15 structures · CEFR A1–B2
English prepositions
Prepositions are small, there are not many of them, and they are the last thing to become automatic in a second language — because they are not translated, they are memorised in pairs with the words around them. In, on and at cover both place and time on different rules. "Since two years" instead of "for two years" is a preposition mistake, not a tense mistake, and it is the most common error in Indian English.
Common prepositions mistakes
Every one of these is a sentence Indian-English speakers genuinely produce — not a textbook example.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
I will come in Monday. | I will come on Monday. Days always take "on" — on Monday, on Friday, on my birthday. Time: in / on / at → |
I am in the bus stop. | I am at the bus stop. A point on a route takes "at". Place: in / on / at → |
I went to inside the room. | I went into the room. "Into" already means going inside. Movement: to / into → |
It depends of the weather. | It depends on the weather. It is always "depend on". Words that own a preposition → |
I will finish it until Friday. | I will finish it by Friday. Finishing is a deadline, so it takes "by". "Until" would mean you keep finishing it. during / by / until / from…to → |
He was standing between the crowd. | He was standing among the crowd. "Between" needs two things; a crowd takes "among". above / below / between / among → |
The bank is in front of the post office, on the same side. | The bank is next to the post office. "In front of" means facing it from outside, not beside it. next to / opposite / in front of → |
We walked across the forest. | We walked through the forest. A forest has an inside, so you go through it, not across it. across / through / along / past → |
All 15 prepositions structures
Grouped by CEFR band so you can start where you actually are, rather than at the top.
A1 · Starting
3 structures at this level.
A2 · Everyday
3 structures at this level.
B1 · Independent
6 structures at this level.
- during / by / until / from…toB1Talk about deadlines and stretches of time
- across / through / along / pastB1Describe a route, not just a destination
- Verb + prepositionB1Stop dropping the preposition after common verbs
- Adjective + prepositionB1Describe how you feel about something correctly
- Preposition + -ingB1Put a verb after a preposition without breaking it
- Fixed phrasesB1Recognise the phrases you cannot work out from the words
B2 · Confident
3 structures at this level.
Dimmed tiles are structures whose example bank is still being written. The explanation and the mistake are there; the sentences are not, yet.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns prepositions into practice you can actually do: a Hindi sentence, your English answer, and one correction at a time.
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