Prepositions, Conjunctions & Articles
Small words, big marks! Learn where things are and when things happen with prepositions, join ideas with conjunctions, and pick a, an or the by ear.
1What is a preposition?
A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show how it is related to another word — where (place), when (time), which way (direction) or how.
- The cat is under the table. (place)
- We have a holiday on Monday. (time)
- She walked towards the gate. (direction)
- Muslims fast during Ramazan. (time — for the whole period)
A preposition is almost always followed by a noun or pronoun (its object): during Ramazan, with him, after school. Common prepositions: in, on, at, by, for, from, to, with, of, about, above, below, under, over, between, among, into, through, during, since, till, before, after, near, behind, across.
In “Muslims fast during Ramazan”, fast is a verb (the action of not eating) and during is a preposition (before the noun Ramazan). Some words can be prepositions or conjunctions: “I waited till six” (preposition, noun follows) vs “I waited till she came” (conjunction, a whole clause follows). Always check what comes after the word.
What part of speech is after in “We played cricket after lunch.”?
2Prepositions of place
in, on and at for places
| Preposition | Use for | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| in | inside something; a big area (room, city, country) | in the box, in the classroom, in Mumbai, in India, in the sky |
| on | touching a surface; a line such as a road or river | on the table, on the wall, on the floor, on the road, on page 5 |
| at | a point or a particular place where something happens | at the door, at the bus stop, at school, at the station, at the top |
over / above — higher than (a fan above the bed, a bridge over the river). under / below — lower than (a cat under the chair, below the line). beside / next to — at the side of. behind — at the back of. in front of — facing the front of. near — close to. opposite — facing, on the other side.
beside = next to: “Sit beside me.” besides = in addition to / as well as: “Besides English, she speaks Tamil.”
3Prepositions of time: at, on, in
| Preposition | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| at (most exact) | clock times, exact moments, night | at 7:30 a.m., at noon, at midnight, at sunrise, at bedtime, at night |
| on | days, dates, special days | on Monday, on 15th August, on my birthday, on Independence Day, on Sunday morning |
| in (longest) | months, years, seasons, centuries, parts of the day | in July, in 2019, in summer, in the 21st century, in the morning / afternoon / evening |
“in the morning” but “at night”. And once you name a day, on wins: “on Monday morning”, “on the night of 5th May”. No preposition before today, tomorrow, yesterday or words with next, last, this, every: “See you next Friday” — not “on next Friday”.
More time prepositions
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| since | from a point of time till now | It has been raining since Monday / since 6 o’clock. |
| for | a length of time | It has been raining for three days / for two hours. |
| during | all through a period | Don’t talk during the exam. |
| by | not later than | Submit your project by Friday. |
| till / until | up to a time | The shop is open till 9 p.m. |
| from … to | start and end | School runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| before / after | earlier / later than | Wash your hands before meals. |
Fill in the blank: Our school sports day will be held ______ 14th November.
Which phrase is correct?
4Direction and the tricky pairs
| Pair | Rule | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| between / among | between two; among more than two | Divide the sweets between the two brothers. Share the notebooks among all forty students. |
| in / into | in = already inside (position); into = moving from outside to inside | The frog is swimming in the pond. The frog jumped into the pond. |
| on / onto | on = resting on; onto = moving on to a surface | The cat is on the wall. The cat jumped onto the wall. |
| since / for | since + point of time; for + length of time | since 2022, since morning · for five years, for an hour |
| by / with | by = the doer or means of travel; with = the tool used | Godaan was written by Premchand. He cut the cake with a knife. We went by bus / by train / by air (but on foot). |
| to / towards | to = reaching the place; towards = in the direction of | We went to Jaipur. The dog ran towards me. |
| across / through | across = from one side to the other of a surface; through = in one end and out the other | walk across the road · the train went through the tunnel |
Fixed partners worth knowing
good at maths, afraid of dogs, fond of music, angry with a person, angry at / about a thing, full of water, different from, proud of, interested in, listen to, wait for, divide into parts, congratulate on success, suffer from fever.
Count the people! Two brothers → between. Forty students → among. And don't add a preposition where none is needed: “We discussed about the plan” ✗ → “We discussed the plan” ✓; “He entered into the room” ✗ → “He entered the room” ✓.
Fill in the blank: The ball rolled ______ the drain.
5Conjunctions: joining words
A conjunction joins words, phrases or sentences. “I was tired. I finished my work.” → “I was tired, but I finished my work.”
| Conjunction | Job | Example |
|---|---|---|
| and | adds similar ideas | Riya sings and dances. |
| but | shows contrast (opposite idea) | I wanted to play outside, but it was raining heavily. |
| or | gives a choice; also means “otherwise” after a command | Tea or coffee? Hurry up, or you will miss the bus. |
| so | shows the result | It was late, so we took a taxi. |
| because | gives the reason | Tanvi stayed at home because she had a fever. |
| although / though | “in spite of the fact that” | Although Arjun was very tired, he finished his homework. |
| unless | “if … not” | You will fail unless you work hard. (= if you do not work hard) |
| if | condition | If it rains, we will stay in. |
| when / while / before / after / until | time | Call me when you reach. Wait until I come. |
Pairs that always go together
either … or
one of two: “Either you or Ravi must go.”
neither … nor
not this and not that: “She is neither rude nor lazy.”
both … and
the two together: “Both Asha and Mira won.”
not only … but also
“He is not only smart but also kind.”
✗ “Although it rained, but we played.” → ✓ “Although it rained, we played.” (or “It rained, but we played.”)
✗ “Because he was ill, so he stayed home.” → ✓ use only one.
✗ “Unless you don't study…” → ✓ “Unless you study…” (unless already means “if not”).
✗ neither … or, both … as well as → ✓ neither … nor, both … and.
Ask: do the two parts agree or fight? “She had a fever” + “stayed home” agree → because. “He was tired” + “finished homework” fight (you'd expect him to stop!) → although.
Fill in the blank: ______ you leave now, you will miss the train.
Fill in the blank: Neither the teacher ______ the students heard the bell.
6Articles a and an: listen to the sound
A and an are used before a singular countable noun when we mean any one, not a particular one: a pen, an egg. The choice depends on the first sound — not the first letter!
- an before a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u sounds): an apple, an egg, an ink-pot, an owl, an umbrella, an elephant.
- a before a consonant sound: a boy, a cup, a horse, a tree.
| Looks like a vowel, sounds like a consonant → a | Looks like a consonant, sounds like a vowel → an |
|---|---|
| a university, a uniform, a unicorn, a useful book | an hour, an honest man, an heir, an honour (silent h) |
| a European, a eucalyptus tree (“yoo”) | an MLA, an MP, an FIR, an SOS |
| a one-rupee coin, a one-day match (“wun”) | an X-ray, an LKG student, an NCC cadet, an RMD |
| a U-turn, a UFO (“yoo”) | an NGO, an SMS, an LPG cylinder |
But a u that says “uh” is a true vowel sound: an umbrella, an uncle, an ugly duckling, an umpire.
Which phrase is correct?
7The article “the” and when to use no article
The is used when we mean a particular thing — one that the listener already knows about.
- “Kiran bought a pen yesterday.” — first mention: any pen, so a.
- “The pen writes very smoothly.” — now we know which pen, so the.
| Use “the” with… | Examples |
|---|---|
| something mentioned before / already known | I saw a dog. The dog was barking. Close the door, please. |
| one-of-a-kind things | the sun, the moon, the earth, the sky |
| rivers, seas, oceans, mountain ranges, deserts, groups of islands | the Ganga, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Himalayas, the Thar Desert, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
| superlatives and order words | the tallest boy, the best day, the first prize |
| musical instruments (with play) | She plays the sitar / the piano / the flute. |
| holy books, newspapers, famous buildings, trains | the Ramayana, the Hindu, the Taj Mahal, the Rajdhani Express |
| countries with “States / Kingdom / Republic” or a plural name | the USA, the UK, the Netherlands |
| directions and a whole group of people | in the north; the poor, the rich |
No article at all
| No article with… | Examples |
|---|---|
| names of people, cities, most countries, single mountains and lakes | Ramesh, Delhi, India, Mount Everest, Dal Lake |
| languages and school subjects | She speaks Hindi. I like maths. |
| games and sports | They play cricket / chess. (but play the guitar!) |
| meals, days, months, festivals | have breakfast; on Monday; in May; We celebrate Diwali. |
| school, bed, church, hospital, prison — when used for their main purpose | go to school (to study), go to bed (to sleep) |
| plural or uncountable nouns in a general sense | Dogs are loyal. Milk is good for health. |
| travel with by | by bus, by car, by air |
Rivers take “the”, single mountains don't: the Ganga but Mount Everest; the Himalayas (a range) but Kanchenjunga. And instruments take the, games don't: “play the piano” but “play cricket”.
Choose the correct set: “I was waiting at ___ station for ___ hour, when ___ Ramesh came.”
8Spot the error
| ✗ Wrong | ✓ Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I was born on 2016. | I was born in 2016. | years → in |
| We will meet on next Sunday. | We will meet next Sunday. | no preposition before next |
| He has been ill since two days. | He has been ill for two days. | length of time → for |
| Share the chocolate between the five friends. | Share it among the five friends. | more than two → among |
| She jumped in the pool. | She jumped into the pool. | movement inside → into |
| Although he was poor, but he was honest. | Although he was poor, he was honest. | no but after although |
| Unless you don't hurry, you will be late. | Unless you hurry, you will be late. | unless = if not |
| He is a honest boy. | He is an honest boy. | silent h → vowel sound |
| She is an university student. | She is a university student. | “yoo” is a consonant sound |
| Sun rises in east. | The sun rises in the east. | unique thing; direction |
| He plays the football. | He plays football. | no article with games |
Watch and explore
- 📖What is a preposition?bbc.co.uk/bitesize · where and when words, with an activity
- 🎮Prepositions of placelearnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org · games and a printable test
- 📖What are coordinating conjunctions?bbc.co.uk/bitesize · and, but, or, so and friends
- 📖What are subordinating conjunctions?bbc.co.uk/bitesize · because, although, unless, when
- 🎮The preposition and the conjunctionkhanacademy.org · videos and practice
- 📖Article (grammar)simple.wikipedia.org · a, an and the in easy English
9Quick recap
- A preposition comes before a noun/pronoun to show place, time, direction or manner — e.g. during Ramazan.
- Place: in (inside / big area), on (surface), at (a point).
- Time: at 7:30 / noon / night · on Monday / 15th August · in July / 2019 / summer / the morning.
- No preposition before today, tomorrow, next, last, this, every.
- between two; among more than two.
- in = position, into = movement inside; since + point, for + length.
- by the doer / by bus; with a tool.
- Conjunctions: and (add), but (contrast), or (choice / otherwise), so (result), because (reason), although (in spite of), unless (if not).
- Pairs: either…or, neither…nor, both…and, not only…but also. Never “although…but”.
- a/an go by the first sound: an hour, an MLA, an umbrella; a university, a uniform, a one-rupee coin.
- the for something already mentioned, unique things, rivers, oceans, mountain ranges, superlatives and instruments.
- No article with names, languages, subjects, games, meals, and single mountains like Mount Everest.