Preposition Exercises With Answers: 6 Practice Sets for Students

Prepositions are small words like in, on, at, for and since. They are short, but they cause many mistakes in exams and daily writing.

The best way to master them is practice. This page gives you a short rule review, then six sets of preposition exercises with answers. Try each set first, then check your work in the answer key at the end.

Quick Review: Main Preposition Rules

Before you start, read these basic rules. They cover most questions you will see in school tests.

Prepositions of Time

• At – exact times and some fixed phrases: at 7 o’clock, at night, at the weekend.
• On – days and dates: on Monday, on 16 December, on my birthday.
• In – months, years, seasons and long periods: in July, in 2025, in winter, in the morning.
• Since – a starting point: since 2020, since Monday.
• For – a length of time: for two hours, for three years.

Prepositions of Place

• At – a point or place: at the bus stop, at school.
• On – a surface: on the table, on the wall.
• In – inside an area or space: in the box, in Dhaka, in the classroom.

Prepositions of Movement

• To – direction: go to school.
• Into – movement inside: jump into the pond.
• Through – from one side to the other: walk through the park.
• Across – to the other side of a surface: swim across the river.

For a fuller explanation, the Cambridge Grammar page on prepositions and particles is clear and reliable.

Exercise 1: At, On or In (Time)

Fill in the blanks with at, on or in.

1. The class starts ___ 9 a.m.
2. We have a holiday ___ Friday.
3. My brother was born ___ 2012.
4. It often rains ___ July.
5. I like to read ___ night.
6. Victory Day is ___ 16 December.
7. The shops are busy ___ the evening.
8. We met ___ my birthday.
9. Birds sing ___ sunrise.
10. The exam is ___ the first week of March.

Exercise 2: At, On or In (Place)

Fill in the blanks with at, on or in.

1. The book is ___ the table.
2. She lives ___ Chattogram.
3. Wait for me ___ the gate.
4. There is a picture ___ the wall.
5. The cat is sleeping ___ the box.
6. My father works ___ a bank.
7. Write your name ___ the top of the page.
8. The children are playing ___ the field.
9. He is sitting ___ the bus.
10. We stayed ___ a small hotel.

Exercise 3: Since or For

Choose since or for.

1. I have lived here ___ ten years.
2. She has been ill ___ Sunday.
3. They have known each other ___ childhood.
4. We waited ___ two hours.
5. He has worked in this school ___ 2018.
6. It has been raining ___ morning.
7. I have not seen him ___ a long time.
8. The shop has been closed ___ last week.

Remember: use since with a point in time and for with a period of time.

Exercise 4: Movement Prepositions

Choose the correct word from the brackets.

1. The boy jumped (in / into) the river.
2. We walked (through / across) the forest.
3. The plane flew (over / on) the city.
4. She went (to / at) the market.
5. The ball rolled (under / below) the bed.
6. They swam (across / through) the lake.
7. He came (out of / out from) the room.
8. The thief ran (along / among) the road.

Exercise 5: Fixed Prepositions (Appropriate Prepositions)

Many words always take the same preposition. In Bangladesh, this topic is often called “appropriate prepositions”. Fill in the blanks.

1. She is good ___ English.
2. I am afraid ___ dogs.
3. He is interested ___ science.
4. We should take care ___ our parents.
5. The room is full ___ people.
6. She is proud ___ her son.
7. I agree ___ you.
8. He died ___ cholera.
9. Smoking is harmful ___ health.
10. Do not laugh ___ the poor.
11. She is married ___ a doctor.
12. He was absent ___ class yesterday.

Exercise 6: Mixed Practice

Fill in each blank with a suitable preposition.

Rafi gets up ___ (1) 6 a.m. every day. He lives ___ (2) a small village ___ (3) the bank of a river. He goes ___ (4) school ___ (5) foot. The school is ___ (6) the village market. He has studied there ___ (7) five years. He is fond ___ (8) reading and is very good ___ (9) mathematics. ___ (10) Fridays, he helps his father ___ (11) the field.

Answer Key

Exercise 1

1. at, 2. on, 3. in, 4. in, 5. at, 6. on, 7. in, 8. on, 9. at, 10. in

Exercise 2

1. on, 2. in, 3. at, 4. on, 5. in, 6. at (or in), 7. at, 8. in (or on), 9. on, 10. at (or in)

Some questions allow two answers. For example, works at a bank means the workplace, while works in a bank means inside the building. Both are correct.

Exercise 3

1. for, 2. since, 3. since, 4. for, 5. since, 6. since, 7. for, 8. since

Exercise 4

1. into, 2. through, 3. over, 4. to, 5. under, 6. across, 7. out of, 8. along

Exercise 5

1. at, 2. of, 3. in, 4. of, 5. of, 6. of, 7. with, 8. of, 9. to, 10. at, 11. to, 12. from

Exercise 6

1. at, 2. in, 3. on, 4. to, 5. on, 6. near (or beside / behind), 7. for, 8. of, 9. at, 10. On, 11. in

Common Preposition Mistakes

Wrong	Right
I am waiting since two hours.	I have been waiting for two hours.
He is married with a teacher.	He is married to a teacher.
She is good in English.	She is good at English.
We discussed about the plan.	We discussed the plan.
I reached to the station.	I reached the station.
He entered into the room.	He entered the room.

Notice the last three. Verbs like discuss, reach and enter do not need a preposition before their object.

Tips to Get Prepositions Right

1. Learn them in phrases, not alone. Remember “good at”, “afraid of” and “interested in” as whole chunks.
2. Keep a small notebook. Each time you make a mistake, write the correct phrase.
3. Read a lot. Prepositions are easier to “feel” when you see them often in books and news.
4. Practise every week. Short practice beats one long session. The Purdue OWL grammar exercises include extra practice you can do online.
5. Check prepositional phrases. A preposition plus its noun forms a phrase, like in the morning. The Cambridge guide to prepositional phrases shows how they work in sentences.

If you want more general practice, try our English grammar quiz. You can also review the errors students make most often in common English grammar mistakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most common prepositions?

In, on, at, to, for, of, with, from, by and about are among the most common prepositions in English.

How can I remember at, on and in?

Think from small to big. At is for a point (at 5 p.m.), on is for a day or surface (on Monday), and in is for bigger periods or spaces (in May, in Dhaka).

Is “discuss about” correct?

No. Say “discuss the problem”. But you can say “talk about the problem” or “a discussion about the problem”.

Conclusion

Prepositions become easier with steady practice. Review the rules, do one exercise set a day and note your mistakes. In a few weeks, choosing the right preposition will feel natural.

To see how prepositions fit into the bigger picture of English, read our guide to the rules of English grammar.