Prepositions and conjunctions
Choosing the right preposition of time, place and movement, and the linking word that fits the meaning
Prepositions are small words that show the relationship between things, especially in time, place and movement. For time we use 'at' with clock times and 'night' (at 6 o'clock, at night), 'on' with days and dates (on Monday, on 5 May), and 'in' with months, years and parts of the day (in July, in 2020, in the morning); we also use 'for' with a length of time and 'since' with a starting point. For place we use 'at' for a point (at home, at school), 'in' for an enclosed space or a town (in a box, in London) and 'on' for a surface (on the table, on the wall), plus words like under, between, among, next to, in front of and behind. For movement we use 'to', 'into', 'onto', 'out of', 'through' and 'across'. Some verbs and adjectives always take a fixed preposition, called a dependent preposition (depend on, listen to, wait for, good at, interested in, afraid of). Conjunctions join ideas: coordinating ones (and, but, or, so) link equal parts, while subordinating ones (because, although, when, if, unless, so that) show reason, contrast, time or condition. For example: 'We stayed at home because it was raining, but we still enjoyed the day.'
Key terms
| Preposition | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| at | Clock times and 'night' (time); a point (place) | at 8 o'clock, at night; at home |
| on | Days and dates (time); a surface (place) | on Monday, on 5 May; on the table |
| in | Months, years, parts of the day (time); an enclosed space or town (place) | in July, in 2020; in the room, in Baku |
| good at | Dependent preposition after 'good' for a skill | She is good at solving maths problems. |
| interested in | Dependent preposition after 'interested' | She has been interested in astronomy. |
| depend on | Dependent preposition after 'depend' | Success depends on hard work. |
| Conjunction | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | Adds two equal ideas | She likes tea and coffee. |
| but | Shows a contrast | I wanted to play football, but it was raining. |
| or | Offers a choice between two things | Would you like tea or coffee? |
| so | Shows a result | I was tired, so I went to bed early. |
| because | Gives a reason | We stayed at home because it was snowing. |
| although | Shows a contrast (concession) | Although it was very cold, we went for a walk. |
| when | Shows time | We were waiting for the train when it started to rain. |
| if | Shows a condition | We will go to the beach if the weather is good. |
- 1Sentence: Our lessons start ___ 8 o'clock, and the book is ___ the table.
- 2Time slot: '8 o'clock' is a clock time, and we use 'at' with clock times, so the first answer is 'at'.
- 3Place slot: The book rests on a flat surface, and we use 'on' for a surface, so the second answer is 'on'.
- 4Answer: Our lessons start at 8 o'clock, and the book is on the table.
- 1Sentence: We stayed at home ___ it was snowing heavily.
- 2Find the relationship: The snow is the reason for staying at home, not a contrast or a result.
- 3Match the conjunction: 'because' gives a reason, while 'although' shows contrast and 'so' shows a result; the reason here needs 'because'.
- 4Answer: We stayed at home because it was snowing heavily.
Do not mix up 'at', 'on' and 'in' for time: use 'at' for clock times (at 8 o'clock), 'on' for days and dates (on Monday), and 'in' for months and years (in July). Saying 'in 8 o'clock' or 'on July' is wrong.
For place, 'in' means inside an enclosed space (in the bottle), 'on' means on a surface (on the table), and 'at' marks a point (at home). The milk is in the bottle, not on it.
Dependent prepositions are fixed and cannot be guessed: say 'depend on' (not depend of), 'listen to' (not listen at), 'good at' (not good in), 'interested in' (not interested on), 'afraid of' (not afraid from), 'wait for' (not wait to).
'because' and 'although' are opposites: 'because' gives a reason ('We stayed home because it was snowing'), while 'although' shows a contrast ('Although it was cold, we went for a walk'). Check whether the two ideas agree or conflict before choosing.
Rules
- 1Prepositions of time: use 'at' for clock times and 'night' (at 7 o'clock, at night), 'on' for days and dates (on Friday, on 3 May), 'in' for months, years and parts of the day (in May, in 2019, in the evening).
- 2Prepositions of place: use 'at' for a point (at home, at the bus stop), 'in' for an enclosed space or town (in the room, in Baku), and 'on' for a surface (on the floor, on the wall).
- 3Prepositions of movement: use 'to' (go to school), 'into'/'out of' (walk into/out of a room), 'through' (go through a tunnel) and 'across' (swim across the river).
- 4Dependent prepositions are fixed: depend on, listen to, look at, wait for, good at, interested in, afraid of, proud of, married to.
- 5Conjunctions show meaning: 'and' adds, 'but'/'although' show contrast, 'because'/'since' give a reason, 'so' shows a result, and 'if'/'unless' show a condition.
Practice
15 easy · 15 medium · 15 hard
10 random questions per test