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

absent from – He is absent from school today.
according to – According to the teacher, the answer is correct.
in accordance with – We acted in accordance with the rules.
accustomed to – She is accustomed to early rising.
adjacent to – Our house is adjacent to the park.
affectionate to (a person) – She is affectionate to children.
afraid of – He is afraid of snakes.
ambitious of – She is ambitious of success.
annoyed at (something) – She was annoyed at the delay.
annoyed with (someone) – She was annoyed with her brother.
anxious about (worried) – Parents are anxious about the result.
ashamed of – He is ashamed of his behaviour.
aware of – Are you aware of the rules?
capable of – She is capable of better work.
close to – He is very close to his grandparents.
conscious of – She is conscious of her appearance.
contrary to – What you say is contrary to the facts.
eligible for – He is eligible for this post.
faithful to – The dog is faithful to its master.
familiar with – Are you familiar with this topic?
fond of – She is fond of sweets.
free from – The air here is free from pollution.
good at – He is good at Mathematics.
grateful to (person) – I am grateful to you.
ignorant of – Many people are ignorant of the law.
indifferent to – He is indifferent to praise or blame.
interested in – She is interested in music.
jealous of – He is jealous of his cousin.
junior / senior to – He is junior to me in service.
loyal to – We should be loyal to our country.
occupied with – She is occupied with her work.
open to – This idea is open to criticism.
proud of – We are proud of our school.
similar to – This colour is similar to that one.
superior / inferior to – This cloth is superior to that.
sure of – Are you sure of your answer?
surprised at – I was surprised at his behaviour.
sympathetic to – They are sympathetic to the poor.
true to – Be true to your word.

6.3 Nouns + Prepositions

access to – Students have access to the library.
affection for – She has great affection for her parents.
answer to – This is the answer to your question.
appetite for – He has no appetite for food.
cause of – The cause of the accident is unknown.
complaint with – He lodged a complaint with the police.
effect on – The news had a strong effect on him.
faith in – We have faith in God.
lack of – The plan failed for lack of money.
love for – Her love for music is well known.
preference for – She has a preference for tea over coffee.
pride (noun) in – We take pride in our heritage.
reason for – What is the reason for your absence?
responsibility for – He has responsibility for the project.
room for – There is no room for doubt.
supply of – The supply of water is low.
sympathy for – We feel sympathy for the homeless.

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.

This article is drafted with AI assistance and has been structured, reviewed, and edited by Jayanta Kumar Maity, M.A. in English, Editor & Co-Founder, Englicist.

While we strive for accuracy and clarity, if you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know to improve further.

Preposition