Prepositions - Definitive Guide for High School Exams
Prepositions are words placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relation to another word in the sentence. They commonly show time, place, movement, cause, manner, possession and many other relationships. In ICSE, prepositions are tested through “appropriate prepositions” in fill-in-the-blank questions, error correction and transformation.
Definition
A preposition is a word that shows the relationship of a noun or pronoun to another word in the sentence.
Examples: at, in, on, by, with, from, to, of, about, over, under, between, among, into, onto, through, across, during, before, after.
1. Core Prepositions by Function
The table below gives an overview of some common prepositions with their usual use and an example.
| Function | Preposition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Place | in | She lives in Kolkata. |
| Place (point) | at | He is waiting at the gate. |
| Place (surface) | on | The book is on the table. |
| Place (high, detached) | above | The sun is above our head. |
| Place (middle) | between | Jack sat between Jimi and Jones. |
| Movement | to | They are going to school. |
| Movement into | into | The cat jumped into the box. |
| Movement onto | onto | He climbed onto the roof. |
| Movement ↓ | down | I climbed down the stairs. |
| Movement ↑ | up | Jack and Jill went up the hill. |
| Movement ↷ | over | The dog jumped over the wall. |
| Time (day/date) | on | We met on Monday / on 15th August. |
| Time (month/year, long) | in | He was born in June / in 2010. |
| Time (exact) | at | The show starts at 7 p.m. |
| Duration (start point) | since | She has lived here since 2015. |
| Duration (length) | for | He worked there for two years. |
| Cause / reason | because of | The match was cancelled because of rain. |
| Agency | by | The letter was written by Ria. |
| Instrument | with | He cut the apple with a knife. |
| Possession | of | The legs of the chair are broken. |
| Comparison | than, like | She is taller than me; He sings like a professional. |
| Opposition | against | They protested against the decision. |
| Direction | towards | He ran towards the gate. |
| State / condition | in | The house is in good condition. |
2. Key Contrasts: In / At / On (Place and Time)
Place
At – point / address: at the door, at 10 Park Street
In – inside area / city / country: in the room, in Kolkata, in India
On – surface / line: on the table, on the wall, on the road
- He is waiting at the bus stop.
- The clothes are in the cupboard.
- The picture is hanging on the wall.
Time
At – exact time: at 6 o’clock, at noon
On – days and dates: on Monday, on 2nd October
In – longer periods: in July, in 2025, in the morning
- The exam starts at 9 a.m.
- We went to a picnic on Sunday.
- He will visit us in December.
3. Since / For / During / By / Until
Time Expressions
Since – from a point in time till now: since 2010, since Monday
For – for a period: for two hours, for five years
During – in the course of a period/event: during the holidays, during the match
By – not later than: by 6 p.m., by tomorrow
Until / Till – up to a point in time: until 6 p.m., till Friday
- She has been here since morning.
- He waited for two hours.
- We played cricket during the holidays.
- Submit your project by Friday.
- They worked until midnight.
4. Between/Among, Beside/Besides, In/Into, On/Onto
Between vs Among
Between – two (or distinct individuals/things).
Among – more than two (as a group).
- Share the sweets between the two boys.
- Distribute the books among the students.
Beside vs Besides
Beside – next to.
Besides – in addition to.
- He sat beside his friend.
- Besides English, she studies French.
In vs Into / On vs Onto
In – state or position inside; Into – movement from outside to inside.
On – state on a surface; Onto – movement to a surface.
- The books are in the bag. / He put the books into the bag.
- The cat is on the roof. / The cat jumped onto the roof.
5. Over vs Above – Key Distinction
Quick Rule
Above = position higher than (no contact, often vertical). often used for static position, measurement, superiority
Over = above with movement / directly above (may touch). often used for movement, covering, excess, control
| Situation | Above | Over |
|---|---|---|
| Higher position (no contact) | The plane flew above the clouds. | The clouds hung over the city. |
| Covering / touching | The temperature is above 40°C. | A blanket lay over the bed. |
| Movement across | The bridge is above the river. | The bird flew over the river. |
| Superiority | He is above average in height. | She has control over the situation. |
| Quantity / excess | The mark was above the passing line. | Work piled up over his desk. |
More Examples
- Write your name above this line. (higher position)
- The bridge passes over the railway tracks. (movement across)
- His score is above 90%. (higher than)
- She jumped over the puddle. (movement)
- The fan is fixed above the door. (position)
- The fans are moving over our heads. (movement overhead. 'above' also accepted here)
- The helicopter hovered over/above the building. (both are correct. 'over' more acceptable.)
- Dark clouds gathered over the hills. (covering area)
6. List of Common “Appropriate Prepositions”
In ICSE, you are often asked to fill in sentences with an appropriate preposition, especially with verbs, adjectives and nouns that naturally take particular prepositions. Below is a compact but rich list of such combinations with examples.
6.1 Verbs + Prepositions
- abide by the rules – We must abide by the rules.
- accuse (someone) of (something) – He was accused of theft.
- accustom (oneself) to – You must accustom yourself to hard work.
- aim at – The programme aims at reducing pollution.
- agree to (a proposal) – They agreed to the plan.
- agree with (a person) – I agree with you.
- agree on (a point) – We agreed on a date.
- anxious about (worried) – Parents are anxious about their children.
- apply for (a job) – She applied for a post.
- apply to (an authority) – He applied to the principal.
- appeal to – The idea appealed to me.
- approve of – I do not approve of this behaviour.
- believe in – We believe in honesty.
- belong to – This book belongs to me.
- boast of/about – He boasts of his success.
- care for (look after) – She cares for her grandparents.
- care about (be concerned about) – He doesn’t care about money.
- complain of (illness) – She complained of a headache.
- complain about (a thing) – They complained about the noise.
- complain against (a person/authority) – They complained against the manager.
- compare with (similar things) – Compare this poem with that one.
- compare to (dissimilar things, for likeness) – He compared her eyes to stars.
- concentrate on – Concentrate on your studies.
- confide in – She confided in her friend.
- conform to – We must conform to the rules.
- consist of – The team consists of eleven players.
- deal in (business) – He deals in electronics.
- deal with (treat / behave / describe) – The book deals with climate change.
- dedicate to – The book is dedicated to his parents.
- depend on – Success depends on hard work.
- deprive of – He was deprived of his rights.
- descend from – He descends from a noble family.
- die of (a disease) – He died of malaria.
- die from (an effect / wound) – Many died from their injuries.
- die for (a cause) – The soldier died for his country.
- die by (poison / sword / accident) – He died by poison.
- differ from – This book differs from that one.
- disagree with – I disagree with your opinion.
- divide into – The class was divided into four groups.
- eat from a plate – We never eat directly from the pan; we eat from a plate.
- get rid of – We must get rid of bad habits.
- indulge in – Do not indulge in gossip.
- interfere in (affairs) – Do not interfere in my matters.
- interfere with (process) – Noise interferes with my work.
- laugh at – They laughed at his mistakes.
- listen to – Listen to your elders.
- long for – She longed for a holiday.
- made of (material visible) – The table is made of wood.
- part from (a person) – He parted from his friends at the station.
- part with (a thing) – She could not part with her old books.
- play on (an instrument) – She plays on the piano.
- prevent (someone) from (doing) – The rain prevented us from going out.
- preside over (a meeting) – The principal presided over the meeting.
- pride (oneself) on – He prides himself on his punctuality.
- provide (someone) with (something) – They provided us with food.
- rely on – You can rely on me.
- respond to – She did not respond to my message.
- search for – They searched for the lost keys.
- stick to – Stick to your promise.
- suffer from – He suffers from asthma.
- supply (someone) with – They supplied us with blankets.
- sympathise with (a person) – We sympathised with the victim.
- take pride in – We take pride in our school.
- trust in – We trust in God.
- wait for – We waited for the bus.
- warn (someone) against (something) – The doctor warned him against smoking.
- work on – She is working on a project.
- yield to – He did not yield to temptation.
6.2 Adjectives + Prepositions
6.3 Nouns + Prepositions
7. Exam Pointers for ICSE Preposition Questions
Strategy
1. Read the whole sentence; think of meaning first.
2. Check if the blank is part of a known verb/adjective/noun + preposition pair.
3. Watch common contrasts: in/at/on, for/since, between/among, beside/besides, above/over.
4. In case of doubt, eliminate prepositions that make the sentence ungrammatical or illogical.
Portions of this article were developed with the assistance of AI tools and have been carefully reviewed, verified and edited by Jayanta Kumar Maity, M.A. in English, Editor & Co-Founder of Englicist.
We are committed to accuracy and clarity. If you notice any errors or have suggestions for improvement, please let us know.