Choosing the Right Preposition
What's the issue?
If English is not your native language, learning to choose the appropriate preposition can be difficult. Nonetheless, prepositions play an important role in showing the relationships between words. Mistakes in preposition use can, at least inspire humor and, at most, greatly confuse the intended reader. No hard and fast rules exist, so often students of English must memorize which word goes with which preposition. However, the following information can provide a basic guide to understanding/prepositional use.
Relationships in Time
Notice how at, on, and in show relationships in time:
At to show a certain time:
On to show a certain day or date:
- on January 21st
- on Saturday
In
* to show a portion of a 24-hour period:
- in the evening
- in five minutes
*to specify a year or month:
For
*to show a specific period of time:
- I've known her for 3 years.
*to show duration:
Relationships in Space
Notice how the same three prepositions show relationships in space:
At
*to show location:
*to indicate a target:
On
*to identify something on a surface:
*to indicate a street:
In
*to show an enclosed space:
- in the office
- in your car
*to specify a geographic location:
- in Seattle
- in the United State
Relationships of Ideas
Notice how of, for, on, about, by, and with show relations of ideas
Of
*to compare a part to a whole:
- Some of the students are here.
- One of the apples is rotten.
*to show material or content:
- The basket is full of trash.
- The shirt is made of cotton.
For to show purpose:
On/About to show a subject:
- This class is on genetics.
- Angela heard about the concert.
By/With to show an agent:
- I can cook pasta with help.
- He read the book by himself.
Let's practice!
Choose the correct pronoun from the choices provided.
- Come and get me (in/at) an hour.
- The meeting was (on/in) the conference room.
- He wrote the paper (with/by) himself.
- I will go to Mexico (at/in) February.
- Tara was sick (in/for) three days.
Answers
(Move your mouse cursor over the space below to reveal the answers)
- Come and get me in an hour.
- The meeting was in the conference room.
- He wrote the paper by himself.
- I will go to Mexico in February.
- Tara was sick for three days.
Editors Note: This publication is derived from the shared experiences of Seattle University Writing Center consultants and from definitions adapted from the second edition of Bedford Basics: A Workbook for Writers by Diana Hacker and Wanda Van Goor (St. Martin's Press 1994) and from A Reference Guide to English: A Handbook of English as a Second Language, by Alice Maclin (CBS Publishing, 1981).