Master English Prepositions: Your Ultimate Guide for a High IELTS Score

Do prepositions seem difficult to you? You are not alone! These small words can be a big challenge, but mastering them is essential for securing a good score in IELTS. The correct use of prepositions boosts your Fluency and Accuracy, which directly impacts your Grammatical Range and Accuracy score.

Introduction: What are Prepositions?

Prepositions are words that show the relationship of a Noun or Pronoun to another word in a sentence. They tell us about time, place, direction, and more. Think of them as the glue that holds your ideas together. This post is a roadmap of the different types of prepositions that you can practise through exercises on flyielts.com.

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1. Prepositions of Time: In, On, At

Knowing when to use in, on, and at is the first step to mastering time prepositions. The general rule is to move from general periods to specific times.

• IN: Used for long, indefinite periods like months, years, seasons, and centuries. (e.g., in 2024, in August, in the morning).
• ON: Used for specific days and dates. (e.g., on Monday, on my birthday, on June 15th).
• AT: Used for precise times and specific points in the day. (e.g., at 8 PM, at midnight, at the weekend).

Get ready for our exercises to master these common time markers!

2. Prepositions of Place: In, On, At, and More

Just like time, in, on, and at are used to describe place. We also use other common words to describe location.

• IN: For enclosed spaces or large areas. (e.g., in the box, in London, in a car).
• ON: For surfaces. (e.g., on the table, on the wall, on the floor).
• AT: For specific points or locations. (e.g., at the bus stop, at the door, at the top of the page).
• Other common prepositions: The cat is under the bed. He is hiding behind the tree. She sat between her two friends.

Our upcoming quizzes will help you visualise and correctly use these prepositions of place.

3. Prepositions of Movement

These prepositions describe movement or direction from one place to another. They are crucial for describing processes, journeys, and actions.

• She is going to the store.
• The bird flew into the house.
• He jumped onto the stage.
• They walked through the forest and across the river.

Practise the perfect description of actions and movements with our specific exercises.

4. Prepositions with Verbs

Some verbs almost always take a specific preposition to make a meaningful sentence. These combinations, often known as Phrasal Verbs or Collocations, are essential for sounding natural in English.

• You can always depend on your family.
• I love to listen to music.
• Do you believe in ghosts?
• We need to prepare for the exam.

We have compiled lists and exercises to help you memorise them!

5. Prepositions with Adjectives

Similarly, some adjectives naturally pair with specific prepositions to complete their meaning. Learning these will significantly improve your sentence structure.

• I am proud of your hard work.
• She is interested in modern art.
• He is afraid of spiders.
• They are good at playing tennis.

Strengthen your vocabulary by exercising these essential Adjective-Preposition pairs.

6. Common Prepositional Phrases

These are specific phrases where the combination of a preposition and a noun has a special, often idiomatic, meaning. Using these correctly makes your English sound more advanced.

• He broke the vase on purpose.
• We met by chance at the supermarket.
• She went to the party in spite of feeling unwell.
• I am writing on behalf of my manager.

Speak like a native speaker by mastering these common phrases in our next lesson.

7. Prepositions with Nouns

Just like verbs and adjectives, some nouns are naturally followed by specific prepositions. These collocations are especially important for Formal Writing in the IELTS exam.

• What is the reason for this delay?
• She has a great love of animals.
• There is a growing need for skilled workers.

Improve your Formal Writing by learning which preposition follows which noun. Exercises coming soon!

8. Confusing Prepositions

Finally, let’s look at some common areas of confusion for learners. Paying attention to these small details helps avoid common mistakes.

• among vs. between: Use between for two things (e.g., “between you and me”) and among for three or more (e.g., “among the crowd”).
• in vs. into: Use in to indicate position (He is in the room) and into to indicate movement (He walked into the room).
• by, with, for: These can be confusing. By often indicates who performed the action (written by him). With often indicates the tool used (written with a pen). For often indicates the purpose (written for his students).

Don’t let these confusing pairs lower your score! Our final exercise set will help you clear up any confusion.

Conclusion

Mastering prepositions is a simple yet powerful way to improve your IELTS score. By understanding these eight categories, you can build a strong foundation for both the Speaking and Writing sections. Ready to practise? Keep an eye on our website for a new series of exercises on each of these topics. Let us know in the comments which area you find most challenging!