the preposition change underlined; a one-line justification.
Common pitfalls: (1) using 'discuss about' — discuss does not take a preposition; (2) using 'between' for more than two items; (3) using 'since' with a duration ('since two hours' instead of 'for two hours'); (4) using 'married with' instead of 'married to'.
Written within the word limit
110 words · target 100 words · 8 min
Rule: Prepositions are fixed by usage rather than logic; the right preposition follows the verb, noun or adjective it pairs with. Learn common pairings as units.
Worked examples: 'She is good at mathematics' (not in). 'He died of cancer' (cause of death — not from). 'I agree with you on this issue' (agree with a person, on a topic). 'The book consists of five chapters' (not from).
Quick check:
- She is married (with/to) a doctor. to
- He insisted (on/upon) paying the bill. on (both accepted; on commoner)
- The team is composed (of/from) five members. of
- I prefer tea (than/to) coffee. to
- We discussed (about/—) the matter. — (no preposition after discuss)
What an examiner expects to see
- Rule: prepositions are largely idiomatic; learn pairs.
- in / at / on (place): 'in a country', 'at an address', 'on a street'.
- in / at / on (time): 'in a month or year', 'at a clock time', 'on a day or date'.
- between (two) / among (more than two): 'between you and me', 'among the four candidates'.
- since (point in time) / for (duration): 'since 2020', 'for three years'.
- Verb + preposition fixed pairs: comply with, consist of, depend on, refer to, succeed in, prevent from, accuse of, congratulate on.
- No preposition needed: discuss (not 'discuss about'), enter (not 'enter into' a room), reach (not 'reach to' the airport), marry (not 'marry with' her).
- Adjective + preposition: afraid of, fond of, similar to, different from, responsible for, capable of.
- Noun + preposition: an answer to, an effect on, an increase in, a solution to, a reason for.
- Practice sentences below.
Concrete cases, schemes and judgments
- Wrong: 'We discussed about the proposal.' Right: 'We discussed the proposal.' ('Discuss' takes no preposition.)
- Wrong: 'I have been waiting since two hours.' Right: 'I have been waiting for two hours.' ('Since' marks a point; 'for' marks a duration.)
- Wrong: 'She got married with her classmate.' Right: 'She got married to her classmate.' ('Marry' takes 'to'.)
- Wrong: 'The prize was divided between the five winners.' Right: 'The prize was divided among the five winners.' ('Among' for more than two.)